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Our Work |
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Creating products and services that people will pay ridiculous amounts of money for and make the world happier |
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Sports, Powersports, Automotive |
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Emerging Tech |
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Fintech / Financial Services |
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Retail / Consumer / Social |
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Health, Wellness, Beauty |
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AI connected consumers Imagine doing nothing. Your thermostat auto-adjusts to your body temperature (not room temp), the dog is let out and in while you’re away, your EV and smart devices are wirelessly charged (zero hardware nearby), your car meets you at the front door of the restaurant after your check has been paid. You did nothing.
Biosensors will make people the center of automation, rather than connecting things to people or mobile phones.
Customer centricity is about people at the center, not things. |
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Preventing P&C home/auto claims with AI For a leading insurance company, using AI real-time to tell you where not to park your car (e.g., streets/lots with high reported break-ins), and what each homeowner/driver should do to prevent weather damage way before the storm arrives. Not just predictive. Prescriptive. |
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Banking compliance remediation Using AI to find root causes, respond to exam findings (DORs, MRBAs), and build remediation plans in days — not months. From DOR to Done, helping banks and credit unions fix violations fast. Serving as strategic advisor. |
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The Original (for Ultra High Net Worth) UHNW & HNW spenders have little interest in another me-too concierge points/miles/discounts titanium card. Research says they covet exclusive items —like art and wine — because no two are the same, making great conversation.
The Original are credit cards, made of laminated canvas-material, which are also REAL original paintings by well-known artists, signed and named. Insured by Sotheby’s.
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Secret Accounts, Mortgage Pandemic, Plastic Surgery? As interim lead analyst and head of digital lending, conducted a national survey of consumer spending and authored several research reports on global trends and innovation, specialist lending, the mortgage market, and emergency savings that you can find here. An 86% increase in subscriptions (70% from fintechs) in 10 months. Clients included the top 5 banks, leading fintechs, and top intermediaries (e.g., Jack Henry, Fiserv).
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Citibank 14% mortgage revival and 100% increase in personal loan volume Reversing the mortgage crisis with a yo-yo? Remember 2008. The UK faced a similar mortgage crisis, solved with unemployment insurance, for the ups and downs in life. |
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Clearing warehouse inventory in a depressed market
When Kawasaki suffered from overstock of outdated models due to a rapidly declining motorcycle market (15% YoY) in the UK, as Chief Marketing Officer at Kawasaki, the only manufacturer increasing sales.
In the UK, wearing racing leathers was a popular, but unobtainable, goal by many enthusiasts and most new riders for everyday riding.
Designed matching leathers (supplied by top racewear manufacturer Manx) to move last year’s models out of the warehouse and out of dealer showrooms, without discounting.
Results? Five of the 6 outdated models sold out within 3 weeks—and sales of other models increased due to word of mouth. Kawasaki achieved a 65% national market share in motorcycles over 500cc, the most profitable sector. |
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More riders, riding more. For the Motorcycle Industry Council, extensive research, analysis, and delivery of their “Strategic Vision and Plan” for their national market expansion initiative “more riders, riding more” that included how to sell more EVs, leverage financing strategy, encourage riders to trade up and attract new riders.
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Change your car exterior as often as you change your mind What’s the first thing new car owners do? Buy personalizing accessories. What the market gap they wanted? Ways to personalize your car exterior, but change your mind, often.
For a leading auto manufacturer, created AutoWear, auto “outerwear” to instantly dress and undress your car with “tailgaiter,” “hoodies,” vests, and mirror mitts for sports events, to match luxury brands, your veteran spirit, even a whiteboard hoodie to draw on and erase over-and-over. Led to a winning engagement with a big-3 Aftermarket CEO. |
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Should you buy it? Or say “goodbye” to it. Personal financial management (PFM, budgeting) systems continue to have low adoption since most consumers don’t want to spend time managing their money or share data across providers.
BuyBye uses real-time AI-driven data to help you decide whether you can afford to BUY it (and how to pay for it), or whether you should say “goodbye.” |
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Private That word, uncovered in research analysis, was the secret to motivating JCPenney shoppers to spend and share on social media.
The strategy of private access experiences beyond discounts via the insiderperksTM program increased credit volume from $4 billion to $8.2 billion, achieved 38% credit penetration, and attracted 2.3 million new JCP members.
