If you want to find Andy Ford, chief insight officer at Noble Communications, look for him in underground speakeasies in New York City, at Saks Fifth Avenue in Mexico City or hanging out with the vegans in Berkeley, Calif. His job is about helping his clients be first faster.
"I don't think I own a suit anymore," Ford says. "I spend my days in jeans and sneakers, trying to blend into the crowd."
He looks for places off the beaten path, where emerging consumers find their edge. He dresses to help associate with the people he studies. One way to get in tune with a local market is to go to a real estate office and pretend to buy a house, he says. If you want the upscale market, dress flashy and pretend to buy a Mercedes. "Dudes who work in bicycle shops gossip like old washer women," he adds.
Ford's job is about being on the leading edge of what's happening in marketplaces and translating that behavior into marketing and product strategies for Noble's clients and partners. "A lot of my time is spent out in culture," Ford says. "My personal (modus operandi) is to be a sponge and glean as much information as I can."
He describes himself as an "observational anthropologist." He spent a recent week riding the subway in New York City, and he's done investigative marketing work for Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Midwest Airlines and Saks Fifth Avenue in Mexico. He even worked on messaging strategies for the recent presidential election. All the information he gathers is downloaded into a software model called CultureWaves that helps break down emerging trends for clients.
"Chief insight officer" is a job Ford just fell into after Noble founder and CEO Bob Noble discovered Ford's nonprofit work developing youth programs by studying conversations on blogs.
"Bob Noble wanted me to bring what I was doing online to life," Ford says.
Ford makes presentations to Noble clients about what's occurring in the market, then takes executives on a tour that immerses them into the lifestyle of their consumers. "The tours have that multisensory effect that helps them experience things," Ford says.
For one large snack company, Ford brought executives to a bar in Dallas, had them decked out with temporary tattooes and introduced them to a lady who works at a local head shop. "The whole point is to introduce them to what is happening more authentically in life," he explains.
Insights are the next wave of information for the field of advertising. "We want to be the people thinking about your business and help you create the future. Not just take orders."[[In-content Ad]]
