The Founding of TAG: What We Knew Then, What We Know Now

The Founding of TAG: What We Knew Then, What We Know Now

TAG didn’t start as a fully formed agency. It began as a hypothesis: that brands needed more than marketing. They needed meaning, momentum, and a modern approach to storytelling. That founders, funders, and creatives deserved a team that understood both strategy and soul. That cultural resonance wasn’t a byproduct of a good campaign — it was the campaign.

Today, that hypothesis is a full-fledged agency. But the early days still shape everything we do. Here’s a look back — and a look forward — at what we’ve learned building TAG.

What We Knew Then

1. PR Alone Wasn’t Enough
We launched TAG at a time when “getting press” was still the main ask. But we quickly realized our clients needed more than headlines — they needed narrative architecture. The ability to tell a story across press, platforms, decks, and deals. They needed positioning that could sell, scale, and stand the test of culture.

2. The Best Strategy Is Built From the Inside Out
We knew early on that the best campaigns weren’t top-down. They started with real founder stories, product truths, or team obsessions. That’s why we spent as much time listening to our clients’ team meetings as we did writing pitches. That access built trust. And the trust built better work.

3. Behind Every Great Brand Is a POV
Not a tagline. A perspective. A reason to exist beyond product. From day one, our job wasn’t to invent one — it was to unearth it, clarify it, and scale it. POV has always been the foundation of our TAG Methodology.

What We Know Now

1. Channels Change. Storytelling Endures.
Instagram became TikTok. Emails became Substacks. Press became podcasts. But through it all, the throughline is the same: great brands tell great stories. Our role is to help them tell it consistently, creatively, and contextually — no matter where the audience scrolls.

2. Brand ≠ Marketing
Marketing pushes. Brand pulls. It’s who you are, not just what you say. We’ve learned that helping a brand scale often means helping them pause — to define, differentiate, and own a position before chasing another channel or campaign.

3. The Best Work Is Built on Real Relationships
With clients. With journalists. With creators. With each other. TAG was founded on a belief in partnership — and that belief has only deepened. We work best when we’re embedded, not external. When we co-author, not just consult. When our work reflects both our craft and our care.

Our Founding Principles Still Hold

• Make the work meaningful.
• Make the client smarter.
• Make culture the conversation — not the backdrop.

And now, with dozens of campaigns, clients, launches, and learnings behind us, we’re more excited than ever for what’s ahead.

What We’re Building Next

• A growing roster of clients who believe in story over spin
• New capabilities in digital, content, and strategy
• Collaborations with creators, founders, and voices that shape what’s next
• Team members who bring rigor, heart, and bold ideas

Final Thought: TAG Wasn’t Just Founded. It Was Formed — by Ideas That Still Drive Us
We knew then what we still believe now: that great brands need more than a launch. They need a lasting story. And we’re here to help them write it.