UPBrand

What UPBrand does

UPBrand Collaborative, LLC is an independent, full-service branding, advertising, and digital agency headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri (200 N. Broadway, Suite 1510), founded in 2010 by Jeff Insco. The firm operates without external investors or PE/VC backing and serves a diverse client base primarily across food & beverage (QSR and spirits), health & wellness, education, and arts & entertainment verticals, with named engagements spanning Lion's Choice, Dos Primos Tequila, El Mayor Tequila, Klogs Footwear, BJC HealthCare, Virgin Hotels, Ranken Technical College, and Exotico Tequila (retained since 2017).

UPBrand's core offering is a unified portfolio of professional services rather than a software product: Brand Strategy and Brand Identity establish the foundational brand platform; Campaign Concepting & Design, Photography & Video, Social Media, Media & Marketing Planning, and Digital Marketing deliver creative execution and channel management across Google, Meta, Pinterest, Spotify, programmatic CTV, Display, Native, Audio, and DOOH; and Website Design & Development and SEO & Content Strategy manage digital presence. The agency operates an in-house photo and video studio and uses third-party generative AI tools for copy, social content, and photorealistic comps under a published human-in-the-loop policy. A structured 90-day engagement called 'The Brand Launchpad' (starting at $40,000) was recently productized to capture repeatable brand clarity work.

The business model is professional services revenue on a project and retainer basis, sold through direct consultative relationships, referrals, and case-study-driven trust signals. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales aimed at brand leadership and marketing directors, with geographic concentration in the Midwest and selected national accounts. Leadership includes Founder Jeff Insco, President McKenzie Telthorst, VP/Director of Operations Lance Lemen, and Director of Client Success Betty Mertens.

Name

UPBrand

Legal name

UPBrand Collaborative, LLC

Website

https://upbrand.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UPBrand Collaborative is an independent, full-service branding and advertising agency founded in 2010 in St. Louis, serving food & beverage, healthcare, education, and hospitality clients with strategy, creative, media, and digital services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Advertising and Branding Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (54181), Graphic Design Services (541430), Media Buying Agencies (54183)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Rebrand & Brand Refresh Programs (MPAAAEAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Naming & Verbal Identity (BPAFAEAB), Employer Brand Strategy & Talent Branding (BPAFAEAH), Experiential, Event & Sponsorship Marketing (BPAFAAAH)

Keywords

• Branding services
• Advertising agency
• Digital marketing services
• Brand strategy consulting
• Creative agency services

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Branding & Advertising: UPBrand generates revenue by providing professional branding, advertising, and digital marketing services to clients. Services include market research, brand strategy, brand identity, media planning, campaign design, photography/video production, website development, digital marketing, social media, and SEO. The agency operates on a project and retainer basis, with The Brand Launchpad engagement starting at $40,000 for a 90-day engagement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

UPBrand is a full-service branding, advertising, and digital agency that delivers integrated marketing services including brand strategy, brand identity design, campaign concepting, photography and video production, media planning, website design and development, digital marketing, social media, and SEO. Services are sold on a project and retainer basis to enterprise and mid-market clients, with a structured 90-day brand clarity engagement called The Brand Launchpad priced starting at $40,000.

