CV MIC: Kristina Keene, Director of Brand and Content at Flip

When you think of brand building, you might picture long timelines, endless approvals, and polished campaigns that take months to launch. But for Kristina Keene, Director of Brand and Content at Flip, building a bold, human-centered brand meant moving fast, experimenting openly, and making room for creativity that doesn’t always play by the book.

In this episode of CV MIC (Marketers in Conversation), she shares how she led Flip’s transformation, why B2B brands can’t afford to be boring, and what it means to keep humanity at the center of automation.

https://youtu.be/YVgJk-HvDQQ

From Nonprofit Roots to Startup Agility

Kristina began her career in nonprofit arts fundraising during the Great Recession, a role that demanded resilience and creativity. Transitioning into marketing, she carried those same traits into startup environments, where adaptability and quick skill-building became her edge.

For marketers, her journey highlights the value of versatility. The skills she built across industries — fundraising, writing, design, and community engagement — became a unique advantage when shaping strategy at a fast-moving startup. Instead of following a rigid career ladder, she built a “creative toolkit” that allowed her to step confidently into brand leadership.

The Three-Month Rebrand That Set the Tone

When Kristina joined Flip (then RedRoute), the brand didn’t reflect the company’s strengths or its product-market fit. She pushed for a rebrand before building any content engine, an ambitious move that leadership approved, with one caveat: she had just three months.

A project that normally takes a year turned into a summer of quick decisions and rapid iteration. The results weren’t flawless, but they established a clear, approachable brand identity that finally matched the product’s value. The biggest lesson was that a brand doesn’t have to be static. Iteration is part of the process.

This approach is worth remembering: sometimes, speed and decisiveness matter more than polish. A clear direction can unlock momentum, even if you need to refine later.

Building a Voice That’s All Caps, All Heart

Instead of adopting the overly polished tone common in tech, Flip’s brand voice became playful, bold, and unmistakably human. Their mascot bot on LinkedIn yells positive, silly messages in all caps, creating a presence that’s both fun and memorable.

In a market full of AI companies trying to sound sleek and futuristic, Flip chose to sound approachable and human. That deliberate contrast made the company stand out. The decision also underscored something many B2B brands miss: voice is one of the most powerful ways to create an emotional connection, especially when the product itself is technical.

Personal Brands as a Growth Engine

Rather than chase every channel, Kristina narrowed Flip’s focus to LinkedIn, where their buyers actually spend time. She also leaned into her personal brand as a driver of awareness, posting consistently and authentically to attract attention and spark conversation.

The impact was twofold: her own presence built credibility, and it funneled visibility back to Flip. In many ways, her LinkedIn activity became a more powerful growth lever than the company page itself. This reflects a growing trend in B2B: people trust other people more than they trust logos.

Brands that empower their teams to show up authentically online tap into a reach and resonance that polished company posts can’t match.

Rebranding Without Losing the Foundation

Rebranding can feel intimidating for companies with deep roots or legacy baggage. Kristina emphasized that success starts with alignment at the top. Leaders must be on board, or the effort won’t hold. From there, brands should define the personality they want to project and how that connects with customer needs.

Importantly, a rebrand doesn’t always mean new names and logos. Sometimes, the most powerful change is rethinking the way you talk about your product or adjusting tone to better reflect the customers you serve. The visual identity may follow, but the foundation is always rooted in how you make people feel.

Why B2B Doesn’t Have to Be Boring

Many companies are still stuck in a 2015 playbook: gated white papers, long eBooks, and polished but forgettable campaigns. Buyers today don’t want to fill out a form for content, and they don’t have the attention spans for 30-page PDFs.

Kristina believes the better path is delivering value in quick, creative bursts. Instead of overthinking, test and ship smaller ideas. Instead of waiting months for perfection, experiment in real time and see what resonates. Modern buyers reward authenticity, not gloss.

The takeaway for marketers: if your brand feels boring to you, it’s almost certainly boring to your audience. Inject energy, humor, and humanity to create experiences that people actually remember.

Bringing Humanity Into AI

Flip operates in the AI space, but instead of leaning into the “machine” narrative, the company doubled down on being the most human AI brand. Their voice AI automates repetitive support tasks — like sending order-tracking links — so customer service agents can focus on more complex, meaningful interactions.

This balance serves everyone: customers get faster resolutions, agents avoid burnout, and brands reduce costs while still providing a human touch where it matters most. It’s a simple principle that applies far beyond AI: technology should clear space for humans to do the work that requires empathy, creativity, and connection.

Looking Ahead: Connection Above All

Kristina sees the future of branding rooted in connection. Brands that treat customers as relationships rather than transactions will win. This extends to every touchpoint, from sales calls to customer support to social media interactions.

Her perspective reframes the brand from being a marketing department responsibility to something that spans the entire organization. Everyone, from leadership to customer service, contributes to how customers experience the brand. And the brands that make people feel something, consistently, are the ones that last.

Keep Listening

Kristina’s story shows that B2B doesn’t have to be buttoned-up or predictable. Rebrands can move fast. Voices can be bold. Even AI companies can feel human. Most of all, brand is about the connections you create, not just the campaigns you launch.

Want more stories from marketing leaders who are reshaping how we think about brand, content, and growth? Explore more episodes of CV MIC and hear directly from the people driving change in their industries. Or connect with a ClearVoice content specialist to dive deep into your content goals.