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J Walker Smith

Member since April 2004Contact J Walker

J. Walker Smith is the Knowledge Lead for the global consulting and strategy practices of Kantar. Walker has been described by Fortune as “one of America’s leading analysts on consumer trends.” He is co-author of four highly regarded books, a conference keynote speaker, a blogger, a columnist and a former public radio commentator. He is a 2021 inductee into the Market Research Council Hall of Fame and the 2020 recipient of the American Marketing Association’s Charles Coolidge Parlin Award for outstanding contributions to the field of market research. He is a 2012 inductee into the North Carolina Journalism and Media Hall of Fame. In 2014 and 2015, he won the WPP Atticus Award for Strategy and in 2013 for Consumer Insights. Walker holds a doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Articles by J Walker All articles by J Walker

  • The Paradox Of Quality in Planning & Buying Insider on 03/20/2024

    The better our products get, the more they are alike. Quality is contagious. It multiplies itself. Quality follows quality, which is why quality also converges.

  • Both-ism in Planning & Buying Insider on 03/06/2024

    Brands must beware of either/or. That's a combative approach in a marketplace of Both-ism. But picking sides is what we've seen happen in a couple of recent instances.

  • Gen Alpha -- Not in Planning & Buying Insider on 02/20/2024

    Alpha is not a generation. Children born after 2012 -- the "cut-off" for Gen Z --- are not old enough to babysit, much less define a proper cohort for generational analysis.

  • Maybe More Empathy in Planning & Buying Insider on 02/07/2024

    I'm talking not about sympathy, compassion, concern or caring but seeing the world through someone else's eyes and walking in their shoes - getting inside the gritty lived experience of someone else.

  • What Viral Numbers Get Right in Planning & Buying Insider on 01/24/2024

    Attention-grabbing numbers take on a life of their own. Remember the internet meme about the speed at which new technologies take off: radio a lot of years, TV fewer, and the internet very few. They always assert technologies scale faster nowadays.

  • Three Big Bets in Planning & Buying Insider on 01/10/2024

    Forecasting is a fraught exercise. I think it's better to focus on the pivot points that will shape the year. Here are three big bets facing planners, buyers and marketers.

  • Ask Less of Consumers, Not More in Planning & Buying Insider on 12/13/2023

    The biggest challenge in marketing is indifference and convenience is the most powerful factor, bar none. Consumers don't want to change their minds, because they don't want to do the work. Persuasion is hostage to convenience.

  • Fragile But Resilient in Planning & Buying Insider on 11/29/2023

    Brands are out of runway for relying on price rather than volume to deliver organic top-line growth. Brands cannot continue to rely on ever-higher prices for growth.

  • A Better Steward Than Brands in Planning & Buying Insider on 11/15/2023

    When social issues are added to a brand's portfolio, purpose is often poorly served. The learning curve is steep, distractions build up and focus gets lost. Anything not central to making money is always vulnerable.

  • Invest In Value in Planning & Buying Insider on 11/01/2023

    Value delivered to customers is what creates value for the bottom line. The converse is also true - when you take value away from customers, the business will suffer.

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