We’re only a few weeks away from a new beginning. As the rest of the world slows down for the holiday season, marketers and shopkeepers gear up for one of their busiest periods of the year. If you’re looking to get some quick inspiration before the holidays and sharpen your creative skills for 2015, here are two articles from esteemed research groups that will help you do just that.

McKinsey – Five ways to get more from digital advertising

The marketing industry is more familiar with digital marketing now than ever before. However, how many of us can really say we’ve mastered the art? McKinsey’s latest report looks at five ways to better extract the potential of digital marketing with smarter processes.  

Gartner – The 10 most overused marketing words and phrases of 2014 

The one big danger zone marketer don’t want to step foot in is clichés – we all want our content, ideas and messages to be new and innovative. Gartner has put together a list of the most overused terms in marketing.  Though we can’t do away with most terms, it’s important to watch out for context of usage.

Related Read – Stories for Thanksgiving

We found a few stories for all modern marketers this Thanksgiving. Dive in to these two reports by MIT SMR and Forrester to understand what your child and your consumers have in common. 

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