TRU Presents "Your Customers" at ICBA 2012

Expert, Michael Wood, Senior Vice President & Director of Syndicated Research at TRU is to present at ICBA 2012.

Students, Stores & Sales.
What do you really know about selling to your customers?

The new era of marketing is driven by your customer. So...who are they? What do these learners do? What do they believe? What do they buy? What don't they buy? Why? How? How do they communicate? What do you need to know to effectively reach your customers? And to sell to them?

At ICBA 2012 Retail Conference you’ll be relieved to find answers and solutions to numerous questions surrounding your customers. Among many leading presenters at ICBA 2012, Michael Wood from TRU is dedicated to answering such questions.

Michael Wood, Senior Vice President & Director of Syndicate Research at TRU will share his company’s knowledge and research on your students’ purchase preferences. For more than 25 years, TRU has successfully delivered qualitative insights helping support businesses and youth connect. TRU’s research focuses on tweens, teens and twenty-somethings.

“Today’s college or university devotes an enormous amount of time and resources teaching students, but not nearly enough when it comes to learning about them. TRU U provides the knowledge and insights today’s institutions of higher learning need about students and prospective students….” (SOURCE: Tru-Insight, http://www.tru-insight.com/)

We encourage you to explore TRU’s website to learn more about their research. And we look forward to seeing you at ICBA 2012 (Sanibel Harbour Marriott in Fort Myers, Florida, from February 6 to 10, 2012).

Michael Wood - Senior Vice President, Director of Syndicated Research

Michael directs TRU's syndicated division, where he is responsible for the TRU Subscription, the ongoing youth intelligence program relied on by more than 150 of the world's leading youth-oriented brands.

Michael presents to and consults with many of TRU's syndicated clients, including: adidas, Coca-cola, Disney, ESPN, Estee Lauder, Frito-Lay, Gap, Hewlett Packard, JC Penney, Kraft, Leo Burnett, Microsoft, MTV, Neutrogena, Nike, Nordstrom, PacSun, Pepsi, Seventeen, and Target. (If they're interested in teens, chances are Michael's talked to them.)

Michael has been widely quoted on teen-marketing issues, appearing in USA Today, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Time, Business Week, Newsweek, Forbes, Fortune, Advertising Age and on CBS, CNN, CNBC, NPR, and countless more publications and electronic media. (If they're interested in teens, chances are they've talked to Michael.)

Prior to joining TRU in 1997, Michael worked in youth-oriented market research at Levi Strauss & Company in Brussels. His return to the U.S. also marked a return to the world of youth marketing.

In between, he worked for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris. His first job was with the Small Business Administration (SBA) in Washington, DC. (Michael always had a thing for acronyms.)

Michael has a Masters degree in International Marketing from Boston University and a BS degree in Marketing from the University of Alabama.

Stay tuned to ICBA INSIDER for more about ICBA 2012 presenters and topics.

Post Written By Sadja Pals, ICBA Marketing & Membership Manager