Barbara Sullivan
Managing Partner
Practice
“Challenge conventional wisdom.”
17 years ago, Barbara founded this firm with a singular vision: to create an agency that actually understands the needs of its clients’ customers. Today, she continues to lead both the firm and select client relationships, working hands-on to challenge how organizations think about and act at the critical moments when a customer makes a decision.
EXPERIENCE
Chemical Bank, Senior Vice President of Retail Marketing
American Express, Vice President of Marketing, Corporate Card and Travel Management Services
Pillsbury Company, Product Manager
Carmichael Lynch Advertising, Account Executive
EDUCATION
Harvard Business School, MBA
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, BS, with majors in Marketing and Management of Entrepreneurship
AFFILIATIONS
Washington Ballet, Board of Director, Chair of Marketing Committee
Decision
“What good is spending millions on generating interest if it doesn’t translate into a sale?”
Companies spend huge amounts on advertising and direct marketing to build their brands and increase awareness of products and services. But they overlook a critical part of the customer interaction—the moments when a customer actually considers a purchase decision and wants a very specific kind of information. I saw this gap over and over while working on the client side, but I never found an agency that could help. So I started one.
EXPERIENCE
Chemical Bank, Senior Vice President of Retail Marketing
American Express, Vice President of Marketing, Corporate Card and Travel Management Services
Pillsbury Company, Product Manager
Carmichael Lynch Advertising, Account Executive
EDUCATION
Harvard Business School, MBA
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, BS, with majors in Marketing and Management of Entrepreneurship
AFFILIATIONS
Washington Ballet, Board of Director, Chair of Marketing Committee
Approach
“To find real answers, we go to the primary source.”
Our business isn’t just about building marketing communications. That’s why we have a totally unique, ethnographic approach to engagements. Instead of beginning with the premise that a client needs a set of print materials or a Web site, we start with a blank slate. Before we make anything, we need to understand the anthropology of a decision.
To really understand what motivates decisions makers, we base all our work on detailed field research with sales people and customers. We determine exactly who the decision maker is, and map their whole process for making a decision. What we often find is that for more complex, high-stakes decisions, the buyer isn’t a single person—it’s a group of individuals with different roles and unique needs.
The way to influence these people is to dissect their buying decisions, and then craft the materials that will trigger the right behavior at the right time in the decision making process.
EXPERIENCE
Chemical Bank, Senior Vice President of Retail Marketing
American Express, Vice President of Marketing, Corporate Card and Travel Management Services
Pillsbury Company, Product Manager
Carmichael Lynch Advertising, Account Executive
EDUCATION
Harvard Business School, MBA
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, BS, with majors in Marketing and Management of Entrepreneurship
AFFILIATIONS
Washington Ballet, Board of Director, Chair of Marketing Committee
Industry
“The cost of a single communication is often the inverse of its importance.”
Large companies often mismanage critical point-of-decision communications. They decentralize the management of the materials to match the organizational structure, allocate small budgets for developing content and design, and assign them to junior managers who are still learning. As a result, while advertising and brand campaigns get the most attention for their importance in the customer experience, the communications that really affect decision making are considered low risk and low visibility, and are treated like necessary evils.
While some companies have realized this, most continue to undervalue and under-appreciate the communications that actually influence decisions. Our goal is to change that.
EXPERIENCE
Chemical Bank, Senior Vice President of Retail Marketing
American Express, Vice President of Marketing, Corporate Card and Travel Management Services
Pillsbury Company, Product Manager
Carmichael Lynch Advertising, Account Executive
EDUCATION
Harvard Business School, MBA
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, BS, with majors in Marketing and Management of Entrepreneurship
AFFILIATIONS
Washington Ballet, Board of Director, Chair of Marketing Committee
Predictions
“The point of decision is more important than ever.”
In the past decade, the number of choices available has exploded, and decision makers are bombarded with information. Between new products, constant enhancements, and access to information, decision making is more complex than ever. And while this is true across the board, it’s particularly tricky in service businesses, where the benefit feels ephemeral.
Understanding and influencing the critical moment of decision is the only way to overcome this. The companies that can do this successfully will excel.
EXPERIENCE
Chemical Bank, Senior Vice President of Retail Marketing
American Express, Vice President of Marketing, Corporate Card and Travel Management Services
Pillsbury Company, Product Manager
Carmichael Lynch Advertising, Account Executive
EDUCATION
Harvard Business School, MBA
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, BS, with majors in Marketing and Management of Entrepreneurship
AFFILIATIONS
Washington Ballet, Board of Director, Chair of Marketing Committee
