Algert ⚡️ - Drift⚡️

Drift, Building a Unicorn Brand

Algert

You could say our agency was born out of Drift.

When Drift was still the “new kid on the block,” I was onboard as employee number five, working side by side with the leadership team, helping shape the brand vision that set Drift apart in a crowded B2B space. The tone, the attitude, the personality, and the visual direction that made people stop and pay attention.

Those early years defined more than just Drift. They shaped how I think about branding, storytelling, and the kind of creative work that actually moves companies forward.

And because of that, I wanted to share the story in my own words.

The challenge

Drift’s founders recognized something simple and powerful. The traditional B2B marketing playbook wasn’t cutting it anymore. Buyers expected brands to move as fast as their technology, but most were stuck in slow, predictable patterns. Fill out a form. Wait days for a response. Schedule a call. Buyers were over it.

The ask was clear. Build an entirely new category. Educate the market on conversational marketing. And do it with a visual identity that didn’t just fit in, it stood out. Then wrap it all in a giant celebration the entire market wanted to join.

"As a CEO, I value the passion and energy in the people I work with. Algert brought a lot of that to Drift. His design aesthetic is always on point, and his vision for branding is worth gold".

David Cancel Founder & CEO, Drift

Phase 1: Brand Development (The Drift Brand Cookbook)

At our agency, we like to flip the Pareto Principle on its head. Instead of saying 20 percent of the work drives 80 percent of the results, we apply it to creativity. Eighty percent of the work is grounded in core brand guidelines. The remaining 20 percent is intentionally left open for exploration and experimentation. That balance gives teams structure without killing freedom.

We first applied this principle while creating the Drift Brand Cookbook and later carried it into our agency work. The system was built on three ingredients: Human, Bold, and Playful. The result was a visual language that delivered immediate recognition while leaving enough room to evolve, experiment, and stay fresh as the brand scaled.

Phase 2: Bringing the brand to life

With the core ingredients in place, the focus shifted from defining the brand to putting it to work.

Working closely alongside the Drift team, the system moved from guidelines to execution. The goal was simple. Create work that felt unmistakably Drift and find new ways to connect with the market without breaking the rules that made the brand recognizable.

A lot came out of that work. A few projects, in particular, became reference points for how the brand could show up in the world.

Seeking Wisdom Podcast

Drift invested early in content that didn’t feel like marketing. As the company grew, so did the brand, along with a growing ecosystem of sub brands and formats.

Podcasting was one of the earliest bets. At a time when most B2B brands were still experimenting, Drift treated it as a real channel, not a side project. The result was Seeking Wisdom, which later became the foundation for a broader network of chart topping shows known as The HYPERGROWTH Network.

HYPER
GROWTH

Community played a meaningful role in how Drift approached marketing. The goal was not just reach, but connection. Create a place where marketers could learn from each other, share what was working, and feel part of something bigger than the product.

HYPERGROWTH became the most visible expression of that idea. Drift’s annual customer conference extended the brand into a physical experience, built with the same principles that guided everything else. The work focused on translating the Drift brand into an event environment and creating the system of assets needed to support it at scale.

Books & Publications

In 2020, Drift saw a 70 percent increase in annual recurring revenue. By 2021, the company reported generating 5 billion dollars in revenue for its customers. That same year, Drift was acquired for $1.2 billion.

The work helped support a brand that scaled quickly, built a category, and became part of a defining chapter in modern B2B.

From Brand to Unicorn

Drift is one of the highlights of our agency’s work, and we’re grateful to have contributed to building a brand that became part of a unicorn story 🦄.