# Signal Theory Inc.

> Signal Theory is an independent Kansas City brand development, marketing and design firm that uses behavioral science, data and human-centered design to help brands move people. Founded in Wichita in 1971 as Sullivan Higdon Inc. and renamed Signal Theory in 2019, the agency has built a particular depth in food, agriculture, animal health, retail and other categories where habit, trust and emotion often matter more than a tidy product claim.

- **Founded:** 1971
- **Headquarters:** Kansas City, United States
- **Founders:** Wendell Sullivan (Co-founder), Al Higdon (Co-founder)
- **Products:** Resonance Branding, Brand strategy and development, Creative and campaign development, Media and performance marketing, Digital and immersive experiences
- **Notable:** Renamed from Sullivan Higdon & Sink to Signal Theory in 2019 while reporting a record employee count, record profitability and $150 million in capitalized billings., Named an Ad Age Agency of the Year and a Business Marketing Association Agency of the Year., Named to Ad Age’s Best Places to Work in 2024.

## Products & services

- **Resonance Branding** — A proprietary strategic framework combining cultural systems analysis, behavioral and social science, data science and human-centered design to receive, interpret, resonate with and amplify brand signals.
- **Brand strategy and development** — Research, positioning, naming, identity systems, messaging, segmentation and brand guidelines for new and established brands.
- **Creative and campaign development** — Integrated advertising, content, video, design, public relations, social media, experiential work and campaign activation across B2B and B2C audiences.
- **Media and performance marketing** — Media strategy, planning, buying, optimization, measurement and analytics across paid, owned and earned channels.
- **Digital and immersive experiences** — Web development, digital products and AR/VR experiences, including work for John Deere, Cargill and National Geographic.

## Achievements

- Renamed from Sullivan Higdon & Sink to Signal Theory in 2019 while reporting a record employee count, record profitability and $150 million in capitalized billings.
- Named an Ad Age Agency of the Year and a Business Marketing Association Agency of the Year.
- Named to Ad Age’s Best Places to Work in 2024.
- The National Geographic Everest AR filter recorded 77.7 million impressions, 4 million captures and 872,000 shares.
- The California dairy 'Snack for Real' campaign reported 7.06x top-line ROAS and 19.92x ROAS for Instacart shoppable display ads.
- The 'Surprisingly Snackable Pecans' program reported a 1,474% year-over-year ROAS increase, 73% new-buyer growth and 89% category sales growth.
- The Michelin X Line Grip D launch generated 795,000 streams and 40,500 watch hours through Adam Savage’s Tested.
- The 2026 Kansas City ADDYs awarded the agency Best of Show and three Golds.
- Signal Theory earned 12 regional Best of NAMA awards and a national first-place Best of NAMA honor in 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — Named agency of record for DRI DUCK, covering brand strategy, paid media and digital growth.
- **2026-06** — Won Gold at the ANA B2 Awards.
- **2026-05** — Selected to refresh the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art brand.
- **2026-05** — Earned a first-place honor at the national Best of NAMA awards.
- **2026-03** — Won Best of Show and three Gold awards at the Kansas City ADDYs.
- **2025-09** — Andy’s Frozen Custard selected Signal Theory as creative and strategic agency of record.
- **2025-08** — Virbac selected Signal Theory as its U.S. agency of record.

## Links

- Website: https://signaltheory.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/signal-theory-inc
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/wehatesheep
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/signaltheory
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/wehatesheep

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/signal-theory-inc
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-24