About
Root & Rise is a boutique travel company designing transformative adventures that reconnect people with themselves and the world. Cultured Creative was approached to translate their philosophy of luxury as reset into a cohesive brand strategy, messaging system, and digital experience that captured the heart of their journeys.
Industry
Year
Category
Location
Tourism
2025
Brand Strategy, Brand Messaging, Web Design
New York
A founder with global experience and a bold mission, but a message that didn’t fully capture the impact of the offering. Root & Rise had all the right ingredients for transformation, yet the strategy didn’t connect luxury travel with meaningful community impact. The brand voice leaned on corporate jargon, and the website was informative but didn’t inspire action. The challenge was to bring their vision to life by crafting a strategy that benefited both travelers and communities, while shaping a narrative that felt authentic, relatable, and compelling.
We began with comprehensive research and strategy development, clarifying Root & Rise’s market position within ethical luxury adventure travel. We defined its ideal audience and crafted a positioning statement rooted in peace of mind, cultural connection, and conscious exploration. From there, we developed refined offers and a cohesive messaging system that framed transformation as a continuous experience. This strategy also introduced The Rising Return, a built-in give-back initiative that ensures every journey supports a specific community or conservation project connected to the destination, aligning personal transformation with positive impact for the people and places at the heart of each trip.
Cultured Creative rearticulated Root & Rise’s verbal identity around the belief that “adventure sparks the fire, and transformation lingers long after the bags are unpacked.” The new messaging shifted focus from itinerary to inner journey, balancing confidence with calm. We defined five key messaging pillars, from “Luxury is peace of mind” to “Cultural connection over consumption,” and built the Rooted Map as a signature framework to align every message with the traveler’s emotional arc.
Digital Dimension
We led the creative direction and strategic copywriting for the new Root & Rise website, in collaboration with Studio Crescent. Every page was designed to mirror the brand’s ethos, mindful yet clever, while strategically guiding users toward conversion. The site now tells the story of transformative adventures, blending rich imagery with copy that invites purposeful wander.
To move beyond a traditional luxury travel model, we developed the Transformative Adventure Arc—a proprietary framework that reimagines how Root & Rise designs journeys from pre-trip to post-trip. The arc positions travel as a practice for life, not an escape, balancing intentional structure with space for spontaneity and personal insight.
The refined strategy has elevated Root & Rise’s positioning within a competitive market while staying rooted in the brand vision. The brand strategy, messaging, and website now work in harmony, supporting Root & Rise to continue doing what it does best: design journeys that move people through the world and open new ways of seeing.
“I was struggling to articulate the ethos behind my passion for sustainable, transformative travel. Sarah gave me the clarity and language I was missing. Through her process, I defined my ideal customers, clarified my message, and found an authentic brand voice that truly reflects what Root & Rise stands for.”
Kim D.
Founder, Root & Rise Travel
