Mark Truss

Brainstormer, Connector, Consultant, Educator/Teacher, Idea generator, Musician, Parent, Photographer, Project manager, Social entrepreneur

Mark Truss oversees research, insights and brand intelligence at JWT. Using traditional and emerging research techniques, Mark and his team help brands uncover hidden truths about consumers, cultures and brands that drive engaging communications across a variety of media channels. As Mark says, “No one ever built a successful brand with data alone – you need insights. We’re drowning in data and research, and quite honestly, for that reason, a lot of research goes unused. True insights though, are gold.” Mark works across all brands at the agency, bringing insights to all corners of the globe. For JWT, Mark has pioneered a new type of research process – previously untried in the research industry. This new process allows for significantly faster collection and synthesis of insights, with far less infrastructure and cost than in traditional research organizations. This new approach is now being copied at various companies in the industry. This innovation allows JWT to respond very quickly to rapidly changing environments and situations that inevitably affect our brands. Mark is an active contributor within the research industry, writing for and speaking at events hosted by the Advertising Research Foundation, the 4A’s and the IAB, and lending his expertise to industry bodies such as the Market Research Council, the Ad Council’s Research Committee, Social Media Week and as a member of ESOMAR. Mark is also an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University and NYU teaching market research and consumer behavior to graduate students, and has recently been appointed to the Advisory Board at Berkeley College’s Marketing Communications Program. Mark’s work has been covered in numerous news outlets including Time, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, Buzzfeed, Ad Age, Adweek and Reader’s Digest,, and has appeared on PBS’s Charlie Rose. In addition, Mark has been a guest speaker at corporate events for companies including NBC Universal and Scholastic, and a lecturer at a number of colleges and universities, including Miami Ad School, Villanova University, Brandeis University, Queens College, Berkeley College, Hofstra University. Before joining JWT in 2002, Mark held the position Senior Vice President at market research companies The NPD Group and Ipsos. In his spare time, Mark plays lead guitar, sings and arranges for his band, The Outliers – a band of market researchers. You can catch the band playing at local area venues.

Ideas, music, family, ideas, ideas, ideas.

Arranging and producing, Lead Guitar, Methodologies, Research, Teaching

Don't have one yet...other than I use plenty of TED video content in my classroom when I find videos that best illustrate a point I'm trying to make...but after attending TEDActive, I'll have plenty of TED stories.

Playing guitar, DIY home improvement, writing fiction