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Gerry O'Brion        

Marketing & Branding Expert; Business Coach; Founder of What Big Brands Know & Creator of The Power of Because Framework

Gerry O’Brion has helped thousands of CEOs, executives, sales teams, and franchisees become the #1 choice in crowded industries.

He is the Founder of What Big Brands Know® and the creator of The Power of Because framework which shows companies how to stand out in the sea of sameness.

Gerry teaches a powerful process to influence customers to buy from you vs. all their other options. His strategies work in any business regardless of whether they are B to B, B to C, have a large budget or small.

Gerry spent his career as an executive for brands like Procter & Gamble, Coors Light, Quiznos, and Red Robin. He has an MBA from the University of Michigan and a BBA from the University of Wisconsin.

Speech Topics


Becoming the #1 Choice in a Crowded Market - Standing Out In the Sea of Sameness

Creating Leaders At Every Level

Six questions to ask about every decision.

Companies are just big collections of projects. Employees at every level are on the front lines of bringing those projects to life. Leading teams and navigating decisions can be a challenge, especially when you're not the final decision-maker.

Learn a simple, non-technical way to align your projects to your company vision, sell it to the executives, and be sure it will make you money.

Motivate your team and influence executives the same way expert marketers influence customers to want to buy their products. Gerry O'Brion has been a marketing executive for billion dollar brands, and has distilled that experience into strategies you can use to evaluate and gain alignment around projects that matter.

His presentations will cover six questions you should be asking about every project.

Gerry will have you look at your projects with a fresh perspective. You will reexamine why your projects are important, and why that matters to your team and your company. The fun, thought-provoking dialogue will generate real ideas you can use immediately.

Expected learning outcomes: - Leading from above or below - Strategies to influence executives and motivate your team - How to be sure your decisions drive value for your external customers - Expanding your sphere of influence - Create a listening organization

Motivating and Marketing to Millennials (for restaurateurs)

Simple strategies for hiring, motivating, and marketing to Millennials.

Who are these Millennials and what do they want? What about all of my older customers? Learn the similarities and differences between the generations, and strategies that you can use to stay relevant across age groups.

Success in the restaurant business takes a different approach today than it did five, 10 or 20 years ago. Restaurants with longevity have honed the ability to navigate change.

Learn strategies to navigate the next generation of employees and customers. This presentation answers three critical questions about the generations who they are, what they want, and what you can do about it. You'll learn 30 ideas you can implement now to attract cross-generational guests and turn them into vocal advocates, and 8 strategies for hiring and motivating Millennials.

Great restaurant brands are not built by chance- it's a formula. Gerry O'Brion spent years learning why some restaurants thrive, while others fail. The Restaurant Formula TM reveals the secrets of the most successful restaurant brands. Gerry was an executive for billion dollar restaurant brands like Quiznos and Red Robin.

Expected learning outcomes: - The three critical questions you must answer to be relevant across generations - 30 innovative ideas you can implement right now - 8 strategies for hiring and motivating millennials - The Restaurant Formula success framework - Case studies illustrating each idea

Motivating and Marketing to Millennials (non-restaurateur version)

Simple strategies for hiring, motivating, and marketing to Millennials.

Who are these Millennials and what do they want? How do I attract them without alienating my older customers? Learn the similarities and differences between the two generations, and strategies that you can use to stay relevant across age groups.

Success takes a different approach today than it did five, ten, or twenty years ago. Businesses with longevity have honed the ability to navigate change. Learn strategies to navigate the next generation of employees and customers.

This presentation answers three critical questions about the generations- who they are, what they want, and what you can do about it. You'll learn ideas you can implement now to attract cross-generational guests and turn them into vocal advocates, and gain strategies for hiring and motivating Millennials.

On the Front Lines: Building a Powerful and Profitable Franchise Brand

Simple strategies for building a powerful franchise brand.

Great franchise brands are built on the front lines with every customer interaction. The lowest paid employees can have the biggest impact on your brand- and on your sales! They should be your best marketing tool. Are they?