Product overview

UPBrand is a full-service branding, advertising, and digital agency offering a unified portfolio of marketing services rather than a traditional software product. The core offering consists of interconnected service lines: Brand Strategy and Brand Identity & Signature Style form the foundational brand platform; Campaign Concepting & Design, Photography & Video, and Social Media deliver creative execution; Media & Marketing Planning and Digital Marketing handle channel strategy; Website Design & Development and SEO & Content Strategy manage digital presence; and Market Research supports all phases with insights. The company also offers a structured engagement called The Brand Launchpad (90-day program starting at $40,000) for brands seeking focused repositioning. Services span both B2B and B2C contexts with particular expertise in food & beverage, health & wellness, and arts & entertainment sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brand Strategy Discovery-driven brand positioning service that creates Brand Promise and Brand Attributes to form the Brand Platform, serving as the success metric for all brand expressions moving forward. For brand and marketing leaders seeking a strategic foundation.
• Brand Identity & Signature Style Visual identity development including brand name, logo design, color palettes, typography, photography styles, and motion guidelines, delivered as a brand toolkit with usage guidelines. For brands needing a refreshed or new identity system.
• Campaign Concepting & Design Short-term campaign development focused on specific goals like gaining followers, driving sales, or building awareness through research-driven insights, inspiring briefs, and memorable creative visuals. For marketing teams running time-bound campaigns.
• Photography & Video In-house content production team executing studio shots, social media assets, and digital content with the ability to scale via trusted partners for large-scale productions. For brands needing ongoing or campaign-specific photo and video assets.
• Media & Marketing Planning Strategic media mix planning combining traditional and digital channels, events, partnerships, and promotional tactics to create integrated campaigns with clear roadmaps and budget recommendations. For marketing leaders planning multi-channel campaigns.
• Website Design & Development Website experience spanning platforms and languages, including technical audits, UX/SEO optimization, architecture planning, design, copy, and WordPress development. For brands needing new websites or major site refreshes.
• Digital Marketing Full-funnel digital advertising across Google, Meta, Pinterest, Spotify, programmatic CTV, Display, Native, Audio, and DOOH channels with a test-iterate-optimize approach. For marketers running paid media at scale.
• Social Media Data-driven social strategy and creative including audience analysis, content pillars, testing, and optimization for both paid and organic social media. For brands seeking to grow and engage social audiences.
• SEO & Content Strategy Content and technical SEO optimization including site audits, monitoring, keyword research, and ongoing best practices guidance for organic rankings. For brands seeking sustainable organic search growth.
• Market Research Discovery process including surveys, interviews, focus groups, and AI-enabled group discussions to gather insights on brand perceptions, audiences, and opportunities. For marketing teams needing primary research support.
• The Brand Launchpad A 90-day structured engagement starting at $40,000 designed to help companies achieve brand clarity through three stages: Reflect (audit), Reveal (build brand platform), and Reframe (translate into actionable language). For companies seeking focused repositioning.

Quantifiable outcome

• Lion's Choice: 21.7% increase in website sessions, 26.6% increase in total visitors
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• RevUnitcoreTechnology or IntegrationRevUnit partnered with UPBrand to build 'The Beat' - a digital employee experience platform for Virgin Hotels combining social platform, loyalty program, and brand culture elements.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Droga5: Creative-led agency within a holding company offering brand strategy, advertising, and integrated campaigns at scale. A relevant incumbent comparable for the high-profile campaign work UPBrand aspires to (e.g., Super Bowl spots).
• 72andSunny: Large independent creative agency known for high-profile brand work across verticals including food & beverage and entertainment. Operates at a much bigger scale than UPBrand but competes for similar mid-to-large brand clients.
• VMLY&R: Global agency brand within WPP providing brand strategy, advertising, digital, and commerce services. Represents the holding-company archetype UPBrand differentiates against in its positioning narrative.
• Mother: Globally recognized independent creative network delivering brand strategy, advertising, and digital campaigns. Larger and more international than UPBrand but competes for the same enterprise brand engagements and creative AOR mandates.

Direct peers

• Mekanism: Independent creative and content agency producing brand strategy, campaigns, and video content for consumer brands. Overlapping service model and similar client verticals make it a direct comparable for UPBrand's full-service creative offering.
• Barkley: Independent, full-service creative and media agency headquartered in Kansas City with a similar Midwest base and comparable service portfolio spanning brand strategy, campaigns, and digital. Closely matches UPBrand in scale, ownership model, and multi-vertical client mix.
• Preacher: Independent boutique creative agency known for brand campaigns and integrated creative work. Comparable in scale and core service mix (branding, advertising, digital, social) to UPBrand's full-service agency model.
• Big Spaceship: Independent digital creative agency combining strategy, design, content, and production for consumer and entertainment brands. Aligns with UPBrand's in-house photo/video production emphasis and digital-forward service line.
• The VIA Agency: Boutique creative agency providing branding, advertising, and digital services to consumer-facing clients. Similar size and full-service positioning as UPBrand with comparable brand strategy and integrated campaign capabilities.

Regional players

• Godfrey: Midwest-based independent B2B and brand marketing agency serving clients with content, digital, and creative services. Comparable Midwest roots and integrated service model, though more B2B-leaning than UPBrand's predominantly B2C client base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/upbrand
• Facebookfacebook.com/UPBrandCreates
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/upbrandcreates
• Instagraminstagram.com/UPBrandCreates
• Xx.com/upbrandcreates

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UPBrand