FOR THE CULTURE

An award-winning marketer explains brand strategy, consumer behavior, and the new generation of marketing.

Collins has been involved in some of the most successful advertising campaigns of the past two decades (he has worked with Beyoncé, Apple, Google, the Brooklyn Nets, and others), and he also has solid academic credentials, holding a key position at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. This experience in both spheres informs this book, as the author examines why certain campaigns have been astonishingly successful while others have fallen painfully flat. The key, he argues, is not about a product itself; it’s about connecting to a particular segment of society through shared values and experiences. Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, for example, was not noticeably different from other brews, but the brand was marketed as representing autonomy and self-expression, which spoke to the ideology of the burgeoning hipster community. With interesting case studies, Collins unpacks how cultural communities come into being and how marketing firms can track their development, with increasingly precise targeting to tribes and clans. Demographic information is crucial, although some marketers can miss crucial nuances in the data. The author notes that these sorts of marketing campaigns can be commercially successful while being socially damaging, such as the Marlboro Man campaign, which made smoking attractive. Collins could have delved further into the long-term impact of this cultural segmentation of society. When does targeted marketing become a contributor to social fragmentation? At what point does the idea of “my people” turn into us-vs.-them conflict? Collins veers away from this line of thinking, but he believes that marketers should think more carefully about the campaigns they design and the stories they tell. The author offers plenty of food for thought about how the social landscape is evolving.

With personal stories and a dry wit, Collins bridges the gap between cultural theory and marketing practice.