In the competitive landscape of Brand Experiences, finding harmony between personal creative instincts and an established brand identity is a nuanced challenge. Tripp Underwood, our VP of Content, offers thoughtful a thoughtful perspective on how to successfully strike this balance—bringing personality to the process while remaining rooted in brand integrity.
Prior to crafting the narratives of our clients, Tripp spent many years as part of the punk rock band “The Unseen”. The DIY attitude and resourcefulness he learned while touring the world has influenced his approach to agency life, where adaptability and a willingness to wear multiple hats are invaluable. His punk roots have instilled a creative grit—one that values initiative, experimentation, and a hands-on approach.
Tripp likens the act of aligning personal creative intuition with a brand’s voice to “threading a needle.” For him, the creative process is less about self-expression and more about amplification—enhancing the brand’s story without overshadowing it. He underscores the importance of setting aside ego to allow the brand’s voice and vision to take center stage, emphasizing that the goal is always to serve the brand first.
A core principle Tripp advocates for is shifting a brand’s focus from simply communicating messages to evoking meaningful emotional responses. Stressing that successful brand storytelling begins by asking not what the audience should know, but how they should feel. Engaging clients in this conversation early in the process, he believes, lays the groundwork for more authentic and resonant experiences.
On a recent internal brand rollout project, Tripp reframed a potentially dry subject—organizational change—as an opportunity for creativity and engagement. This resulted in the team achieving higher-than-expected adoption rates for the new branding. The takeaway, he notes, is that even seemingly rigid business objectives can be transformed into compelling experiences through thoughtful, creative framing.
Tripp’s perspective offers a compelling blueprint for balancing personal creativity with a client’s brand identity. His approach shows that when creative intuition aligns with brand purpose, the result isn’t just strong content—it’s content that shapes how audiences feel, engage, and remember. It’s this kind of storytelling that transforms brand experiences from messages into moments.