FAQs

Questions?
We've Got Answers.

Find clear, honest answers to the most common questions about our services, process, and what it's like to partner with Brandience.

Services & Expertise

What services does Brandience offer?

Brandience, founded in 2003 in Cincinnati, Ohio, provides end-to-end marketing services across strategy, creative, media, and analytics. We’re a full-service marketing and advertising agency offering:

  • Brand strategy and positioning
  • Creative development and content production
  • Media planning and buying (digital + traditional)
  • Digital advertising (Google Ads, Meta, programmatic, video, and display)
  • Social media management and paid social
  • Data analytics and campaign optimization

With over 20 years of experience, we specialize in retail-focused marketing for healthcare systems, restaurant chains, franchise networks, and retail brands.

See examples on our Case Studies page.

Do you offer both digital and traditional marketing services?

Yes, Brandience can deliver integrated campaigns across the channels your audience uses.

We combine digital and traditional media to build campaigns that connect and convert through strategic media planning and buying, and bold creative execution.

Our digital services include programmatic buying, paid search, social content, video, and display ads.

Traditional capabilities include print, radio, TV, direct mail, and out-of-home (OOH).

We customize the media mix based on your audience, budget, and campaign objectives, ensuring maximum ROI and consistent brand voice.

Who are Brandience's typical clients?

Brandience partners with growth-minded regional and national B2C brands like Kroger, Papa Johns, Tropical Smoothie Café, and Smithfield Foods.

Our clients span healthcare, restaurant, retail, and franchise sectors, typically brands with established in-house marketing teams seeking data-driven, transparent partnerships.

Partnerships include:

  • Mercy Health & TriHealth (healthcare)
  • Tropical Smoothie Café & Skyline Chili (restaurant franchise)
  • Papa Johns & Biggby Coffee (restaurant franchise)
  • Kroger & Drees Homes (retail)

These collaborations demonstrate our ability to scale campaigns and deliver measurable results across industries. Explore our client success stories here.

What industries does Brandience specialize in?

We specialize in marketing for healthcare, restaurant, retail, and franchise brands.

Our team understands the unique marketing challenges of each vertical, including but not limited to:

  • Healthcare: compliance, patient engagement, and service line promotion.
  • Restaurant: seasonal launches, local promotions, and foot traffic generation.
  • Retail: omnichannel campaigns and shopper marketing.
  • Franchise: balancing corporate control with local activation.

We apply a retail-minded strategy across all industries, a results-driven approach that brings consumer insight and urgency to every campaign.

Let’s talk about your marketing needs.

About Brandience

What makes Brandience different from other advertising agencies?

Unlike traditional agencies, Brandience combines retail strategy with data-driven marketing to deliver measurable results.

Our team focuses on the intersection of Brand, Audience, Science and Experience, the foundation of our name.

What is Brandience’s approach to marketing?

Our approach is audience-first, data-driven, and results-oriented.

We tailor every campaign to your goals starting by understanding your audience: who they are, how they think, and what motivates them. We then use that insight to design creative strategies that drive measurable outcomes.

Our process integrates:

  1. Audience insight and segmentation
  2. Creative storytelling rooted in brand truth
  3. Data-driven optimization across digital and traditional channels

We bring the discipline of retail thinking to every vertical, helping clients see immediate impact and long-term brand value. We focus on driving measurable results through smart strategy, bold creative, and seamless execution.

Who makes up the Brandience team?

Our team is a blend of strategists, creatives, media planners, analysts, and client service pros all united by a passion for driving results. We bring together diverse backgrounds in healthcare, retail, restaurant, and franchise marketing to deliver smart, tailored solutions.

Brandience is proud to be led by:

  • Brian McHale, CEO & Owner
  • Bill Brassine, VP & Media Director
  • Danyelle Horrillo, VP of Digital and Programmatic Media
  • Jeff Wellens, Executive VP of Finance & Operations
  • Maria Topken, VP & Client Leadership
  • Tim Hogan, VP, & Executive Creative Director

Meet our team on the About Us page.

Has Brandience won any industry awards?

