Squarespace, a website-building hub, has partnered with Google to build something beautiful. A new ad campaign focuses on three companies or clients that use Squarespace's services and shows just what a website, or a platform, can do.
At first glance, the three—a local restaurant, a kombucha brewer, and a self-proclaimed "nasty gal"—don't have much in common. But each one has tried to bring a little more light to their communities.
LocoL, a California restaurant chain, uses its website for more than displaying its menu items, which include "burgs" (presumably burgers), "brekkie" (which sounds like breakfast and includes French toast holes as an option), as well as "foldies" and "crunchies" (which evoke the two different taco options: soft and hard).
But in addition to the healthy and tasty food options, the LocoL website also displays right up front how to apply for a job. Creators Roy Choi and Daniel Patterson want to make sure they hire local residents. Squarespace compares its mission with LocoL's, saying they've both "democratized" their respective fields.
Kombucha Dog, a Los Angeles homegrown brewery, "figured out" how to make consistently delicious, full-potency kombucha. Kombucha, for the uninitiated, is a fermented tea chock full of probiotics that gets flavored with various fruits and produces a nice fizz. Because there's some alcohol content in the drink, Kombucha Dog only sells to customers over 21 "in order to bring you the finest, best tasting, most genuine kombucha we possibly can."
And what makes Kombucha Dog's website different from those of other breweries? If you look at it, you might notice the dogs on the labels of Kombucha Dog's brews. These dogs are available to adopt, one of the noblest of causes.
According to Kombucha Dog's creator, Michael Faye, using Squarespace was a major "game changer."
"We started using Squarespace three and a half years ago," Faye said. "It's not like we know how to code our own website. Plus, the estimates we were receiving from designers were way too much money."
"Partnering with a website company that feels so passionate about presentation is so important to us," said Kombucha Dog consultant Reza Samadi. Because the company's mission is to find these dogs a good home, presenting them in the best light possible is key. Plus, Kombucha Dog can easily track, for the most part, where the dogs they feature end up going.
Over 100 dogs have been adopted thanks to the small, local company's passion. By pairing the fizzy beverage with adorable, adoptable dogs, Kombucha Dog has found a way to share each pup's story with the world.
"We're not owned by Budweiser or Coke," said Faye. "So the fact that Squarespace and Google created this campaign and recognized our mission means a lot."
#Girlboss is more than just a book written by Nasty Gal founder Sophia Amoruso—it's become a hashtag, an attitude, a movement. Nasty Gal, an online store in more than 60 countries for all things vintage and edgy, got its start many moons ago while Amoruso was struggling. But she climbed her way from dumpster diver to fashion icon. That's what #Girlboss has become: a way to highlight the successes of other women and showcase what they're doing for the world.
On the #Girlboss website, you're encouraged to apply for a grant from its foundation which aims to help inspire women to "own their own future."
"Squarespace has been a really important partner with Girlboss Radio," said Amoruso. That's how she found out about the initiative on the part of Squarespace and Google.
"The main website is home base for everything in the Girlboss world," she said. "We want it to be almost like an event for girls to attend and see all of the inspiration that's coming out of everyone."
So, what's the future for Girlboss? Besides another book coming this fall from Amoruso called Nasty Galaxy, Girlboss will air as a Netflix original series in 2017. The series is produced by Charlize Theron, Kay Cannon and Amoruso herself.
The Netflix series (which Amoruso can't go into much detail about, since Netflix is "kind of like a black box"), is a whole new way for people to experience what #Girlboss has become.
"It's been really entertaining to relive the last 10 years of your life," she said. "It's really funny and human and beautiful."
Squarespace CCO David Lee knows it was smart to partner with Google to showcase the three companies.
"Fundamentally, we felt that the combination of Google and Squarespace products felt naturally complementary to each other," he said. "What we provide are the essentials for any small business owner to get up and running, and to stand out."
Lee added, "Our product is a platform for their stories to be told, so our brand has to be malleable and flexible enough while always striving for a design-centric approach to everything we do."