Where did you work prior to Doe?
I left J. Walter Thompson, as Global Management Director, to co-found a consumer-driven qualitative/quantitative discovery and solutions company, Consumer Studio, with JJ Jordan who was the Global Creative Director at JWT.
What do you like about strategic planning?
Uncovering the big idea. Sometimes it is so simple you can't believe it, and other times you spend tons of energy deconstructing the brand and the marketplace "mining" insights. The "ah hah!" is incredibly rewarding.
You must hear consumers say some crazy thngs.
It never ceases to amaze me what consumers believe and how they act. I had one woman in a focus group recently try to show me her tattoo on her lower back - and I do mean lower back.
How do you get at the "truth" with consumers?
I see consumers as business and creative collaborators. I engage them as willing participants, but I don't take them literally. I took a course a few years ago with the FBI on how to know when someone is telling the truth - I now find it a curse.
What do you do in your free time?
If I could, I would spend every minute of the day out-of-doors. I love to mountain climb, ski, mountain bike, whitewater raft and ride motorcycles, to name a few "hobbies." Rain or shine, you'll find me happiest in the woods or on the water.
What's the secret of account planning?
Listening - that's why you have two ears and only one mouth.
What are you most proud of?
My amazing daughter Emily and son Perry - they make life better than I could have ever dreamed.