Interoperability Hits Its Patient-Centered Era
in·ter·op·er·a·bil·i·ty: the ability of different systems, devices, and applications to access, exchange, and use data in such a way that the data is accessible, accurate, and secure, to provide timely and seamless portability of information and optimize the health of individuals and populations (Source: HIMSS) Twenty years ago, when Spire first stepped into the field […]
20 Years of Marketing with a Mission
Becoming an agency of choice for organizations at the forefront of progress 2005 was a big year for technology. By that summer, we’d all been introduced to Reddit, Google Maps, YouTube, Xbox, and the iPod. Journalists were writing about how the Internet was transforming modern life. And in a relatively quiet corner of the DC […]
Transform Clutter into Clarity: Smart Web Clean-Up Strategies
Imagine you’ve just been hired as a website manager and inherited a digital jungle. Multiple versions of resources are embedded across pages. You find thousands of gallery assets with vague naming, unmapped content, and template dependencies that’ll take hours to hunt down. Broken links return 404 errors, and some of the content is so stale […]
Healthy Site, Happy Users: Digital Hygiene Best Practices
Websites serve many purposes, but their primary function is to provide end users with a current, accurate understanding of the individual organization’s current activities and focus. But many websites have become bloated and unwieldy through years – if not decades – of posting information without keeping digital hygiene in mind. The end result is frustrated […]
A Different Kind of Communications Agency
Oversell, overcharge, and under-deliver. Among the complaints commonly levelled against the PR and marketing industry, that’s the trifecta. The typical client experience goes like this: A tiger team of VP-level account directors delivers a strong pitch with compelling visuals and big promises. Then, after the project kicks off, you wind up working with a team […]
Using Comms To Thrive During an Administration Transition
Politics are polarizing. There’s no way around it. Depending on your political leanings, you’re either excited or upset about each presidential election, and this feels particularly true the last few cycles. Spire has worked under several administrations, Republican and Democrat, and one thing never changes: Government keeps moving forward. Agencies continue to work on important […]
A Playbook for Policy Communications
Creating effective communication for government policy can be tricky. Policy language is rigorously evaluated for legal impact, often calling for precise and inflexible terminology. This poses unique challenges for policy communications, which must accurately convey the substance of the policy in plain language without losing that legal nuance. At Spire, we support multiple regulatory agencies, […]
The Federal Government’s Creative Comeback
Back in the 1970s, the federal government got a crash course in the power of design. Under a nine-year initiative known as the Federal Graphics Improvement Program, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) engaged major design talent to overhaul the public face of our nation. They convened “design assemblies” for leaders and bureaucrats and […]
Ask the Devs: WordPress vs Drupal for Government Websites
WordPress and Drupal are among the most commonly used platforms for building websites and other digital experiences. This is particularly true for large sites that get a lot of traffic. According to 2024 stats, WordPress powers nearly 30% of the top 1 million websites based on traffic. Drupal is a distant, but notable, second at […]
Is AI Ready for Government Communications?
In government communications, clarity, accuracy, and trust are paramount. Running a close second: efficiency – giving federal communicators good reason to consider whether AI is a viable tool. At Spire, we wanted to see for ourselves what AI could do for our clients. To get a sense of AI’s strengths and weaknesses, we used a […]
