Founded by Mary Ann O’Brien in 2001, OBI Creative began with a high-stakes project for Gateway Computers and grew into a brand strategy, marketing, and advertising firm serving clients across industries. 

The agency combines customer research, creative development, and strategic planning to help businesses strengthen their brands and connect with their audiences.

OBI Creative takes a customer-first approach to marketing. Its services span business and marketing consulting, brand building, customer insights, and integrated campaigns, giving clients support from research and strategy through execution and performance analysis.

How OBI Creative Grew From Its Gateway Computers Beginnings

OBI Creative was founded by Mary Ann O’Brien to tackle a high-stakes project for Gateway Computers, then one of the fastest-growing consumer brands. The agency has since expanded its client roster to include organizations across different industries and markets.

O’Brien's experience as a former Fortune 100 chief marketing officer informs the agency's strategic approach. As founder and CEO, she brings experience in branding, marketing, and technology to work that connects customer understanding with business objectives.

OBI Creative emphasizes curiosity, collaboration, innovation, responsibility, and tenacity in its work. These values support its focus on understanding each client's challenges, identifying opportunities, and developing marketing solutions tailored to the people a business wants to reach.

Exploring OBI Creative's Marketing and Consulting Services

OBI Creative brings strategy, research, and creative execution together through several core service areas. Businesses can work with the agency on individual marketing needs or combine services to support broader objectives.

  • Business and marketing consulting: Services include marketing consulting, organizational design, differentiation and growth consulting, fractional marketing leadership, attribution modeling, and customer acquisition cost development.
  • Brand building: The agency helps businesses develop brand strategy, messaging, creative assets, and brand positioning.
  • Multi-touch marketing and media: Integrated campaigns connect audiences with brands through digital and in-person channels, supported by creative development and media planning.
  • Customer insights and experience: Research services include customer journey mapping, brand landscape reviews, customer sentiment tracking, and custom analysis and reporting.
  • Marketing technology consulting: OBI Creative helps businesses assess and optimize marketing technology, manage vendors, and explore generative AI for marketing.
  • Performance marketing and lead generation: Campaign planning, advertising, and performance analysis help businesses pursue defined marketing objectives.

Understanding the o.VOC and o.VOE Research Approach

Customer research is central to OBI Creative's approach to brand strategy. Its O’Brien Voice of Customer (o.VOC) and Voice of Employee (o.VOE) research approaches examine how customers and employees experience a business.

The research helps uncover perceptions, preferences, strengths, and areas that may need improvement. OBI Creative also uses quantitative and qualitative research, market analysis, customer journey mapping, and stakeholder input to build a more complete picture of a brand's relationships with its audiences.

These findings can inform brand messaging, positioning, customer experience, and marketing campaigns. Rather than treating research as an isolated exercise, OBI Creative connects insights with recommendations and strategic action.

Its approach is also reflected in Ask & Deliver, Mary Ann O’Brien's book about the development of the O’Brien Voice of Customer study. The book explores how understanding a business from its customers' perspectives can reveal opportunities to improve the customer experience and support growth.

Applying Brand Strategy to Real Business Challenges

OBI Creative's case studies demonstrate how research and marketing strategy can address different organizational needs.

GuideOne: Developing a Clearer Brand Position

GuideOne, an insurance company with a history of serving churches and religious organizations, expanded into additional markets, including education, senior living, healthcare, nonprofit organizations, and small commercial businesses.

OBI Creative used customer research, competitor reviews, stakeholder interviews, online surveys, and collaborative workshops to examine GuideOne's market position. The work informed a new value proposition and brand promise: “Make positive change possible.”

The resulting creative strategy updated the organization's look, feel, and tone. The visual identity, including its logo and signage, helped communicate the brand promise across audiences.

Artemis by Nomi Health: Connecting Advertising With Lead Generation

Artemis by Nomi Health needed to strengthen its visibility in the health benefits analytics market and reach human resources leaders at an industry conference. OBI Creative developed a campaign that used digital outdoor advertising in Times Square alongside targeted advertising designed to reach conference attendees.

The campaign generated more than 250 million impressions during the conference period and increased leads by 60% compared with previous events. It also produced the highest lead volume in Artemis Health's conference history.

Opportunity Scholarships of Nebraska: Reaching Families Through Integrated Campaigns

Opportunity Scholarships of Nebraska needed to raise awareness of its scholarship program and connect with eligible families. OBI Creative developed a lead generation campaign combining connected TV, digital and traditional media, and email drip campaigns.

The team also used attribution techniques to evaluate campaign performance and guide media decisions. Meta lead generation ad formats delivered a 300% increase in leads compared with other Meta ad formats used in the campaign.

These projects illustrate how OBI Creative adapts research, brand strategy, and marketing execution to each client's objectives.

Combining Strategic Leadership With Marketing Execution

Businesses sometimes need help making high-level marketing decisions as well as carrying them out. OBI Creative addresses both needs through consulting and execution services.

Its Fractional CMO offering gives businesses access to senior marketing expertise without the cost of a full-time chief marketing officer. Services include strategic guidance, fractional marketing leadership, organizational design, growth consulting, and marketing technology assessments.

The agency also supports creative execution through brand development, advertising, media planning, public relations, and campaign management. Connecting these capabilities helps align marketing activities with broader business goals.

OBI Creative's customer-first philosophy runs through this work. By examining customer motivations and experiences, the agency can help businesses make more informed decisions about positioning, messaging, and how they engage their audiences.

Discover OBI Creative's Approach to Brand Strategy

Building a stronger brand requires a clear understanding of customers, a consistent message, and marketing activities aligned with business goals. OBI Creative brings these elements together through customer research, brand building, consulting, and integrated marketing services.

From its beginnings with Gateway Computers to its work with organizations across industries, the agency applies research and strategic thinking to a range of branding and marketing challenges. Visit OBI Creative's website to explore its services and case studies or contact its team to discuss your business's marketing goals.