Mike Donovan
Mike Donovan has had the good fortune to bring his skills and experience as an anthropologist to an incredibly diverse set of projects. He has studied the defining experiences and meanings of masculinity among young men today (advance planning, car design). He has asked high net-worth individuals to unravel the values and meanings they attach to wealth (messaging). He has absorbed lessons about the lawn, and lawn work from American homeowners (new product development and strategic refocus for a manufacturer). He has gone grocery shopping with low-income moms and learned what it takes (and means) to put a good meal on the table (store design and corporate communications). He has enlisted tween friendship groups to investigate their social constructions of illicit drugs (messaging). He has visited with Rolls Royce owners (ride-a-longs included) to explore their connections to the brand (brand audit and repositioning). He has plumbed complex webs of relationships between Americans and their pets (new product launch, brand positioning, concept testing) He has studied the social meanings and uses of credit cards among women in South Africa and Dubai (global brand positioning). And much, much more...
Such projects provide clients with a fresh look at the cultural spaces where their categories, brands, products and services abide. Mike works intensively with his partners to push these insights through in the service of their clients' business goals including notable successes in new product development, packaging, retail design, branding, ad development, messaging and strategic planning.
Some of the clients Mike has worked with: Aer Lingus, American Express, Alcoa, BBDO West, Briggs and Stratton, CommonHealth, Delmonte, FedEx, General Motors, MasterFoods, Mars Pet Care, Nissan, Novartis, Saatchi and Saatchi, Save-A-Lot, The Bergen Record, The Martin Agency.
Mike lives in Brooklyn, New York. He holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from New York University. His years of field research in Africa and teaching are ongoing sources of inspiration for life and work.