Our Mission

Our mission statement is simple, “We work with businesses to navigate marketing efficiently and increase ROI.” When we work with a client, we use our knowledge of marketing, branding, and SEO to help them put forth their best effort for an actual increase of conversions and money made. With Vanir, there are no tricks. If there’s less fanfare than what you see with other marketing firms, it’s because we’re working on strategy that will increase your bottom line; not wasting your time and money to make ourselves look good.

In Norse mythology, the Vanir are associated with wisdom and the ability to see the future.We believe that marketing efforts should be made in a way that supports a business in an intelligent and strategic way; we approach marketing by looking at the future in way that can help direct and improve the investments our clients make and help them navigate the storm of running a business and reaching their customers.

Our History

Vanir started when Kelsey and Cole discussed their frustrations about how much money was being spent by businesses we had worked for on dishonest marketing firms with practices that looked good on paper but didn’t improve their clients’ efficacy or profits. When we saw how much money was being thrown away, we realized we could provide a better service by working closely with companies and optimizing their marketing efforts to actually gain customers.

Cole McDermott has experience working with and within businesses ranging from small, agile start-ups to large multinational corporations as a designer, project manager, and strategist.

Cole earned a BFA in Graphic Design at Champlain College before working for the Boston Beer Company (SAM) on the Alchemy & Science marketing team. He then began working in the medical technology field on the marketing team of PCC (a privately owned Benefit Corporation), before joining the Diagnostic Information Solutions marketing team at Roche (RHHBY). In addition to these companies, he has worked with numerous small and large operations to define their brand identities, market their services, and manage project strategy.

Kelsey Brandin is an accomplished content writer and SEO specialist with experience in large and small businesses around the US. He has extensive experience in the auto industry, investigatory services, music industry, and specialty food + beverage. Kelsey graduated from UVM with a BA in English.