At the Forefront of Culture with Dr. Marcus Collins, Clinical Assistant Professor of Marketing at University of Michigan

Identity is the anchor of culture, and culture is the most influential driver of human behavior. Describing culture in clear language is crucial for harnessing its power. The need to belong and be a part of a tribe is etched in our DNA, and aspirational brands leverage their culture and values to build their tribe. This allows brands selling generic products, like water, to differentiate themselves from the competition.

Dr. Marcus Collins, clinical assistant professor of marketing at the University of Michigan and best-selling author of For the Culture, joins Matt Britton again on a new episode of The Speed of Culture podcast to discuss the role of culture in our everyday lives and its impact on consumer behavior and brands.

Dr. Collins is an award-winning marketer and cultural translator who, until recently, had one foot in the world of practice—serving as the chief strategy officer at Wieden+Kennedy New York—and one foot in the world of academia—as a marketing professor at the Ross School of Business at the 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. Dr. Collins is a recipient of Advertising Age’s 40 Under 40 award, Crain’s Business’ 40 Under 40 award and a recent inductee into the American Advertising Federation’s Advertising Hall of Achievement. 

Dr. Collins holds a doctorate in marketing from Temple University, where he studied cultural contagion and meaning-making. He received an MBA in strategic brand marketing from the University of Michigan, where he also earned his undergraduate degree in material science engineering.

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Key takeaways:

• 09:55 – 10:44 – What is the biggest driver of culture? Dr. Collins explains that the need to be a part of a community where people are similar to us is part of our DNA. We want to be a part of tribes and communities that share our points of view and how we see the world around us. 

• 16:42 – 18:59 – How brands use culture as a differentiator: Brands that promote a culture and values that align with that of their audience stand a better chance of differentiating themselves from the competition and becoming a favored brand of their audience. Brands need to learn how to build an emotional connection with their audience. Liquid Death is a brand selling water, the most generic of commodities. However, it sells the product in metal containers with a tagline that says Death to plastics. This culture and value resonate with the sustainability culture of its audience.  

• 22:05 – 24:10 – Use psychographics to define your ideal customer profile: Using demographics to define your ideal customer is efficient but highly inaccurate. Brands need to look at their customers from a cultural lens because that establishes people’s self-identity. 

• 31:02 – 32:29 – How brands evolve their identity to stay relevant: Brands can evolve without changing their ideologies and beliefs. Nike, for example, believes every human is an athlete, and that core belief has remained constant even as product and brand communication has evolved. 

• 34:02 – 35:48 – The role of AI in evolving culture and human behavior: Technology extends human behavior and helps connect the world. There’s a natural decay in relationships where you’re not physically close to each other or constantly in contact, but technology like social platforms extend and sustain connectivity.

• 45:58 – 47:14 – Key takeaways from Dr. Collins’ book For the Culture: For the Culture is Dr. Collins’ debut book that illustrates the influence of culture on human behavior and gives readers the tools they need to inspire collective change. Through this book, he hopes that readers will learn from his mistakes, struggles and epiphanies in order to gain insights to make better decisions.