Dissertation: Exploring Social Contagion Within A Tribe Called Hip Hop: Mechanisms of Evaluation and Legitimation

Marcus Collins is an advertising executive and a translator of human behavior. As a recipient of Advertising Age’s ’40 Under 40′ award, Marcus serves as the Chief Consumer Connections Officer at Doner, where he helps brands create culturally contagious ideas. His strategies and creative contributions have led to the success of PotBelly’s ‘Feed Your Smile’ campaign, Budweiser’s ‘Made In America’ music festival, the launch of the Brooklyn Nets (Hello Brooklyn!), and State Farm’s ‘Cliff Paul’ campaign. Before advertising, he led iTunes + Nike sport music initiatives at Apple and ran digital strategy for Beyoncé.

Beyond the boardroom, Marcus is also a faculty member at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, as a Golden Apple Award nominated lecturer of marketing and Co-Director of the Yaffe Digital Media Initiative. He holds a DBA from the Fox School of Business, an MBA with an emphasis on Strategic Brand Marketing from the University of Michigan, where he also earned his undergraduate degree in Material Science Engineering. He is a proud Detroit native, a devoted husband, and loving father.