About Deborah Cantu

“With decades of experience helping brands of all sizes tell authentic brand stories, build meaningful consumer experiences and grow, I bring a wealth of experience and expertise to my clients.”

As Vice President of Brand Marketing and Advertising for Kaiser Permanente from 2000 - 2011, Deborah led and directed the organization’s brand management and oversaw the positioning, marketing and advertising efforts, including KP’s highly successful “Thrive” campaign. As the key leader at Kaiser Permanente for the brand, she initiated and led market insights work that created the brand vision and led to a new brand position; became the internal evangelist for the brand insights; managed the advertising agencies responsible for the execution of the positioning; and continued to lead the brand and advertising strategy throughout her tenure. In 2012 she began Cantu Consulting and has worked with a variety of clients including:

  • Kaiser Permanente

  • Dignity Health (3-state hospital system)

  • San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living

  • Hospice East Bay

  • Family Resource Center of San Joaquin

  • United Ways of California

What Clients Are Saying…

  • Kristin Birtwhistle, President & CEO | United Way of San Joaquin County

    “

    Working with Deborah is like rediscovering yourself and your agency. Her portfolio is exceptional, her approach of internal or external research be it for small or large organizations has helped us reinvent ourselves–made us relevant again. United Way of San Joaquin County has significantly changed how the world now sees us due to her expertise and creative thought process.

    “

  • Rebecca Ray Director | Community Relations & Development Family Resource Center

    “

    Deb has been phenomenal to work with. She's guided us every step of the way. We needed strategic direction on how all of our programs fit together. Through Deb’s expertise in brand development, we're now able to clearly message to the audiences we are trying to reach.

    ”

  • Rico Marcelli Communications Director | Hospice East Bay

    “

    Working with Deb Cantu was an excellent experience. She took the time to understand our unique field and provided valuable guidance about our brand, including its pluses and minuses and how it related to our current market. Her overview was insightful and gave us a better understanding of how to move forward.

    Her team of collaborators was exceptional, providing excellent creative work that showed clear ways to update and modernize our look. Her team also provided consulting on digital marketing efforts and helped us improve our online presence.

    Deb was great to work with, listening to our needs and concerns, but always coming back to core principles which were important for us to absorb. Overall, we loved working with Deb and her team. She helped us move forward with confidence and provided us with the tools we needed to promote our brand more effectively. We highly recommend her services to anyone looking for a talented and experienced brand consultant.

    ”