Yes! Brandience is proud to be recognized for our creative and strategic excellence. Our work has earned multiple awards, including:

  • ADDY Awards from the American Advertising Federation for outstanding creative and branding work (Awarded 2023)
  • American Marketing Association (AMA) Pinnacle Awards for strategic marketing excellence (Awarded 2025)
  • Communicator Award of Excellence for Groundbreaking Achievement, judged by the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts (AIVA) for a winning communication strategy (Awarded 2025)
  • Mulitple Gold Awards in the 42nd Annual Healthcare Advertising Awards for creativity, quality, message effectiveness, consumer appeal, graphic design, and overall impact. (Awarded 2025)
  • Other regional and national accolades across healthcare, retail, and franchise marketing
Is Brandience affiliated with any professional organizations?

Brandience is active members of several leading industry organizations, including:

  • The American Marketing Association (AMA) Cincinnati Chapter
  • The American Advertising Federation (AAF) / AdClub Cincinnati

Process & Collaboration  

What is the typical turnaround time for a project?

Timelines vary by scope, but we are nimble and can adjust based on what is needed.

During onboarding, we establish clear timelines and milestones based on project complexity. Our nimble team adapts quickly ensuring deadlines are met without compromising quality.

What is your process for developing an advertising strategy?

We start with research and collaboration, then build a tailored strategy around your goals.

Our process can include:

  1. Audience and market research
  2. Competitive analysis and opportunity mapping
  3. Goal alignment and KPI definition
  4. Channel strategy (digital, social, traditional)
  5. Creative direction and message development
  6. Optimization

This ensures every campaign has a clear purpose and a measurable path to success.

What is your process for obtaining client approvals?

We use collaborative tools and clear review cycles to keep projects moving efficiently.

Our approval process includes version tracking, feedback windows, and streamlined approvals. You’ll always know what’s next and when to expect it.

How will Brandience communicate with me during the project?

Expect proactive communication, weekly updates, and transparency at every step.

We provide weekly status check-ins and dedicated account management.

Our team believes in collaboration that uncovers insights, eliminates inefficiencies, and drives bold, market-ready solutions.

What kind of support can I expect from Brandience?

You get a dedicated account team and ongoing strategic optimization.

From kickoff through campaign evolution, we provide:

  • Strategic guidance and performance monitoring
  • Creative updates and testing
  • Media optimization and analytics

We’re here to support you from kickoff through campaign evolution to keep results improving.

How involved will we need to be as a client?

We handle the heavy lifting while keeping you engaged in key decisions.

You’ll collaborate most during strategy, creative reviews, and performance discussions.

Our process is collaborative and designed to be efficient for busy teams.

Performance & Results

What metrics do you track and report on?

We customize KPIs to your goals, reporting on ROI, engagement, and conversion metrics that are unique to each campaign and clearly communicate what success would look like to you.

Common metrics include:

  • ROI (Return on Investment)
  • ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)
  • CPA (Cost per Acquisition)
  • Engagement rates and conversions

Reports are delivered on a regular cadence, aligned to your business needs, and include actionable insights.

How do you measure the success of marketing campaigns?

Success is measured through agreed-upon KPIs, goal achievement, and ongoing optimization.

We set benchmarks during planning and adjust campaigns based on real-time data. We use tools such as Live Ramp for audience targeting, In Market and Cuebiq for foot traffic analysis, and Akkio for predictive analytics to measure performance and refine strategy continuously.

What kind of ROI can I expect from Brandience’s services?

While ROI varies by industry and campaign type, our goal is always to deliver measurable growth. We set clear benchmarks and adjust strategies to maximize return.

What are some case studies of clients Brandience has worked with?

We’ve delivered measurable results across healthcare, restaurant, retail, and franchise brands.

Some highlights include:

  • Tropical Smoothie Café: Supported 450 new store openings with franchise expansion marketing.
  • Kroger: Drove +47% lift in product sales during a retail test campaign.
  • AAA: Increased membership retention by 50% in key markets.

View full results and more case studies on our Case Studies page.