We’re out to prove that Substance has style.

Who We Are

We are Substance Strategy & Creative – a marketing agency built to service the financial services sector and beyond.

What makes us different

Our financial roots are to your financial benefit.

We’ve spent decades helping the financial services sector connect with its audience on a deeper, more human level. Our understanding of the category means better strategy, faster processes, and creative that actually says something.

Creating meaningful digital experiences.

Our brand, content, and digital roots help us think beyond digital executions to create substantive interactive experiences that matter.

We've never missed a deadline.

We believe that creative is nothing without execution. We pride ourselves on getting things done cleanly, efficiently, and on time – every time.

Our Services

Strategy is at the core of everything we do.

Brand

  • Positioning
  • Market Research
  • Visual Identity
  • Value Proposition
  • Content Strategy
  • Messaging Development
  • Marketing Planning

Creative

  • Creative Strategy
  • Art Direction
  • Design
  • Copywriting
  • Content
  • Video
  • Creative Testing

Digital

  • Digital Strategy
  • UX Strategy
  • UI Design
  • User Research & Testing
  • Front-end Development
  • Analytics & Tracking
Our Clients

Brands of Substance

Hartford Funds
SEI
DLL Financial Solutions Partner
Maples Group
Our People

Leaders of Substance

Phil Edelstein Founder

Bio LinkedIn

Susan Schneider Creative Director

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Andrea MacCullough Head of Operations

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Catie Borzillo Head of Digital Strategy

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Get in touch

Looking to add Substance to your marketing?
Let’s talk.

Phil Edelstein Founder

Phil is the Founder of Substance Strategy & Creative. He is an expert in building strategic brand alignment across highly complex organizations. He has brought his expertise in market research, brand strategy and marketing planning to bear for the likes of IKEA, Microsoft, Comcast, AmerisourceBergen, Beneficial Bank, Cozen O’Connor and many others.

Phil brings a unique perspective to the agency world, having spent a number of years in his career as the Head of Advertising, Public Relations and Internal Communications at Hartford Funds, the $100 billion mutual fund division of The Hartford Insurance Company. At Hartford Funds, Phil helped shepherd the origination and launch of the mutual fund division’s human-centric investing brand platform, and then led all advertising, public relations, content marketing and internal communications in service of the brand. During his tenure, Phil oversaw a large lift in digital brand engagement metrics along with increases in key brand metrics.

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Susan Schneider Creative Director

Originally from the New England area, Susan eventually made her way to Philadelphia. Well-respected by clients for her impressive design chops and hypercritical eye, she’s spent over a decade working her magic on brands like Under Armour, Microsoft, the Boston Red Sox, Einstein Healthcare Network, Eastern Bank, Yards Brewing Company, Mississippi Gulf Coast and AmeriGas Propane.

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Andrea MacCullough Head of Operations

Andrea brings over 15 years in the advertising/marketing industry to her project management role, with experience across all established and emerging channels, and with clients in the pharma/healthcare, higher ed, retail, entertainment, financial, non-profit, and government worlds. Well-versed in many types of management styles and methodologies, Andrea is passionately detail-oriented, diligent, and focused on bringing great work to life—of course while staying on time and within scope and budget.

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Catie Borzillo Head of Digital Strategy

Catie’s curiosity and empathy makes her a self-proclaimed people person. Her passion for content and the end user makes user experience and strategy a natural fit for her career. Catie has worked with a wide range of clients across retail, food and beverage, banking, higher education, architecture and non-profit sectors. She’s spent the majority of her career creating and shaping digital strategies at various Philadelphia-based advertising agencies and worked with clients such as Under Armour, Planet Fitness, Community College of Philadelphia, and Dietz & Watson. She uses her experience to create purposeful, meaningful digital content that helps the brand shine and provides users with the best possible digital experience.
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