Dr. Marcus Collins – Strategy Wieden+Kennedy Marketing

About Keynote Speaker Dr. Marcus Collins

Marcus Collins is an award-winning marketer and cultural translator with one foot in the world of practice—serving as the Head of Strategy at Wieden+Kennedy New York—and one foot in the world of academia—as a marketing professor at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan.

His deep understanding of brand strategy and consumer behavior has helped him bridge the academic-practitioner gap for blue-chip brands and startups alike.

He is a recipient of Advertising Age’s 40 Under 40 award and Crain’s Business’ 40 Under 40 award, and a recent inductee into the American Advertising Federation’s Advertising Hall of Achievement.

Before joining Wieden+Kennedy, he served as the Chief Consumer Connections Officer at Doner Advertising and led Social Engagement at Steve Stoute’s advertising agency, Translation.

Over the course of his career, Marcus has developed a practice for creating culturally contagious ideas that inspire people to take action.

His strategies and creative contributions have led to the launch and success of Budweiser’s “Made In America” music festival, the Brooklyn Nets (Hello Brooklyn!), and State Farm’s “Cliff Paul” campaign – among others.

Over the last decade, Marcus has helped “blue-chip” brands (like McDonald’s, Google, AB-InBev, and Peloton) bridge the academic-practitioner gap to create contagious marketing ideas that excite people to take action.

More About Marcus Collins

Prior to his advertising tenure, Marcus began his career in music and tech with a startup he co-founded before working on iTunes + Nike sport music initiatives at Apple and running digital strategy for Beyoncé.

Marcus holds a doctorate in marketing from Temple University where he studied cultural contagion and meaning-making.

He received an MBA with an emphasis on strategic brand marketing from the University of Michigan, where he also earned his undergraduate degree in Material Science Engineering.

He is a proud Detroit native, a devoted husband, and a loving father to Georgia and Ivy.

He has spoken for Fortune 1000 companies such as Google, United Healthcare, PepsiCo and Fannie Mae.

TALKS & TOPICS

FOR THE CULTURE: MARKETING STRATEGY IN TODAY’S HYPERCONNECTED WORLD

Since its modern conception, marketing and advertising have relied on creativity as a catalyst for commerce.

Marketers use copy and images to evoke desired behaviors from a target populous in hopes that it will impact the brand’s bottom line.

While the convergence of the two—creativity and commerce—is considered the hallmark of “good marketing communications” (sought after by ad agencies and ambitious brand managers alike), there is an unspoken factor that frames its relevance and significance.

That factor is “culture” and this talk ventures to explore the unwritten rules about culture and why its simultaneous salience and nebulousness should be the backbone of how we approach marketing in today’s hyper-connected world.

YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? A CULTURAL LOOK AT CONSUMER MEANING-MAKING AND BRAND CONSECRATION

We live in a culturally constructed world where the branded products we consume and display are used to signal our constructed identity based upon the meaning we infuse in them.

Understanding this meaning requires radical empathy and the ability to decipher the hidden cultural codes.

This session will provide a perspective on how to navigate the cultural world and leverage the data that is made available through today’s evolving media landscape to encode and decode meaning through marketing.

CREATING CULTURAL CONTAGION

In today’s hyper-connected world, the allure of “going viral” continues to seduce marketers and idea-generators into investing significant time and resources toward the creation of content – videos, memes, tweets, posts, etc. – that spreads.

There is seemingly no shortage of brands, business owners, or storytellers who covet the opportunity to have their ideas trend on Twitter, rake up 1 million+ views on Youtube, or garner thousands of Facebook “likes.”

Metrics of social-chatter are then used as a proxy for success with the inclination that virality leads to reach and reach implies potential action.

Though there are benefits to “going viral,” one must wonder if virality is truly what we’re after or if perhaps there is something far greater worth pursuing.

This session reframes the benefits of “going viral” and provides an alternative aim.
It explores the impact of culture on consumer behavior and offers an actionable framework that enables marketers to create ideas/messages/ products/content that not only spread but also take hold in culture.

FOR THE CULTURE: MARKETING STRATEGY IN TODAY’S HYPERCONNECTED WORLD

Since its modern conception, marketing and advertising have relied on creativity as a catalyst for commerce. Marketers use copy and images to evoke desired behaviors from a target populous in hopes that it will impact the brand’s bottom line. While the convergence of the two—creativity and commerce—is considered the hallmark of “good marketing communications” (sought after by ad agencies and ambitious brand managers alike), there is an unspoken factor that frames its relevance and significance. That factor is “culture” and this talk ventures to explore the unwritten rules about culture and why its simultaneous salience and nebulousness should be the backbone of how we approach marketing in today’s hyper-connected world.

YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? A CULTURAL LOOK AT CONSUMER MEANING-MAKING AND BRAND CONSECRATION

We live in a culturally constructed world where the branded products we consume and display are used to signal our constructed identity based upon the meaning we infuse in them. Understanding this meaning requires radical empathy and the ability to decipher the hidden cultural codes. This session will provide a perspective on how to navigate the cultural world and leverage the data that is made available through today’s evolving media landscape to encode and decode meaning through marketing.

CREATING CULTURAL CONTAGION

In today’s hyper-connected world, the allure of “going viral” continues to seduce marketers and idea-generators into investing significant time and resources toward the creation of content – videos, memes, tweets, posts, etc. – that spreads.

There is seemingly no shortage of brands, business owners, or storytellers who covet the opportunity to have their ideas trend on Twitter, rake up 1 million+ views on Youtube, or garner thousands of Facebook “likes.”

Metrics of social-chatter are then used as a proxy for success with the inclination that virality leads to reach and reach implies potential action.

Though there are benefits to “going viral,” one must wonder if virality is truly what we’re after or if perhaps there is something far greater worth pursuing.

This session reframes the benefits of “going viral” and provides an alternative aim.

It explores the impact of culture on consumer behavior and offers an actionable framework that enables marketers to create ideas/messages/ products/content that not only spread but also take hold in culture.

TO LEGIT: DECIDING WHAT’S “IN” AND WHAT’S “OUT”

From the clothes we wear to the food we eat, the words we use, the shows we watch, and everything in between, our daily…

WORKSHOP OPTIONS

Social Media Workshop:

This workshop takes an in-depth look at the relationship between media and human behavior, and examines how organizations can capitalize on social media to support their marketing efforts. Participants will learn the secrets to unlock the potential of today’s tools to create comprehensive social media strategies and share-worthy ideas.

Branding & Brand Strategy Workshop:

This workshop, therefore, is designed to explore the building-blocks of branding and how contemporary marketers communicate brand ideas through effective advertising campaigns and powerful creative ideas.

Digital Marketing:

This class takes an in-depth look at “digital” to provide an approach that empowers marketers with a perspective to navigate the ambiguity of “digital” with concreteness and actionable skills. Participants will learn how to apply strategic thinking to the creation of “digital” marketing activities that not only change industries but also consumer expectations.