Zirous and OBI Creative announce a joint venture creating Zirobi

The new joint venture combines a comprehensive customer-centric data strategy delivered to you through a new solution – CX360.

(DES MOINES, Iowa, March 11, 2019) – OBI Creative, a research-based, innovation-driven advertising agency based in Omaha, Nebraska, with offices in Des Moines, Iowa, and Zirous, an IT consulting firm headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, today announced they have entered into a joint venture creating Zirobi.

Zirobi’s CX360 solution delivers a modern data foundation and comprehensive integration of business and customer data to provide organizations with a 360-degree view of their customer, allowing a better customer experience and driving improved returns for the business.

“Over the past few years, the data analytics landscape has changed dramatically. There are more advanced tools, a myriad of platforms – both on-premise and in the cloud – and more data, both structured and unstructured,” said Mike McDermott, CEO of Zirous. “Leveraging these tools and data to grow a business is difficult. It requires technical expertise coupled with business savvy.”

“Businesses have a hard time navigating the chasm between technology integration and optimized customer experience. The Zirobi team helps customers understand what needs to be accomplished, how that will turn into a return on investment and what it will take from a technology and architecture standpoint to implement a digital transformation within their businesses,” said Mary Ann O’Brien, founder and CEO of OBI Creative.

According to Gartner, a research and insights consulting firm, fewer than 10 percent of companies currently have a 360-degree customer view, and only about 5 percent are able to use this view to grow their business. But organizations are beginning to recognize the impact a holistic view can provide; Gartner also reports that by 2020, customer journey analytics will be the number one customer analytics investment, with 85 percent of organizations investing in the optimization of cross-channel customer experiences.

“OBI has always been rooted in using customer insights to drive marketing messages and customer experiences. So, as more and more data are available to our clients, they look to us to help them navigate and develop a clear path forward. They know that they need to integrate their data sets to improve outcomes and experiences, but they aren’t always sure how to do it, how long it will take, or how much it will cost. That is where Zirobi comes in,” continued O’Brien.

Zirobi enables businesses to execute against the inevitable customer demand for excellent and integrated customer experience. Through a proprietary process, experienced data architects, business strategists, and data scientists map the journey customers take to find or engage with businesses, identify the key customer trigger points in the experience, review the current state of systems and architecture within the organization, identify gaps in what customers want and what is possible both operationally and technologically, visualize use cases and outcomes and layer in advanced analytics and AI to deliver an optimized customer experience and unified view. All implementation plans include an associated ROI and IRR impact assessment.

Zirobi pairs technology best practices with business and communication expertise to help clients plan, implement and execute a successful digital transformation strategy, with the customer as the focus.

“Zirous’ joint venture with OBI Creative aligns two great companies on one mission – providing our customers with the intelligence to be more successful. Alignment in values, reputation and a history of success make OBI the perfect partner for Zirous,” McDermott concluded.

About OBI Creative

OBI Creative is a research-based, innovation-driven advertising agency based in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 2001 by Mary Ann O’Brien, OBI starts and finishes each and every marketing plan and campaign with the customer – determining motivations, behaviors and key consideration drivers. Armed with that knowledge, the international award-winning OBI team aligns those motivations with clients’ products and services to provide actionable messaging, brand strategy and digital and creative execution to drive intended results.

About Zirous

For over 30 years, Zirous, headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa, has served as an IT consulting firm specializing in data, service-oriented architecture, identity management and the development and infrastructure needed to implement them. Zirous was recognized as a Top Workplace by the Des Moines Register in 2018 and is currently a finalist for Young Professional Organization of the Year.

Media Contacts

Omaha Contact:
Lana LeGrand
lana.legrand@zirobi.com
402.493.7999 (office)
402.509.6010 (cell)

Des Moines Contact:
Megan Tell
megan.tell@zirobi.com
515.974.5589 (office)
515.770.4689 (cell)