We help solve brand & business problems
Clients ask questions like:
Where is my category heading in the future?
What products should we create & where should we innovate?
We’re building something - how could we best position it?
Who are the right customers for us to target?
How can my team think and work more strategically?
Together, we answer these questions using tools like:
Internal Strategic Workshops
Customer & Competitive Insights
Qualitative Research
(focus groups, in-home ethnographies, co-creation workshops, stakeholder interviews, shop-alongs, etc...)
Quantitative Research
Brand Positioning & Architecture
Below are some projects.
Reach out for a full client list and work samples.
Projects
Global research study of teenagers for the Nike Brand Innovation Lab
Brand strategy for Samuel Adams
National study & strategy on immigration for Unbound Philanthropy
New product development for Chobani
Study on HR Innovation for Capital One
ROI analysis of a Formula 1 sponsorship
Futurist workshops with the Johnson & Johnson Med Tech team
Strategy for the annual 'Year in Music’ execution by Spotify
In-Home ethnographies with die-hard basketball fans for the NBA
Strategic workshops with the in-house creative team at Spectrum
Digital innovation strategy for the Bloomin’ Brands restaurant group
Clients
AskMHB has been run by me - Michael Hastings-Black - since 2013. I’ve stayed independent and agile because I love doing the actual work of strategy. Diving deep with Clients to unpack, understand and help solve their toughest problems.
It’s dirty. It’s nerdy. And it’s fun.
Sometimes it’s me, other times we’ll build a bespoke project team.
Before AskMHB, I was at Apple as a Creative Strategist, working with Sales, Product, and external partners, as well as leading an internal cultural and technological insights program.
I’ve been an Adjunct Professor at Parsons and have spoken at academic and industry conferences. Prior to that, I was working in film, on farms and for the NYC Parks Department.
I have a B.A. in English from Bowdoin College and also studied urban planning while living in India, South Africa and Brazil.
Nowadays I live with my family in Washington DC, where you’ll find me cooking, picking vintage or thinking too much about soccer.