Gerry's presentation "On the Front Lines" will give your franchisees the knowledge and tools to grow their franchise business while building a powerful brand. They'll learn the formula used by the most successful franchise concepts to increase guest frequency and retention. They'll gain insights about hiring and motivating millennial employees-turning them into your best brand-builders.

Inspire your franchises to be the best they can be. Get them excited about their critical role in building a powerhouse brand. Whether you need increased compliance, improved execution, more engaged local marketing, or better customer service, this presentation will motivate your franchisees to take their game to the next level.

This keynote is perfect for franchisers and franchisees looking to maximize their sales growth and build a powerful brand.

The Restaurant Formula

Simple strategies for building a powerful restaurant brand.

Learn five simple steps the big guys use to grow their restaurant marketing expert who helps restaurants thrive regardless of their marketing budget.

Gerry was an executive for billion dollar restaurant brands like Quiznos and Red Robin. He distills that experience into strategies any restaurant can use. His presentation will help you develop an action plan to make your business grow stronger now and over the long term.

Gerry will have you look at your restaurant with a fresh perspective. You will re-examine how you are different from your competitors, and why that matters to your customers. The fun, thought-provoking dialogue will generate real ideas you can use immediately. The presentation is packed with information, strategies and case studies about restaurants that are doing it right.

Expected Learning Outcomes: - The secrets used by the most successful restaurant brands - The formula for building a great concept - The six key critical execution factors for every restaurant - Ideas to immediately increase guest frequency and check average - How to attract customers with little to no marketing budget - Techniques to create raving fans that share your restaurant with friends on social media

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Ignite Your Goals

Simple steps to accomplish more and accelerate your success.

What do you want for your business? For you life? The most successful people don't leave accomplishment to chance. Learn simple steps you can use today to transition from wanting to achieving. Gerry O'Brion is a nationally recognized speaker, author, and marketing expert who helps companies thrive in good times and bad.

Learn and discuss the basic things that get in the way of reaching our objectives. This fun, engaging, interactive session will have you learning, thinking and participating. You'll be up out of your chairs in a fully participative experience. No more just sitting and listening. This session gets you fully immersed in your goals and moves you down the path of accomplishment right here, right now. You'll leave with a T-shirt you've created to reflect your time in this session as a reminder of your goals.

Expected learning outcomes: - How to accelerate your success in achieving your goals - Clear goals and a commitment to accomplish them - Simple and effective goal accomplishment practices - A fun and memorable time associated with this conference (attendees are up and out of their seats, and create a T-shirt with their goals.

What Big Brands Know: Navigating Change

To win in business today, it's no longer sufficient to be faster or better at what you're already doing. The most successful companies have become adept at navigating change. Effective leaders create companies where every employee has clarity about where they are going and why.

There are four simple, but powerful, questions that every leader should be asking to drive clarity and create and effective strategic navigation plan.

Employees don't like change. Bold leaders are willing to disrupt their companies, even when it's unpopular. They do it not for the sake of disruption, but because they see what is possible when others do not. Gerry's framework is powerful enough to create game-changing strategies, but simple enough that every employee will understand the vision and be excited for what's next.

Gerry O'Brion is a nationally recognized marketing and branding expert who has worked on several billion dollar brands and distilled that experience into growth strategies you can implement immediately, regardless of your budget.

Whether you're B to B, B to C, a big company or small, you can use the same strategies as the big guys to attract customers and turn them into powerful advocates of your business. This presentation is perfect for CEOs and executive teams.

What Big Brands Know: Big Marketing, Small Budget

Learn five simple steps the big guys use to grow your business.

Have you ever seen a TV commercial and immediately wanted to buy the product? How does that happen? Billion dollar brands have a tried-and-true process they use to get you to desire their products. Learn the same strategies as billion dollar brands to grow your business, even with little to no marketing budget.

Packed with information, strategies, case studies about companies that are doing it right, this fun and thought-provoking dialogue will generate real action that can be implemented immediately. This presentation is perfect for independent business owners, entrepreneurs, marketers, and executives.

Expected Learning Outcomes: - The secrets used by billion dollar brands - How to be different when you seem the same - Why customers make purchase decisions - How to attract customers with little to no marketing budget - Igniting your word-of-mouth referrals

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