We are strategists, designers, and developers
OBATA is a creative agency in St. Louis focusing on sustainability, branding, and digital communications.
Our expertise lies in developing effective strategies, creating compelling content, designing visually appealing materials, and managing production. Additionally, we offer customized sustainability training.
Experienced, Creative and Responsive
Founded by Kimio Obata in 1948, Obata is the longest-running creative agency in St. Louis. Our team has extensive experience in various areas, including sustainability, ESG and annual reports, sustainability training, branding, website design and development, video and photography, and digital communications.
We are highly skilled and knowledgeable in these fields, which enables us to provide expert guidance and solutions to our clients. We take pride in our creativity, always looking for novel design and strategic communication approaches to positively impact our client’s brands.
Our responsiveness ensures that we are attentive to our client’s needs and can adapt quickly to any changes or challenges that may arise.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
Simplify complex communications to maximize understanding and inspire meaningful audience-driven action.
Award-winning Design
Our creative work has been recognized for excellence by both industry peers and investor organizations.
OBATA has been recognized by the International Association of Business Communicators, APEX Awards for Publication Excellence, MarCom Awards, Hermes Creative Awards, Davey Awards and League of American Communications Professionals, as well as local organizations such as the St. Louis Ad Club and St. Louis Art Directors Club.
Certified Expertise
Our leadership team is certified in digital marketing by the Digital Marketing Institute and American Marketing Association, ESG fundamentals and disclosures by the Corporate Finance Institute, and sustainability professionals who are GRI-certified.
Industry Expertise
B2B Experience
- Healthcare
- Technology
- Life Sciences
- Manufacturing
- Industrial
- Private Equity
- Energy
- Mining
- Electirc & Gas Utliiteis
- Professional Services
B2C Experience
- Financial
- Healthcare
- Consumer Packaged Goods
- Retail
- Professional Services
Leadership Team
Our leadership team has a combined 75 years of experience in corporate communication, sustainability reporting, branding, and marketing communications.
Rich Murphy
CEO & President
Photography & Video Director
Rich leads our team with a business focus. He has over thirty-five years of experience serving OBATA clients with his marketing and business communications.
His commitment to best practices in communications methodology, forward-thinking, and progressive technology provides clients with best-in-class integrated solutions.
Rich leads videography and photography services for the organization. He has travelled to over 30 countries around the world, gathering visual content for clients. He is certified in digital marketing by the DMI and AMA.
Paul Gassett
Vice President
Marketing Director
Paul is a passionate marketing expert. He understands that marketing is much more than simply communicating points of differentiation or entertaining with captivating content or design.
Paul’s focus is on marketing and branding strategy, positioning, writing, public relations and communications activities for the firm’s clients.
He is certified in ESG fundamentals and ESG disclosures by the Corporate Finance Institute. He also serves as an adjunct professor of business management and international business for Lindenwood and Maryville University.
Adam Franke
Vice President
Creative Director
Adam is a communications design expert with more than 15 years of experience. His areas of expertise include corporate and sustainability communications, digital marketing, website design and development.
Adam has been with the company since 2007 as a senior designer and became creative director in 2017.
He is certified in digital marketing by the DMI and AMA. Adam earned a BFA in Graphic Design from the Maryville University.
Mary Riddle
Director
Sustainability Consulting
Mary is a sustainability expert with more than 10 years of experience in ESG strategy and goal setting, helping both private and public companies establish relevant and meaningful sustainability goals. She will also contribute to writing a number of our sustainability publications.
Mary earned her master’s in science in sustainability solutions from Lipscomb University and a bachelor of arts degree from Warren Wilson College.
She is a GRI Certified Sustainability Professional.
Expertise Overview
Our team assists clients by providing strategic and creative guidance in their communication efforts. Please follow the links below to learn more about our services and capabilities.
Sustainability & ESG Reporting
- ESG reports
- Sustainability reports
- CSR reports
- Impact reports
- ESG reporting strategy
- Content development & storytelling
- Report design, production & publishing
- Reporting microsite or webpage design & development
- Datasheets and highlights
- Social media campaigns
Sustainability Training
- Introduction to ESG and Sustainability
- ESG issues and frameworks with case studies
- Specific climate laws in various jurisdictions
- Stakeholder engagement
- Materiality assessment
- Establishing an ESG strategy and setting KPIs
- ESG implementation and reporting
Annual Report & Proxy Design
- Annual reports
- 10-K wraps
- Summary reports
- Community reports
- Foundation reports
- Proxy design
- Reporting microsite or webpage design & development
- Investor Factsheets
Branding & Identity Design
- Brand strategy
- Brand positioning & messaging
- Brand architecture
- Brand governance
- Identity design & logo systems
- Name development
- Sales & marketing materials
- Sales collateral systems
- Campaign development
- Product packaging
- Exhibits, displays & signage
Website Design & Development
- UI/UX strategy & design
- Website & app development
- Content management systems (CMS)
- Performance reporting & analytics
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
Digital Marketing
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
- Local SEO
- Digital advertising management
- Digital content strategy
- Digital lead generation
- Email marketing
- Social media management
Photography & Video
- Motion graphics
- Photography & art direction
- Photo retouching & optimization
- Video, scripting & editing
- Drone photography & video
Clients
We’ve created some of our client’s most visible and valued communication materials.
How? By listening, questioning, exploring, and refining — leading to unique ways to reach and inspire their audience.
History
Obata has a long, proud and rich creative history in St. Louis. We’ve been bringing our passion to branding, corporate and marketing communications for more than 75 years.
As the longest-running creative agency in St. Louis, OBATA has had the pleasure of partnering with some of the largest regional and global companies since 1948. These companies and brands are some of the most iconic in the nation. We’ve also helped startups grow and develop into successful brands along the way.
Read more about our 75th-anniversary celebration.
Careers
We offer a highly collaborative and creative environment with designers, writers, strategists, producers, developers, and project managers who share a passion for producing great work.
Full-time Position Benefits Include:
- Flexible Work Policy
- Time Off: Paid holidays and competitive PTO
- Traditional Benefits: Health, Dental, Vision, Life; 401K, and Short & Long Term Disability
Open Positions:
Don’t See a Position Open?
We’re always looking for extraordinary talent. Send your resume/online portfolio to careers@obata.com.