☀️Things Are Heating UP ☀️

DALL-E 2 PROMPT:

Photo of St. Louis cityscape covered in ice cream melting in the summer heat,
digital art, hyper detailed, Adult Swim style illustration

Feels Like Summer

Things are heating up here at UPBrand — and we’re not just talking about the weather. The past few weeks have kept us busy with shoots in both Los Angeles and St. Louis, plus a few exciting launches. Let’s get into it.

INDUSTRY HAPPENINGS

DALL-E 2 PROMPT:
Extreme close up photo of an eye the iris looks like a nebula in space with stars and has reflections of neon pink and aqua lights. 4k photorealist

Artificially Creative

Ever had an idea in your head that you loved, but just couldn’t picture? There’s an app for that. Well, more like a bot. DALL-E 2 is an AI system that can produce realistic images and artwork from a natural language input. No fancy keywords, no configuration — just type whatever you have in mind. Seriously. Type in “Colonel Sanders hunting velociraptors on the Fourth of July” and you’ll get something better than you ever imagined.

DALL-E 2 PROMPT:
Colonel Sanders hunting velociraptors on the Fourth of July

While DALL-E 2 has already proven its potential as a never-ending meme machine, it just might change the way we concept and create. It can be a real challenge in brainstorms to convey what you have in mind, but DALL-E 2 can bring it to life in just seconds. It might not be the prettiest, but hey, it’s a start. We're already playing around with DALL-E 2 (just look at these header images) and can't wait to see how it inspires us in the future.

CHECK IT OUT

DALL-E 2 PROMPT:
An image of futuristic hands holding each other, painted by Boris Kustodiev

Looking Back on Pride Month

With June and Pride Month now behind us, we wanted to take a closer look at how brands choose to celebrate — and how it can easily backfire. Last month, you probably saw some of your favorite brands update their profile pictures to rainbow-colored logos or release limited-edition rainbow items. And while actions like this can be in the spirit of Pride Month, they’re often criticized as a form of “rainbow capitalism.”

Rainbow capitalism refers to the act of capitalizing off Pride without lending any substantive support to the LGBTQ community. It’s the type of hollow virtue signaling that today’s consumers are especially sensitive to. In our hyper-connected world, Pride Month is an important reminder that it’s not about what you say — it’s about what you do. If your brand plans to join the celebration next year, make sure there’s clear authenticity behind it. In addition to your activities during Pride, consider more long-term initiatives like partnering with a local LGBTQ organization, setting up a fundraiser or supporting policies and legislation that benefit LGBTQ people. For more on how your brand can celebrate Pride authentically, check out this article on The Pipeline.

CREATIVE SHOWCASE

Parents as Teachers Behind the Scenes

Parents as Teachers is a nonprofit organization helping families around the world raise children that are healthy, safe and ready for school. While we put the finishing touches on a total rebrand for the organization, we’re also working on a creative campaign to bring it to the masses. That recently took our team to Los Angeles, where we worked with our friends at Townsend Hurst to shoot a commercial that celebrates the journey of parenthood. Be on the lookout for it this summer. In the meantime, enjoy these teasers…

Benjamin F. Edwards Website

Headquartered in St. Louis, Benjamin F. Edwards is a wealth management firm known for its rich history and outstanding service. We recently launched a new website for the firm, aimed at creating a strong brand impression and seamless user experience for current and prospective clients. In addition to those front-end improvements, we streamlined a number of processes on the website's back-end, which will drastically decrease the time, budget and technical knowledge required to keep the site's content fresh and relevant. Go ahead and take it for a spin.

VISIT WEBSITE

AGENCY NEWS

Welcoming Sara Sexton

Earlier this month, we welcomed Sara Sexton to the UPBrand team. Sara joins us as Director of Brand Management. She'll participate in forming strategies and creative solutions, manage key client relationships and provide additional leadership firepower across the agency. Sara brings a wealth of agency expertise as well as a positively infectious personality. Join us in welcoming her to the team!

WORD ON THE STREET

“The best ideas come as jokes. Make your thinking as funny as possible.”

– David Ogilvy