This two-minute speaker reel captures the essence of Dr. Marcus Collins on stage—energetic, thought-provoking, and deeply human. The video intercuts clips from keynote presentations, media interviews, and classroom sessions at the University of Michigan, offering a glimpse of his signature blend of academic rigor and real-world marketing wisdom.

Marcus emphasizes the power of culture as the driving force behind behavior and brand connection. Through engaging soundbites, he illustrates how understanding people’s shared beliefs—not just their demographics—creates loyalty and movement. His delivery combines clarity, warmth, and humor, translating complex ideas about identity and community into actionable insight for business and leadership audiences.

Supported by audience reactions, professional production, and fast-paced editing, the reel reinforces his reputation as a compelling communicator who bridges business strategy and cultural fluency. It positions him as a top keynote choice for events centered on innovation, leadership, and marketing transformation.

Dr. Marcus Collins opens his talk by inviting the audience to greet one another, setting the tone for a discussion on human connection and belonging. He recounts childhood memories from Detroit, where he first learned what it meant to be “different.” At age seven, he told his mother he wanted his hair to blow in the wind like his white classmate’s—a moment that made him confront how race shapes perception and identity.

From there, Marcus explores how his awareness of being Black developed through experiences of bias—from being mistaken for a parking attendant in New York to standing out as one of the few Black faculty members at the University of Michigan and executives in advertising. Yet paradoxically, among some Black peers, he was labeled “white” for swimming competitively, excelling academically, and loving both The Monkees and A Tribe Called Quest.

Through stories of love, friendship, and cultural tension, Marcus illustrates how living between worlds can be both isolating and illuminating. He recalls being criticized for his interracial marriage and realizing that true connection often demands transcending others’ definitions of who we should be.

He broadens the lens to include anyone who’s ever felt “too foreign for home, too foreign for here”—those navigating multiple identities or social divides. He uses humor, neuroscience, and cultural insight to explain why humans are wired for empathy and mirroring, even down to the contagion of a yawn.

In closing, Marcus reflects on raising his biracial daughter in a divided world. He calls on everyone to look beyond differences, recognize shared humanity, and affirm one another with simple acknowledgment: “I see you. You matter. We are more alike than we are different.”

At SXSW 2018, Dr. Marcus Collins delivers Emoticulture: Engineering Emotion in a Digital World, a lively and thought-provoking session on how brands can intentionally design emotional resonance in an increasingly digital culture. He begins by challenging the audience to think about something as universal—and deceptively simple—as a smile. While smiling feels instinctive, Marcus explains that it’s actually a complex social signal, shaped by culture, environment, and learned behavior.

He unpacks how emotion operates at both biological and cultural levels, showing how cues like context, color, and sound trigger different responses depending on shared meaning. From Disney’s theme parks to Coca-Cola’s marketing legacy, he explores how iconic brands have long sought to associate themselves with joy—but argues that many digital experiences today focus on clicks and metrics rather than true emotional connection.

Drawing from research conducted with Michigan State University, Marcus introduces “Emoticulture,” a framework blending behavioral science and cultural insight to create desired emotional outcomes online. By combining affective data, design thinking, and empathy-driven storytelling, teams were able to predict and elicit happiness more effectively across digital touchpoints.

He emphasizes that emotion isn’t just a reaction—it’s a relationship. Brands, leaders, and creators who understand the emotional DNA of their audience can design experiences that don’t just attract attention but sustain belonging. Marcus closes with a challenge: to treat emotion as both art and science—and to build digital worlds that make people feel more human.

At the Brandwatch Conference in Chicago, Dr. Marcus Collins delivers The Curious Case of Cultural Consumption, a masterclass in decoding how culture shapes everything we buy, share, and believe. He begins by acknowledging marketing’s long romance with creativity—where copy, imagery, and storytelling are wielded to drive commerce. Yet, he argues, the missing ingredient in most “good marketing” is not more creativity but a deeper understanding of culture.

Marcus defines culture as “a system of meaning that governs how people interpret the world and how they act within it.” He challenges marketers to move beyond audience segments and demographics to focus on shared beliefs and social identities—the true engines of behavior. Using case studies from brands like Apple, Nike, and State Farm, he illustrates how messages rooted in culture spread more powerfully and authentically than those optimized merely for reach or clicks.

He explains that culture provides the context that makes creativity relevant. Without that context, even the most innovative campaigns can miss the mark. Drawing on social science, he shows how rituals, symbols, and language act as the connective tissue between consumers and brands. When brands reflect cultural codes rather than disrupt them arbitrarily, they achieve meaning, belonging, and impact.

Marcus closes by urging organizations to treat culture not as a trend but as infrastructure—the foundation of modern marketing. In a digital landscape defined by constant conversation, the brands that understand cultural fluency will be the ones that endure.