Dr. Marcus Collins

Marcus Collins led digital strategy for Beyonce, ran iTunes and Nike sports music initiatives at Apple, and created the "Cliff Paul" campaign for State Farm - all before writing his bestselling book 'For the Culture', which examines how culture shapes human behavior and why people do what they do. He holds a doctorate from Temple University focused on meaning-making and social contagion.

Collins is a clinical professor at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business and a former Head of Strategy at Wieden+Kennedy New York. He has been recognized as Crain's 40 Under 40, AdAge 40 Under 40, a Thinkers50 Radar Award recipient, and an inductee of the American Advertising Federation's Hall of Achievement. He writes a column for Forbes' CMO Network.

His talks sit at the overlap of culture, brand strategy, and consumer behavior. Collins draws on both academic research and real campaign work - Google's "Real Tone", Made in America Music Festival - to show how cultural understanding drives marketing that actually moves people. He has one foot in scholarship and one in practice, and his audiences get both.