Branding Expert Launches New St. Louis-Based Firm
UPBrand Collaborative provides a unique array of services to elevate brands in a changing marketplace.
Jeff Insco, veteran brand strategist, writer and producer has partnered with the principals of CPG + Cos to launch a new St. Louis-based breed of branding agency, UPBrand Collaborative, LLC. www.UPBrand.com
In a local market seemingly saturated with small creative shops, UPBrand Collaborative is positioned to provide clients with much more than traditional branding and advertising services. The difference is the depth of services offered in non-traditional marketing communications like new media, web video and live experiences, in addition to strategic brand planning, research and design. The firm anticipates opening additional offices in Denver and Los Angeles in the first year.
"The marketing world has shifted quickly in the last few years from relatively few available platforms to a landscape in which many of these old models are largely irrelevant," says Insco. "Online, mobile and social networks, peer-to-peer and experiential brand touch points are the ways brands resonate today. Not many existing agencies are set up to truly meet the brand and marketing challenges of this changing environment where you have to manage your brand across media and across experiences."
As one of three sister companies of CPG + Cos, UPBrand Collaborative launches with the advantage of having in-house access to the capabilities and talents of two established local firms, Creative Producers Group and Vidzu Micro TV Networks.
Creative Producers Group has a 25-year track record as one of the nation's leading producers of marketing events, meetings and media. Vidzu offers clients a turnkey solution for creating a branded presence in the increasingly important world of online video. Relationships with both partner firms offer UPBrand the ability to manage a client's brand across a broad array of traditional and non-traditional media.
"Our goal in creating UPBrand Collaborative was to put together a 'dream team' of talents," says Keith Alper, CEO of CPG + Cos. "Jeff's award-winning experience at the top agencies here and in New York make him uniquely qualified to lead the new agency. The rest of the UPBrand team includes talents from a broad array of disciplines-from business strategy to new media and PR-and it's a team we're quickly growing with the best creative talents in the region."
UPBrand's mission is to help organizations and brands build marketplace relevance through powerful cross-experiential storytelling and production.
"By assembling this diverse collection of talent and leveraging all the services of our sister companies, we are able to efficiently offer a unique range of solutions," said Insco. "Collectively, we are able to provide strategic direction and high-end creative execution that elevates brand perceptions and ultimately the client's bottom line."
Also joining UPBrand are JaNeice Giesler, Brand Manager; and Katie Yates, Brand Manager. Giesler has moved from UPBrand's sister company, Creative Producers Group. Yates is formerly with Bigwidesky and Rodgers Townsend.
"Advertising, marketing and communication were revolutionized by the internet in the 90's and now social media and mobile communication in this decade," says Insco. "The days of just a few companies or media outlets telling consumers what to buy and what to think are over. Today, the opinions of social networks and other non-traditional brand touch points are the main influences on consumer choices. Companies and organizations that leverage their brands in these new, highly engaging ways will emerge as the dominant players in the new marketplace. At UPBrand we can directly guide our clients in these areas unlike any other agency."
ABOUT THE PRINCIPAL
Jeff Insco
President / Creative Director
UPBrand Collaborative, LLC
Jeff is a veteran brand strategist, writer and producer with nearly 20 years of service for category leaders in a wide range of business-to-business and business-to-consumer categories.
Prior to being a founding Partner of UPBrand, he served as a Principal and Strategy Director with TOKY Branding + Design where he helped to drive exponential growth for this respected firm during his seven year tenure. Jeff's major client assignments included Barnes Jewish Hospital, several schools and centers at Washington University in St. Louis, Sonnenschein, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, United Way of Greater St. Louis, and American Red Cross, among many others.
Prior to his time with TOKY, he also helped develop several effective campaigns for a variety of businesses, including Bank of America, Johnson & Johnson, SAVVIS, The Center for Energy and Economic Development, St. Louis Business Journal and St. Louis Cardinals with Walyon Advertising; and in nearly a decade in New York City he helped to build brands such as IBM, Lerner New York, Linens'n Things, and NIKE.
He is an Emmy-nominated writer and producer who has garnered accolades over the years for campaigns recognized by groups such the American Advertising Federation (AAF), American Institute of Graphic Artists (AIGA) and Direct Marketing Association (DMA).
One of his proudest professional accomplishments occurred while leading creative, production and operational process improvements as a member of AGA Creative in New York City. During his tenure as Vice President, of this multinational creative firm, one of his roles included leading the agency's quality improvement initiatives. His efforts resulted in AGA being recognized by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Institute of Standards & Technology as one of ten finalists for the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.
True to form as both a right and left brained thinker, Jeff has earned certificates in quantitative and qualitative research from Burke Institute and is an experienced focus group moderator and qualitative researcher.
He has been a board member of The Ad Club of St. Louis and is an allocations panel volunteer for the United Way of Greater St. Louis. He and his wife are proud leaders of volunteer efforts for Friends of Children's Hospital. And, he's particularly passionate about his role as coach of the Kirkwood Bombers little league baseball team.
Jeff earned degrees in Communications and Journalism from Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State University). He lives in Kirkwood, Missouri with his wife and two sons.
About Creative Producers Group
For twenty-five years, Creative Producers Group has been helping the world's top companies articulate their vision, provide strategic direction and get people to emotionally connect. As the number one event planner in the region, Creative Producers Group distinguishes itself by understanding the unique business goals and communications challenges of each of its clients and offers a strategic perspective focused on results. www.getcreative.com
About Vidzu
Vidzu is a made-for-internet television network, media and studio group that is changing the way people get and use information. The company creates on-demand original video programming customized for clients for distribution at online "micro TV networks" and mobile devices. Custom content is created to deliver corporate communication, business news, training and employee information for a wide variety of business, non-profit and association clients. www.vidzu.tv
For Media Inquires, Please Contact
JaNeice Giesler at 314.367.2255 Ext. 4160 or jgiesler@upbrand.com
Agency Overview