Retail sales grew incrementally $800 million. Card Services by GE Capital, now Synchrony Financial realized $175 million net income. |
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PATENT, TRADEMARK $800 million revenue |
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How do you sell to kids? Storybooks. Parent and children read a storybook together an average of 7 times. Research indicated that parents enjoyed making joint decisions with children, and kids were influenced primarily by what other kids wore or played with.
For a $31B mass merchandiser’s kids department , created Adventures on Enchanted Lane, a storybook catalog series, published by Scholastic (the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books), and illustrated by Tim Bowers. Kids clamored for Molly’s backpack, Carlo’s shirt, and Spot’s sunglasses.
Increased gross margin by 4% sales and reduced margin-crushing discounting for a kids’ apparel and footwear. Replaced ineffective marketing.
Parents loved it — getting free storybooks — turning it into a series of seven books as part of the KidVentures program. A bedtime story with a happy ending. |
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Western Union lights up the World Music Awards to encourage product trial. To create a social media and viral commotion about their new mobile money transfer service, and build a database of prospects, Western Union became an official sponsor of the World Music Awards.
The campaign concept aimed at getting 1 billion viewers in 160 countries to “light up” their phones at the same time using a lighter app.
At the specified time, the performer on stage would light his/her mobile, encouraging the audience and world to follow suit. Global maps glowed.
Western Union mobile money transfers (actual money from WU) would be given as prizes to lots of lucky winners who could either keep the money (cashing out at one of Western Union’s 500,000 agents), or paying-it-forward, using the money transfer function for more offers, including music downloads and bigger prizes. to
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Middle East means business Extensive work in banking and mobile in the Middle East. Our “La La” campaign in Bahrain (“la” means “no” in Arabic) was something to sing about, with none of the no-no’s you usually get with banks.
We developed Shari’ah product enhancements and market re-positioning, extending appeal to non-Muslims. With mobile, we’ve created products and partnerships for Zain, Orange, Méditel, Maroc Telecom, MTN, and Vodafone. |
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Convincing diabetics to make a change wins scripts Getting 9 million patients to try a new medical device isn’t easy. It’s Your Thing integrated D2C campaign included TV, infomercials, radio, print, social media, direct response, promo, PR, pharma and POS for Eli Lilly resulted in 300,000 weekly scripts for their first insulin pen, achieveing 85% insulin market share.
Also led the team that created and managed the diabetes patient information, adherence, social media and communications programs.
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Launching the first Botox and Allergan Aesthetics loyalty program, now 6 million members As interim executive 6-months for AbbVie Allergan Aesthetics’ digital agency of record, created their first loyalty program now called Allē, with 6 million active members.
The reloadable member card that was also a debit MasterCard for multiple rebates was made of mirror material, so patients always had a mirror in their wallets and could see when they needed their next treatment.
Developed branding, omnichannel strategy, ideation, features, creative, design, technical, and delivery. Led product and program management building front-end and back-end website, rewards program, and prospect/patient experience, plus go-to-market, delivery and HCP/patient communications of the patient adherence and BOTOX and JUVADERM loyalty program.
Understanding that customer-initiated “Botox parties” were gaining popularity and that some patients had to wait months for treatment appointments, initiated walk-in days exclusively for patients in the rewards program.. |
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Mobile money transfer achieves 30% growth For Western Union, for partner MNOs (mobile network operators) in 15 countries, researched (competitive, cultural, social and societal trends, what’s “hot” or “cool,” mobile/payments behavior, trends), analyzed, created, and recommended country-specific new BankTech, InsurTech, FinTech, ecommerce, payment products, unique value propositions, marketing, loyalty, channel, distribution (e.g., pay-in, pay-out), and go-to-market mobile launch strategies. Created Me2Ush for MTN in Uganda, Share the Air for Airtel, Bip Moi for Money for Orange in Côte d'Ivoire, One Africa for cross-border continent, Hello Yello for América Móvil.
