O&M Appoints China Ethnographer

Marcoms giant Ogilvy & Mather China has appointed Dr Michael Griffiths for the newly created role of Director of Ethnography in its consumer insights and trends unit Discovery.

The Ogilvy Discovery team tracks changes in consumer culture, and the evolution in influences on the choices that people make - both in their lives and brands, and the social context of consumption.

Griffiths joins with a PhD from the National Institute of Chinese Studies at the University of Leeds. He is fluent in Mandarin and most recently worked in a 'hotpot restaurant' in northern China to gain an understanding of migrant workers. His experiences were recently published in the Journal of Current Chinese Affairs and another of his papers on Chinese consumer practices will be published in academic journal Ethnography next month.

In his new role, Griffiths will be responsible for leading ethnographic and qualitative research projects for the Discovery team, creating connections with the academic community in China and internationally, and providing research support and analysis to clients from across the Ogilvy Group in China.

'Michael is really interested in the market application of his work, which led him to our doors,' explains Kunal Sinha, Executive Director of Discovery, O&M Greater China. 'I'm sure that he will adapt to our business environment from an academic one with the same consummate ease and sensitivity that he did when he moved from the UK to China.'

Web site: www.ogilvy.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.