About Me.

Hi, I’m Marcus! Thanks for stopping by. I’ve carved out this real estate to provide a little information about who I am and how I see the world, so here it goes:

I believe there is no external force more influential to human behavior than culture—full stop. What we wear, what we eat, where we work, how we vote, and just about every facet of social living is informed by our cultural subscriptions. So, I study cultural contagion and how it manifests in our consumption proclivities, organizational dynamics, and society writ large. I leverage my scholarly work as a clinical professor at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, and the many years I spent in marketing as an advertising executive—most recently as the head of strategy at Wieden+Kennedy, New York—to bridge the academic-practitioner gap and use this knowledge to help people get people to take action.

Throughout my career, I've had the great privilege of being acknowledged for my strategic, creative, and scholarly contributions (American Advertising Federation’s Advertising Hall of Achievement inductee, Thinkers50 Radar Distinguished Achievement Award, Cannes Lion Creative Strategy juror, Ad Age's 40 Under 40 recipient, and Crain’s Business 40 Under 40 recipient) as well as launched successful campaigns like “Cliff Paul” for State Farm, the Made In America Music Festival, and Google’s “Real Tone” technology—among others. Before my tenure in advertising, I worked in music and tech as a startup co-founder. Then I led iTunes + Nike sports music initiatives at Apple before running digital strategy for Beyoncé.

I am also the author of the best-selling book, For The Culture, which examines the relationship between culture and human behavior. Throughout the book, I rely on literature, case studies, learnings from both my practicing work, and data from my academic work to illustrate the “whys” and the “hows” of culture so that readers can successfully apply these learnings to their own pursuits. I have spent the last decade helping organizations—from Fortune 500 companies to startups and non-profits—use this knowledge to create culturally contagious ideas that get people to move. The book aims to do the same for readers.

I am a graduate of Temple University (DBA) and the University of Michigan (BSE in Materials Science Engineering and MBA with an emphasis in strategic brand marketing). I write a column for Forbes’ CMO Network and work with organizations to apply my scholarship and practice as a professor-in-residence. But most importantly, I am Alex's husband and Georgia & Ivy's father.

Interested in learning more? Click the button below to check out some examples of my previous work, from marketing campaigns to research innovations.