Allan has over 20 years of experience in branding and marketing research, from both client and agency sides. His client experience includes BMG Music Club, Pearson Education, DirecTV, Wachovia, Morgan Stanley, Grand Cypress Resort, Ensemble Travel, McNeil Nutritionals, and US Census Bureau. He was formerly a partner and moderator at Socioscan Research and a principal brand strategist for Landor Associates (New York). Allan has been a hands-on marketing manager at HBO and Time Magazine as well a management consultant at Booz, Allen & Hamilton. Allan earned a MBA in Marketing from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Business School, and a Political Science degree from Princeton University.
I've worked on some of the world's best-known brands, including Citibank, Morgan Stanley, US Census Bureau, and HBO. But the brand I'm proudest of is a little closer to home. When my wife became pregnant she was completely unhappy with the state of maternity clothing, so together we created Metromom Maternity -- sophisticated, classic maternity wear sold online and in over 25 boutique stores (and stored in our attic).
I traded in my volunteer fire fighter uniform for a dictionary so I can "search and rescue" obscure words to compete against my wife and three kids in Scrabble and Boggle.
When I was a kid, my Dad worked for Bristol Myers Squibb. At the age of 12, I helped develop my first major brand -- Monster Vitamins, an idea we came up with around our family dinner table to help BMS compete against Flintstone Vitamins.
I am a curious explorer so I love conducting secret shopper analysis to uncover a brand’s pain points and power points with consumers/clients. I first got hooked when I spent a summer traveling the country visiting Sears Catalog Stores in the mid-1980s to recommend how to improve the store environment, selling space, customer service and where to locate the catalog phone.
Russian Standard Vodka and Prada boots. I have traveled to many spots around the globe. Whether I am in Budapest, Buenos Aires or Bangkok, there is no substitute for these signature “comfort” brands.