Marcus Collins of Havas' TRIPTK on Teaching

And why he's a musician at heart

Marcus is an award-winning marketer and cultural translator. He is the former chief strategy officer at Wieden+Kennedy New York, a marketing professor and author. His strategies and creative contributions have bolstered the success of McDonald’s cultural resurgence, Google’s “Real Tone” technology, the “Made In America” music festival and the Brooklyn Nets move to New York.

Before his advertising tenure, Marcus worked on iTunes and Nike initiatives at Apple and ran digital strategy for Beyoncé. He writes a column for Forbes’ CMO Network and contributes to business scholarship.

We spent two minutes with Marcus to learn more about his background, his creative inspirations and recent work he’s admired. 

Marcus, tell us …

Where you grew up, and where you live now.

I grew in Detroit and now live in Ann Arbor, Mich.

How you first realized you were creative.

Singing in church. I sang in the choir, in groups, around the house, in the car and everywhere in between. I can’t remember a time when I was not engaged in music at some point.

A person you idolized creatively early on.

Michael Jackson. He was everything to me as a kid—an artist like no other. We didn’t have cable early on, but my grandparents did. Whenever we visited, I would stay glued to the television watching MTV for hours, waiting for Michael’s videos. I was obsessed.

A moment from high school or college that changed your life.

My singing group opened for Dru Hill (the R&B group with Sisqo, remember him?) at a concert, and it just felt like, “Oh, this is totally possible.”

A visual artist or band/musician you admire.

Pharrell Williams. Between The Neptunes and N.E.R.D., it was the perfect convergence that represented everything I loved sonically and aesthetically. He is, in many ways, a North Star of creative freedom.

A book, movie, TV show or podcast you recently found inspiring.

The Audible Podcast on Stevie Wonder called The Wonder of Stevie. It’s sooooo perfect—10/10. Music is a big part of my life, as you’ve probably ascertained, and Stevie Wonder is a cornerstone. The podcast archives his famous five album, 5-year run in the ’70s that was responsible for some of the best music ever recorded. The storytelling and framing is top notch.

One of your favorite creative projects you’ve ever worked on. 

 No doubt, it’s the launch of my book For The Culture: The Power Behind What We Buy, What We Do and Who We Want To Be. It is a distillation of my work as both a scholar and marketer, helping bridge the practitioner-academic gap to leverage the power of culture and drive behavioral adoption.

A recent project you’re proud of.

I launched my AI assistant, ChatMTC. It uses all of my scholarship, talks and teachings to provide insights and instruction for anyone who wants to engage in culture.

Someone else’s work that inspired you years ago. 

Dan Ariely’s Predictably Irrational changed my life. It forced me to see the world in ways I never had before, and started me on the trajectory of studying the social sciences, which is what got me into my field of study so long ago.

Someone else’s work you admired lately. 

The Tyler, The Creator roll out for his new album Chromakopia is so impressive. He continues to challenge the orthodoxy and recreate himself with each project.

Your main strength as a creative person.

The ability to find the convergence of different ideas—what Levi Strauss refers to as bricolage—and distill it into something tangible and digestible.

Your biggest weakness.

I’m terrible with details with regards to operations and execution. Awful, in fact. While I may be myopic in my focus, I always mess up the details.

A mentor who helped you navigate the industry.

Jon Bond has been the most impactful, longest standing mentor in my career as an advertiser. He saw something early in my journey and has continued to support me along the way. I’m super grateful.

How you’re paying it forward with the next generation of creatives.

That’s why I teach! I’m a professor at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, where I’ve dedicated my time and energy to help future practitioners take the industry to new heights.

What you’d be doing if you weren’t in advertising.

Teaching! And, perhaps, still trying to pursue a career as a songwriter. I’m a musician at heart. Can’t help myself.