Connecting brands to consumers is the hallmark of Barbara’s work. She’s worked on everything from perfume to peanut butter–propelling global businesses into category leaders.
While SVP Group Creative Director at Grey Group, she did award-winning work for global clients such as Proctor and Gamble, Unilever, Fruit of the Loom, and Kraft– building Slim-Fast, Jif, and Kool-Aid into iconic American brands. She wrote “Milk, it Does a Body Good” for the Milk Board, “It’s Magic” for The Disney Corporation, “Choosy Moms Choose Jif”, and the long-running anthem “We Fit America” for Fruit of the Loom. A lover of lyric and song, she’s written many jingles for major brands including Barrelhead Root Beer, Jil Sander Perfume, and Disney, and has brought her magic to Macy’s.
As worldwide Creative Director on Slim-Fast, she spearheaded its growth from a $220 million dollar weight-loss product into a $1 billion global lifestyle brand–in just 4 years. The “Get Healthy” and the “It’s Your Life. Feed it Right.” campaigns became the industry models. She launched the brand in France, Italy and the UK, introduced the first and most successful meal-replacement bar in the category, and took the campaign on tour with country-singer Jodee Messina. She also strategized the development of the first interactive health and wellness digital community.
Recently, Barbara was the key driver behind the successful branding of The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC)– an $8 billion dollar world-renowned healthcare system, with 29 hospitals and 45,000 employees. She helped implement a long- term strategy that has put UPMC into the national spotlight and changed the perception of an entire city, attracting new business partnerships that continue to be the catalyst for marked economic growth.
She created the award-winning sports medicine campaign where the Pittsburgh Steelers shared the field with the Pittsburgh Ballet, wrote “Where You Belong” for the UPMC Health Plan, “New Vision New Tomorrow” for the 2009 G-20 Summit, and led “Hope Takes Flight”, a gala event which raised over $4 million dollars for the Hillman Cancer Center. Barbara excels in the art of the interview. This skill was used for UPMC in ‘conversations’ with doctors, researchers, and patients–for projects ranging from short films to digital content.
As founder and Creative Director of Brandvisioning, Barbara co-developed a proprietary ideation and consumer insight mining process that uses hypnosis to tap into the subconscious mind– where brand imprints, associations and emotions are stored. The work informs brand strategy, positioning, innovation and creative, and has been written up in Businessweek, Brandweek, and The Harvard Business School Newsletter.
Barbara has won numerous industry awards. She’s on the board of the Berkshire Film & Media Commission, Berkshire International Film Festival, and Love Our Children USA.
She’s currently developing a feature length documentary on the American cowgirl.