On Labor Day, the workers of Brand Federation celebrated our fifth anniversary.
Five years ago, we made a deliberate decision to launch the company on Labor Day in recognition of the two core convictions that inspire and anchor us.
We believe that the brands that matter most to us aren’t shaped around products and services but around organizations — congregations of people aligned around values and convictions and united by a desire for their labors to have a positive impact on those whom they serve.
These organizations can be businesses, nonprofit institutions, colleges and universities, or cultural institutions, but in each category, the ones we admire most are those that are driven by an abiding sense of purpose. For this reason, our work in branding is focused on helping to tap the potential of organizational conviction to move people and institutions forward. Driven by this belief, we’ve helped transform dozens of organizations, large and small, near and far.
We also believe that those individuals who do the best work in the branding field often work outside of the bonds of restrictive cultures and uncaring workplaces. This was the motivation five years ago when we launched a workforce of people who work whenever they want, on whatever they’d like to work on, from wherever they are.
Today, the group of brilliant thinkers and doers that make up Brand Federation cross multiple time zones and continents, but we remain united in our belief that we can play a role in supporting organizations that enrich us all.
As I reflect on these two themes, it’s easy to see a single premise that connects them both: In today’s world, organizations are no longer held together by locations, hours of operation, or restrictive policies. They are united by shared beliefs, common culture, and timeless convictions.
I’m proud to work alongside the inspiring workers who have made Brand Federation so successful and the inspired clients we serve. Please join me in a toast to five years of progress.
Thank you to our colleagues, our clients, and our community.
Sincerely,
Kelly O’Keefe, co-founder and managing partner, Brand Federation
Kelly O’Keefe, co-founder and managing partner at Brand Federation, is a respected brand strategist known for his leadership in corporate brand strategy. He is formerly a professor and chair of the creative brand management program at the VCU Brandcenter — a master's program for advertising, branding and creative problem-solving at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Business. He’s an inductee in the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame, a former Richmond Ad Person of the Year, as well as Virginia Entrepreneur of the Year; and he has been a strategic brand advisor to corporate clients like Capital One, Carmax, GE, ESPN, Walmart, Dominion Energy, UPS and many other leading organizations.
