UPBrat Summer Highlights

A picture of a beach with a bottle of sunscreen and the name UPBRAND behind the bottle

STRAIGHT OUTTA UPBRAND: OUR LATEST COMPILATION

It’s about to get beefy. If you’re reading this newsletter on an empty stomach – or not within driving distance of a Lion’s Choice – you may want to come back to it later as we talk delicious campaign results. We’ll also hit on a couple of AI topics as we cover how to leverage artificial intelligence and the importance of having policies in place for the evolving technology. To wrap this all up, we’ll share some UPdates, including celebrating our ​​Shuffleboard Royale champions.

Let’s cut right to the meat!

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

KEEPING OUR EYE ON AI

Because it’s the season of unsolicited opinions, we recently created a couple of blog posts giving our opinions on some AI-related topics. If you’ve ever asked yourself questions like “how is AI actually going to affect the creative industry?” or “do we need to tell people how we use artificial intelligence?” then we’ve got some opinions for you!

While everyone debates where artificial intelligence will take us, we break down what AI really means—and what it doesn’t. Generative AI tools are not about replacing human creativity, but enhancing it. In our What AI Means article, we explore how AI can support marketing efforts and how to use it thoughtfully and effectively.

And, as the impact of AI is getting tossed around in every industry, we also explained why it’s important to have a company AI policy. At UPBrand, we've embraced AI and framed it through clear guidelines – always prioritizing quality, ethics and client trust. This policy openly defines how we use AI, both for ourselves and for our clients. It’s a transparent guide regarding a topic that can be anything but transparent.

CLIENT SHOWCASE

Graphic image of a lion with Killer Beef Sandwiches on it

HOW THE LION GOT HIS BITE BACK

Lion’s Choice, our beloved regional beef sandwich-slinging treasure, has been facing an aging brand and fierce competition while in-store traffic steadily declines. We were tasked with bringing the Lion’s roar back to life in a bold way. This year, we kicked off a new era with a more confident brand platform, anchored by the tagline “Killer Beef Sandwiches.” Our omni-channel marketing campaign spanned digital, social and in-store experiences, strategically designed to recruit new, younger customers while celebrating loyal fans. New menu offerings like The Remix sandwich allowed us to test appetites with features like customizable protein options, leading to a 15x increase in 'add an ounce' sales. In less than six months, Lion’s Choice reversed negative traffic, grew digital sales by nearly 30% and boosted loyalty membership—reclaiming its territory and proving that the king of roast beef still reigns supreme.

To hear even more about this tasty success, check out this video or read about it in more detail.

AGENCY NEWS

UPBRAT SUMMER

We’ve been doing some self-reflection, processing, reorganizing and reinventing over the last few months. It came with some challenging moments, but we needed to challenge ourselves to focus on how to best serve our team and our clients. We’ll have more on all of that as UPBrand embraces our brat confidence, but know we’re still here to serve you in the same ways and with the same core marketing services. We’re excited for what’s to come, but let’s also celebrate what’s passed.

☀️ This summer has been an active one. There was that one time we won “Show Car Champion” at Coolfire Studio’s Pinewood Derby. That was a pretty tasty celebration with our hand-made ice cream truck. 🍦🚗 We also had an in-office shuffleboard tournament where two of our longest-tenured employees – Team OGs (Original Girls) – took home the championship. 🥇 And, to wind down the end of our summer-of-self, we had a bitter-sweet happy hour. 🍻 It was a heartfelt sendoff for one of UPBrand’s first employees, Rachel Geringer. While we’re sad she won’t be able to defend her Puck Around & Find Out Shuffleboard championship next year, we’re excited for her future. It’s been a pleasure the past 14 years and happy trails! 🥹

WORD ON THE STREET

REMEMBER: IF YOU’RE ADVERTISING TO EVERYONE, YOU’RE ADVERTISING TO NO ONE

"Name the people you’re writing for. Ignore everyone else." Seth Godin, Seth’s Blog