Media Innovator Awards 2021

Best Pivot-for-Service Brand –West Coast USA A boutique brand marketing agency for businesses who are looking for a new kind of branding experience, Young & Co is a company which is definitely on the up! We speak to Robyn Young about the firm, its ethos, and its exciting plans for the future. Young & Co. is a strategic branding agency for purpose-led and mission-fuelled brands looking to make an impact and form lasting connections with customers. “We’re a new breed of branding partner equipped for the modern working world,” enthuses Robyn Young, CEO and Head of Brand Strategy - not to mention the company’s namesake! Heading up a team comprised of multidisciplinary, agency- trained creatives who work remotely across the country, keeping overheads low, prices fair, and people happy, Robyn herself is a branding and creative strategist with a strong vision and penchant for pulling an authentic brand identity to the surface. Her multifaceted experience includes 20 years of branding & marketing - from market research for top commercial brands like Nike and Target, copywriting for UCLA and Everyday Health, brand management for Tracee Ellis Ross and Harry Shum Jr., and her previous life on set as a fashion stylist and creative director for LA-based luxury publications. With a core competency of strategy (brand, content, and creative) Young & Co also offers full 360 creative packages which include logo & brandmark design, brand style guides, tagline and tone of voice creation, photography (lifestyle, campaign, product), website development, packaging, digital and print collateral, video production, and ongoing social content. So far, the relatively young company has worked with over 60 brands in the five years since inception, on everything from internal brand workshops for Google to full creative development for established small-to-medium sized businesses.” “As a brand dedicated to challenging our clients to push past their comfort level and access that part of their brand story that audiences will truly care about, we’re forced to ride the fine line between service and grit,” Robyn explains, speaking of what it is that sets the agency aside from its competitors. “We make it possible by earning our clients’ trust, early and often. Showing them that we always have their best interest at heart, and that they can count on us to provide honest, frank and forth-coming advice about their branding and marketing. It’s the only way we get to better work overall together.” Robyn is committed to keeping her finger on the pulse of what’s happening across multiple industries and finding inspiration from art, entertainment, literature, and (of course) other brands that inspire hers. That said, she’s not quick to follow trends and instead prefers to lean into a brand’s purpose and find the aspects of current events and cultural shifts that speak to their why and align with their values. “We live up to our name ‘Young & Co.’ by staying curious, open to new ideas and ways of doing things, keeping that youthful energy alive in our creative process so that our own brand, and that of our customers, never goes stale - but also has a strong shelf life.” The multi-faceted and multi-disciplinary freelance creative team at Young & Co all live and work around the country. Whilst this may seem like a distinct disadvantage to some, Robyn insists its part of what makes the firm so dynamic. “Our team has really made it work,” she states. “When vetting new recruits, I don’t just look at talent, I really look for those soft skills - team players who know how to check their ego at the door - but also know when to fight and stand up for what they believe in. People who are collaborating because it’s their passion-first, and to make a living second. It’s not easy to find, but when we do, we cultivate it as long as we can.” Having recently been awarded the accolade of Best Pivot-for- Service Brand – West Coast USA in the Corporate Vision Media Innovator Awards 2021, it’s imperative that Robyn and the team keep up the momentum in their journey to success. However, there are already a few plans in the offing, including growing the team and services in order to meet a wider range of clients, new options for brand marketing strategies, plus a recently launched podcast entitled ‘Brand F*ups’ about ‘failing up’ with real stories from entrepreneurs who are keeping it 100%, plus life lessons they’ve learned along the way. “Our purpose is to educate, inspire, support, and most importantly, to build authentic brands rooted in their purpose and tell genuine stories that customers can relate to.” Contact: Robyn Young Company: Young & Co. Web Address: www.robynyoung.co Jul21411