A Conversation with Unquantifiable’s Brandon Ralph: The Future of Art, Marketing and Web3

Emotional pluralism — occupying multiple emotional states simultaneously for an ever-changing and increasingly complex world — is one of the more common emotions many consumers are dealing with today. As a result, brands need to do what they can to improve their mechanisms for better understanding emotions and embed them deeper into the brand experience in ways far beyond cool new fonts and logos. This includes everything from changing how we think about design, to infusing everything with a more creative and immersive mindset, to understanding what is possible as the future of Web3 unfolds. increase.

With that in mind, I wanted to speak to one of the few people I’ve ever met who can gracefully straddle the worlds of art, marketing, and commerce. Following the launch of his acclaimed book, american experimentI sat down with Brandon Ralph to discuss the trends above and the launch of his new agency, The Unquantifiable, designed to solve today’s most pressing marketing challenges through a strategic combination of IQ and EQ. We had a chance to talk.

A category creator and creative industry leader for over 20 years, Brandon Ralph has been named a trusted creative collaborator by some of the most influential figures of our time, including Anna Wintour, Arianna Huffington, Lenny Kravitz, Tina Brown and Tomas. I’m here. Meyer, Harvey Spebak. He was co-founder of his Code and Theory, Chief His Experience Officer at Equinox, and Fine His Artist. He is currently the founder and CEO of The Unquantifiable. Below is a summary of our conversation.

Billy Howard: Please tell us about your journey. American experiment?

Brandon Ralph: My journey began in Long Island, New York, where I grew up on welfare in a middle-class neighborhood raised by a single mother. She argued that I see America as a place of opportunity and possibility. After she lost her parents at the age of 18 and her 19, she was forced to drop out of New York University and launch her marketing career. Shortly thereafter, in 2001 she co-founded Code and Theory, which became her one of the largest creative and digital-first agencies.

It was this juxtaposition of my upbringing, including personal loss and professional development, that deeply informed my journey to what I call American Experiment aimed at Explore the ever-changing American culture. My work presents vast and diverse perspectives on this country, allowing the viewer to revisit the myriad of patriotism and everyday life in America. presents a sense of timelessness when looking at both the future and the past. A collection of moments. Taken together, they offer a look at landscapes and cultural themes at a time when the idea of ​​what makes an American in our country is a hotly debated topic.

This work has been awarded worldwide and exhibited internationally. In 2022, I became a Leica brand ambassador and this book was recently selected for sale at MOMA.

Howard: What have been your biggest influences as an artist and marketer?

Ralph: It goes without saying that art and marketing successes share a core principle of the power of images to draw the viewer in, regardless of the medium. Secret messages that make the viewer ask questions, feel a certain way, or change their perspective.

The art I create and the brands I want to continue using have made bold images or strong designs the table stakes. We believe that the next wave of great brands will be able to differentiate themselves with a unified and highly nuanced journey of experience as our physical and digital worlds merge. offers an elegant experience across multiple channels and has multiple opportunities to reach your audience overtly or covertly on an emotional level. Audiences are driven towards an irrational and inexplicable love for brands fueled by technology that bridges the physical and digital worlds into meaningful moments. client.

Howard: Tell us about The Unquantifiable. Tell us how you came to create it and what it aims to achieve.

Ralph: In the summer of 2018, I met with Equinox Chairman Harvey Spevak to discuss joining as Chief Experience Officer. At that time, I knew this title for the first time. Honestly, it made me uncomfortable. How, historically, creative-specific roles may be limited to just traditional assets and how the role of the CXO fundamentally and culturally changes how companies integrate these disparate pieces. We talked for hours about what could be done. End the brand experience.

In 2020, we realized there was room in the market to create an agency that leads the brand experience, following design and bringing it to life through technology. Our vision is to uncover all the unique traits hidden within the DNA of brands that foster engagement, loyalty and love. Reconcile the natural tension between the rational and irrational behavior of consumers to get where they want to be and develop cohesive experience strategies enabled through unique and compelling storytelling, IP, and technology. lead. As a result, brands are positioned between IQ and EQ in a way that cannot be quantified.

Howard: How do you think Web 3 fits into The Unquantifiable vision?

Ralph: Over the past 20 years, there has been a repeatable pattern of innovation that fits the principles of Web1 (access to information) to Web2 (creation and sharing of information). Engage in Web3 (ownership of data and information).

As the physical and digital worlds converge, the next wave of companies will be more equitable with their customers by enabling them to access their digital assets (IP, data, loyalty, currency) in their wallets. We believe that we will have the opportunity to build Our services help you understand and stay at the forefront of innovation with a pragmatic approach to see how these new technologies align with your strategy and roadmap.

That said, not all brands are thinking about Web3, but we are at the beginning of this next wave, and that is why we have received a strategic investment from Liberty City Ventures, the largest Web3 venture fund. rice field. Our partnership provides clients with access to over 70 portfolio companies while providing a single source of truth for integrated insights. We help educate and inform strategy, creative, and execution where necessary to keep our clients at the forefront of technology.