By Jaci Russo & Michael Russo | Co-Founders, brandRUSSO
Twenty-five years is a long time.
Long enough to watch industries change, technology reshape the way we communicate, and businesses evolve in ways none of us could have predicted when we started. Long enough to see trends come and go. Long enough to know that what lasts isn’t hype, shortcuts, or shiny new tools.
What lasts is trust.
When we look back on the past 25 years of brandRUSSO, what stands out isn’t a single campaign, logo, or headline. It’s the responsibility we’ve been given over and over again: to help businesses tell their stories clearly, honestly, and with purpose.
That’s not something we take lightly.
The Weight of the Work
Branding isn’t decoration. It’s not a nice-to-have. It’s not something you “get to later.” When a company invites you into their business, they’re handing you something deeply personal. Their reputation. Their livelihood. Their future.
Over the years, we’ve worked with companies at every stage. Startups trying to find their footing. Second-stage businesses wrestling with growth. Legacy organizations carrying decades of history and responsibility on their shoulders.
Each one trusted us to help them clarify who they are and how they show up in the world.
That trust is humbling. And it’s why we’ve always believed branding should be handled with care, intention, and respect for what’s at stake.
To Our Clients: Thank You for Letting Us In
To every client who invited us into their boardrooms, conference rooms, job sites, manufacturing floors, hospitals, offices, and communities—thank you.
Thank you for trusting us with questions that don’t always have easy answers. Thank you for allowing us to challenge assumptions, push for clarity, and ask the uncomfortable but necessary questions. Thank you for believing that your brand mattered enough to get it right.
We’ve been honored to help businesses change direction, regain confidence, find their voice, and grow with intention. And while the work often lives in messaging, visuals, and strategy, the impact is always human.
Businesses don’t grow. People do.
To Our Team: This Story Is Yours Too
A company doesn’t last 25 years without extraordinary people.
To every team member—past and present—who has poured talent, heart, curiosity, and care into this agency: this milestone belongs to you. You showed up. You wrestled with ideas. You stayed late. You argued passionately for better solutions. You cared deeply about work that wasn’t yours alone, but our clients’.
You helped shape the culture, the standards, and the voice of brandRUSSO. You made the work better. You made the agency stronger. And you made it possible for us to keep doing what we believe in.
No anniversary is about founders alone. It’s about the people who carry the work forward every day.
Why We Still Believe
The world of marketing has changed dramatically since 2001. Platforms have evolved. Algorithms now shape visibility. AI has entered the conversation. The tools are faster, louder, and more complex than anything we could have imagined when we started.
But the heart of branding remains the same.
At its core, branding has always been about promise. The promise a business makes to its customers, its employees, and its community. And more importantly, the promise it keeps.
Clarity still matters because people want to understand who they’re trusting.
Alignment still matters because brands are experienced, not just communicated.
Trust still matters because it’s earned through consistency and connection, not tactics.
The brands that last aren’t the ones chasing every new platform or trend. They’re the ones that understand who they are, why they exist, and how to form genuine emotional connections with the people they serve.
That belief is what led us to develop Razor Branding™—not as a product, but as a discipline. A way to help businesses uncover the promise behind their brand, cut through the noise, and build connections rooted in truth, emotion, and trust.
Twenty-five years in, we’re more convinced than ever that this work matters. Because when a brand delivers on its promise, it doesn’t just stand out—it means something.
Looking Ahead
Anniversaries are about reflection, but they’re also about responsibility.
The responsibility to continue earning trust.
To keep listening before speaking.
To help businesses navigate what’s next with clarity and confidence.
We’re proud of what we’ve built, grateful for the people who’ve built it with us, and energized by what’s still ahead.
To our clients, our team, our partners, and our community—thank you for being part of this journey.
Here’s to 25 years of changing the conversation.
And to the work still to come.
With gratitude,
Jaci & Michael
Co-Founders, brandRUSSO
Jaci Russo, P.C.M., is the CEO and co-founder of brandRUSSO, a published author, entrepreneur, and sought-after speaker. She is the architect behind Brand State U, TrainYard Advisors, and co-host of the He Said, She Said, Razor Branding Podcast. Jaci is a civic leader, mentor, and mother of 4 and is part of the less than 1% of women-founded and led agencies in the U.S.
Michael J. Russo, co-founder of brandRUSSO, brings over 20 years of creative expertise to his role as Chief Creative Officer, having worked with a diverse range of clients from across the country. An award-winning art director, copywriter, and designer, Michael is a published author, Judge for the International TELLY, MUSE, and TITAN Awards, and co-host of the He Said, She Said, Razor Branding Podcast.
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brandRUSSO was established in 2001 by Jaci and Michael Russo, representing a global portfolio of B2B clients in the professional services and manufacturing industries. As a strategic branding agency, we believe in the promise behind the brand, and that by changing the conversation we can inspire and motivate consumer behavior.
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