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Amazing Results from customer experiences and designing new products For Standard Chartered Bank’s sponsorship of The Amazing Race Asia TV (TARA) series, designed bank products, games, and customer experiences for the race competitors and customers including: · a series of challenges to be used on TARA showcasing SCB branches in Asia · auditioning at video booths in SCB branches to become a TARA race competitor, to drive branch traffic · a competition for customers to create a TV commercial about an amazing SCB product, to be aired during TARA · Amazing Rates promotion and marketing · new products including Amazing Adventures credit card · ATM receipts with printed race clues and offers and at local retailers — joint promotions. · Treasure hunt race for customers |
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FemTech CX customer experience — breast implant launch As interim Head of Customer Success, CX, and go-to-market strategist on the global patient and surgeon (HCP) launch for the first injectable breast implant MIA (injected via the armpit) by world top five breast implant manufacturer Establishment Labs.
Created the MIA CX Playbook for our global teams.
Developed strategy for medical safaris / vanity vacations, to countries with early approvals, creating Envision Holidays. |
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Kids sport psychology coaching is no accident Supplemental insurance is an aversion category—hard to sell because consumers don’t want to deal with products that only have benefits when something bad happens.
So when Aflac wanted to sell supplemental accident insurance online direct-to-consumer instead of through their 70,000 brokers/agents, our research indicated that pairing it with kids’ psychology coaching on a HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform was the answer.
This concept minimum viable product MVP fully coded, design, “Psyched for Success” trademark, and patent application were delivered 5 weeks after kickoff. |
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PATENT, TRADEMARK Kids Sports Psychology Coaching |
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PATENT 400bps gross margin improvement |
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What’s personalization? Using your DNA. With so much competition for personal care products, how do you differentiate and win loyalty?
With real personalization, courtesy of AI.
For one of the world’s largest personal care manufacturers, starting with the China market, created subscription-based, individualized DNA-based CPG products (i.e., skin care, shampoo), leveraging cosmeceutical trends and 23andMe.com-type DNA databases (or swab collection). AI manufacturing algorithms matched your DNA to the perfect amounts of sunscreen, vitamin infusions, whitening (for Asian markets) or tanning, anti-aging, moisturizing, plumping, shine, etc. based upon your unique cells. |
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The first INJECTABLE breast implant |
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FDA approved.
Conducted market research and analysis, journey mapping, persona development. Wrote strategic plan, design strategy, social media / CGC / digital/advertising / PR / marketing plans, vendor selection, events, and roadmap.
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Organic Suntanning, Beauty + Health Private organic aesthetics fabricator, manufacturer, packager, wholesaler, retailer, and education company Aviva Labs in 110 countries, founded in 2003. Serving as board advisor.
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Pets are loyal. What about humans? Turns out, they’re not.
Provided pet and pet parent subject matter expertise, research, and recommendations to the Nestlé Purina Petivity team on their pet-tech scale monitors, smart products, agile methodology, go-to-market growth strategy, future products, subscription and monetization models.
Warned of the dangers and high customer and IT costs of loyalty programs, which attract customers who were already loyal and drive away prospects while cutting profitability with discounts. Pssst: Your Loyalty Program Customers Aren’t More Loyal.
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Tired of tire ads when you book car service? Especially when you’ve only got 10,000 miles on your new car?
AI can not only determine what you are most likely to need when you’re booking car service, but even better, what you are most likely to buy, based upon your broad shopping behavior, type and age of vehicle, propensity to purchase utility vs. aesthetics/decorative, pet ownership, sports, financial situation, demographics, etc.
AI can help you visualize those custom wheels on your car now.
Helping OEMs bring customers back to the service bays. |
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© 2003 - 2025 Sparks Worldwide LLC |
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Do you want fries with that? For every seven seconds reduced in drive-thru times, QSRs see an average 1% increase in sales. Order accuracy matters as much as time.
For McDonalds, drive-thru strategy. AI-assisted voice recognition squawk-box ordering to eliminate crew keying orders (but not verification). AI-driven prompts for missing items (sauce?) and best upsells. In 2014!
For Sonic Drive-In, through verbatim journey mapping and research across franchisees, crews, customers and prospects, determined #1 driver of frequency, order size, and profitability. Prototyped solutions in cross-functional design thinking sessions around digital ordering / POS / payment systems, carhop/service behavior, and occasions.
For Domino’s, predictive selling, beyond suggestive selling, to optimize order size.
For 7-Eleven, created virtual AR lunch companions to drive daypart traffic among millennials.
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FDA APPROVAL |