Mark Truss, worldwide director of brand intelligence for the J. Walter Thompson Company, is the spring 2017 Dick Worick visiting lecturer in market research. Truss will visit the College of Journalism and Mass Communications April 11-12.

He will give two free public lectures and work with advertising and public relations capstone students to improve their research skills. The lecture times and subjects are as follows:

“Brand Intelligence at J. Walter Thompson: How Market Research Drives Strategy and Creative,” 6 to 7:30 p.m. April 11, Andersen Hall, Room 15; and

“How Consumers Make Decisions: The Role of Emotions and the Subconscious Mind,” 12:30 to 2 p.m. April 12, Andersen Hall, Room 15.

Truss oversees research and insights at JWT, where he has pioneered a new type of research process that allows for faster data collection and insight synthesis, with far less time and cost than in traditional structures. This innovation allows the company to respond quickly with real insights to changing environments and situations that invariably affect brands.

Truss is also an adjunct professor at Columbia University and an advisory board member at Berkeley College. His work has been covered in Time, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, Reader’s Digest, Ad Age and Adweek, and he has appeared on PBS’s Charlie Rose.