Ross Simmonds
Leading Digital Marketing Strategist & Entrepreneur
Dr. Marcus Collins
Professor | Award-Winning Marketer | Cultural Translator | Best-Selling Author
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About This Speaker
Dr. Marcus Collins is an award-winning marketer, keynote speaker, and cultural translator known for helping brands and leaders understand the power of culture to inspire action. He is a Clinical Associate Professor of Marketing at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, and brings decades of advertising experience to bridge the gap between academic research and real-world strategy.
Marcus most recently served as Head of Strategy at Wieden+Kennedy, New York, following senior roles at Doner Advertising and Translation. His strategic and creative work has shaped culturally contagious campaigns including Google’s “Real Tone” technology, the “Made In America” music festival, the Brooklyn Nets, and State Farm’s “Cliff Paul” campaign. Earlier in his career, he co-founded a music-tech startup, worked on iTunes and Nike sport music initiatives at Apple, and led digital strategy for Beyoncé.
Marcus is the recipient of Advertising Age’s and Crain’s Business’s 40 Under 40 awards, an inductee into the American Advertising Federation’s Hall of Achievement, and a Thinkers50 Radar Award honoree. He is a member of Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches and has served on the jury for the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
He is the bestselling author of For The Culture: The Power Behind What We Buy, What We Do, and Who We Want to Be, and his latest book, Good Soil, explores how organizational culture drives growth and performance. Marcus holds a doctorate in marketing from Temple University and an MBA from the University of Michigan, where he also earned his undergraduate degree.
He is a Forbes columnist and a trusted voice among CMOs and business leaders. But most importantly, he is a proud Detroit native, a devoted husband, and a loving father to Georgia and Ivy.
Speaking Topics: Dr. Marcus Collins
For The Culture: The Power Behind What We Buy, What We Do, And Who We Want To Be 
There is no external force more influential to human behavior than culture—full stop. This makes culture a cheat code for anyone with a vested interest in getting people to adopt the behavior, whether you are a brand marketer, manager, leader, or politician.
Those who understand the dynamics of culture are more likely to have influence, while those who do not are almost always influenced by those who do. In this talk, Marcus pulls from both theory and practice—using learnings from his work spearheading digital strategy for Beyoncé to working with Fortune 500 companies like Apple, McDonald’s, and Google—to break down the ways in which culture influences behavior and unpacks how to leverage its power to get people to move.
Those who understand the dynamics of culture are more likely to have influence, while those who do not are almost always influenced by those who do. In this talk, Marcus pulls from both theory and practice—using learnings from his work spearheading digital strategy for Beyoncé to working with Fortune 500 companies like Apple, McDonald’s, and Google—to break down the ways in which culture influences behavior and unpacks how to leverage its power to get people to move.
Culture Eats Strategy For Breakfast: How To Drive Sustainable Organizational Change
When it comes to your company’s success, your organizational culture is more important than its individuals. It doesn’t matter how smart or talented your employees are if they don’t get along or don’t believe in your company’s purpose. That’s why it is imperative that leaders understand the inner workings of their internal culture—just as much as the external culture of their consumers—if they want to fully leverage the company’s resources for success.
Dr. Marcus Collins is an expert in understanding culture, literally writing “the book” on it. In his upbeat and informative talk, Marcus shares stories of organizational culture using real-life case studies. Audiences will come away understanding how company culture works, how to influence it, and how to scale it for their teams.
Dr. Marcus Collins is an expert in understanding culture, literally writing “the book” on it. In his upbeat and informative talk, Marcus shares stories of organizational culture using real-life case studies. Audiences will come away understanding how company culture works, how to influence it, and how to scale it for their teams.
Putting The Humanity Back Into Customer Centricity
In today’s competitive business landscape, it’s more important than ever to put the customer at the center of all business decisions. While this truth might be widely held, our ability to build organizations that are readily capable of implementing a customer-centric approach is not as accessible as we might desire.
This talk uncovers a new perspective on customer-centricity and provides actionable strategies for adopting this approach within your organization that will demonstratively drive greater consumer engagement.
This talk uncovers a new perspective on customer-centricity and provides actionable strategies for adopting this approach within your organization that will demonstratively drive greater consumer engagement.
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