DIGITAL PIONEER
MARKETING marvel MARY ANN O’BRIEN, FOUNDER/CEO, OBI CREATIVE
Data Rules
OBI CREATIVE EVOLVES IN DIGITAL BRANDING Mary Ann O’Brien launched OBI Creative back when most companies were still struggling to get their heads around what the internet was, much less what it could be. Now, nearly 20 years later, the company is bigger and so is the data that OBI harnesses for the benefit of companies across the country and internationally. “When I started OBI, people understood the internet, they just didn’t leverage it like they do today,” she said. “I’ve seen an evolution of sophistication as it relates to digital and one of the really interesting things is that for all organizations, the internet has become the window into the soul of that company. It’s also become the great equalizer.”
Brand strategy “We specialize in understanding customers and applying that knowledge of customers across whatever vertical our clients work within.” OBI Creative’s strategy turns on a multi-faceted approach to a client’s advertising and branding efforts. O’Brien said research is a critical step to ensuring each account gets individualized branding treatment, then can be deployed across a variety of advertising and messaging platforms.
“For me as a brand strategist, I care more about what you do than what you say, because your brand isn’t your logo,” she said. “Your brand is how you treat every touchpoint in your customers’ experience. “Big data can allow us to know what matters at each one of those touchpoints. One of the things that has helped us is that we’ve always been integrated marketers. In technology, you have to use multiple forms of media to attract clients, so we’ve never been a one trick pony when it comes to advertising.”
Customer focus O’Brien noted that the firm does research to understand what matters to the customers of its clients. “We align that with what our clients are good at and we try to meet customers where they are, whether that be online, over the phone, on text or on a mobile app,” she said. “We put together plans that are integrated and usually represent more than one tactic of marketing because we want to attract people when it’s best for them. That usually takes more than one message.”
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