After getting my start at a fast-paced adtech startup, I was drawn to the agency world by the opportunity to work on a variety of brands. I found that variety, in spades. After more than a decade working on brands across six continents and dozens of industries, I learned that many brands face common challenges: digital transformation, attribution, multichannel optimization, the shift to mobile, breaking through the noise, shifting customer expectations, managing the customer journey in an omnichannel world, etc., etc., etc.

Importantly, though, different companies facing the same macroenvironmental challenges can't expect to take the same paths to success. Anyone that's ever gotten a t-shirt in a SWAG bag knows that one size doesn't fit all. (Or anyone, really.) The same is true of marketing strategies, which is why it's so difficult to draw actionable insights from blogs, whitepapers, and case studies intended for general audiences. This is also why the boilerplate methodologies employed by some marketing consultancies drive me bonkers.

In today's marketplace, every business needs insightful research to improve marketing work. I saw firsthand the impact that this could have when I worked on the agency side, where I led an insights department that existed to give our clients' brands an edge. I also saw the impact of dedicated analysts from the brand side, where I worked full-time analyzing marketplaces and marketing challenges to identify strategic opportunities.

Unfortunately, fully staffed strategy and insights departments just aren't in the budget for most businesses. This is particularly troubling in today's connected marketplace: competition is growing and pressure is mounting on margins, so you need to know that every marketing dollar is working for you. You must optimize to thrive.

I founded SBI to democratize marketing research and bring the world-class insights that give the Fortune 100 an edge to small and midsize brands and agencies. You don't need gargantuan data sets or multimillion-dollar marketing budgets to stand out. You need deeper, cross-disciplinary thinking as the foundation to a smarter, more intentional approach to marketing that will make your strategies more effective and help you cut through the noise.

Find me on LinkedIn or Contact us today to learn how SBI can help your business thrive.