Michael Solomon

Biography

Michael Solomon partners with marketers and leaders to help them understand the minds of today’s consumers in our volatile economy. Nothing keeps business leaders up at night more than knowing how quickly their brand can be negatively impacted.

Michael “wrote the book” on understanding consumers. Literally. Hundreds of thousands of business students have learned about marketing from his books, including Consumer Behavior: Buying, Having, and Being — the most widely used book on the subject in the world.

Regardless of the size of a company, fully understanding consumer behavior is paramount to not only surviving in today’s market, but also thriving. This is exactly why Michael is the go-to expert when it comes to knowing the psychology of the buyer, he’s been studying consumer behavior for decades, across all generations. He understands that today’s buyer is NOT your cookie cutter consumer.

Michael’s presentations provide a visual excursion into the minds of consumers and what influences them to buy. Michael’s latest book, The New Chameleons: How to Connect with Consumers Who Defy Categorization, recently won the NYC Big Book Award for the Marketing & Sales/PR category. The book stitches the trends of today to the future of consumerism in a way that is both provocative and inspiring.

The marketing guru Philip Kotler summed it up when he stated, “Solomon has the mind of a scientist and the writing flair of a journalist.”

Michael advises global clients in leading industries such as apparel and footwear (Calvin Klein, Levi Strauss, Under Armour, Timberland), financial services and e-commerce (eBay, Progressive), CPG (Procter & Gamble, Campbell’s), retailing (H&M), sports (Philadelphia Eagles), manufacturing (DuPont, PP&G) and transportation (BMW, United Airlines) on marketing strategies to make them more consumer-centric. He regularly appears on television shows including The Today Show, Good Morning America and CNN to comment on consumer issues, and he is frequently quoted in major media outlets such as The New York Times, USA Today, Adweek and Time.

As a Professor of Marketing (in the Haub School of Business at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia) and an industry consultant, Michael combines cutting edge academic theory with actionable real-world strategies. He helps managers get inside the heads of their customers so they can anticipate and satisfy their deepest and most pressing needs – today and tomorrow. An executive at Subaru said it best: “The man is a scholar who is current and street-wise.”

Videos

https://vimeo.com/515343437

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Testimonials

Michael was phenomenal at MARsum USA 2021! With rapidly evolving consumer behavior and demands after COVID-19, choosing Michael as our opening keynote speaker was a natural, obvious choice owing to his expert authority on this subject and of course, his treasury of effective brand-building strategies. Flawlessly eloquent, he completely reigned over the stage with his natural, engaging style and kept the audience hooked throughout his two keynotes which focused on building & sustaining fashion brands and the untapped potential of AI-powered salesbots. His content was loaded with actionable insights, well-researched stats, market predictions, AND he also managed to make us learn, think, and laugh at the same time! Getting him back for our next edition would be a no-brainer.

– Sagar Sharma, Prizm Events

Michael was a great speaker who shared his expertise in an engaging and thoughtful manner. He set the tone for collaborative conversation with other speakers and was wonderful to work with!

– Kristine Englert, Director, Enterprise Marketing, True Fit Corporation

The Digital Summit team organized a virtual conference in the middle of a pandemic and knew we’d need a consumer behavior expert to talk about the significant impact on the business landscape. With years of experience in understanding today’s consumer, Michael Solomon delivered a wonderful talk that was educational & practical! He presented senior marketers with knowledge that’ll help shape their future marketing strategies and engage more authentically with audiences.

– Kayal Rajendran, Content and Programming, Digital Summit Series

Michael Solomon delivered a timely and thought-provoking talk on how we should all be thinking about the consumer in the new semi-normal, giving us a view that brought together his real-world experience through his consulting with numerous multi-national companies/brands that are all trying to navigate through the pandemic. He took a lot of disparate information and packaged it into digestible, understandable components and then told us how to apply the lessons learned to our businesses. He not only identifies the issue, but also delivers on the solution. We look forward to hearing from Michael again as the situation we all find ourselves in evolves.

– Jeff Kaufman, President, Home Fashion Products Association

Michael was one of the first speakers we contacted after deciding to organize a webinar for entrepreneurs, employees, and students, focusing on educating the companies on reflecting, planning, and rethinking their business policies in a COVID-19 world. We were ecstatic when he agreed to be our Keynote speaker as we knew his insight into consumer behavior post pandemics would be of great use to the audience. We were right! Attendees loved Michael’s lecture and we immediately received so many emails demanding that we share his presentation online. His talk was very informativ and he engagingly delivered highly relevant business content. We received many comments from the audience that his lecture has significantly helped them quickly adapt to the new market rules. We were so happy with him as a presenter, and we are already in talks about having him as our Keynote speaker next year.

– Ena Radončić, Project Manager, Adriatic Branding Conference

Michael was a wonderful speaker to work with this year as we moved our event three different times to different cities. Through the process, he stood by us and was easy to rely on. Michael enlightened our attendees on what to expect in the “new normal” now that Covid-19 has affected our lives and our work. Michael received great feedback and we look forward to working with him again!

– Tinsley Flint, Meetings Manager, CONNECT 2020

I had the opportunity to work with Michael for Marketing Innovation Day for our topic of Human Centric Design. Michael is very well versed and knowledgeable of the subject matter and was able to give tons of relevant insight, especially relating back to the automotive industry. He was able to provide the audience with tools to use in the real world and take back to our jobs.

– Natalie Simon, Vehicle Personalization and Ford Performance Parts Events & Communication Manager, Ford Motor Company

The man is a scholar who is current and street-wise.

– Joe Barstys, Manager, Customer Satisfaction, Subaru of America

Booksby Michael Solomon

The New Chameleons: How to Connect with Consumers Who Defy Categorization

Consumer Behavior: Buying, Having, and Being

Better Business

Marketing: Real People, Real Choices

Consumer Behaviour: A European Perspective

Consumer Behavior in Fashion

Conquering Consumerspace

The Truth About What Customers Really Want

Social Media Marketing

For Meeting Planners

Photos

Speaker Documents

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Blog Posts

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Reviews & Ratings

     Excellent  
     Based on 56 reviews 
    
 
 
   
 
 
        
   Waldo Waldman 
 May 19, 2024
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I’ve been Speaking professionally for 21 years and work with the largest agencies in the world. I’m a Hall of Fame keynote speaker and a New York Times best selling Author. I have can honestly say in full confidence that Seth Dechtman and his team at Keynote Curator is the best agency I have been honored to work with.
I’ve witnessed Seth’s client focused relationship skills On multiple occasions. His clients love him and he’s detail oriented and has great communication skillls.
But most importantly, I’ve been on the receiving side of his servant, focused leadership style. He treats me like a valued partner and emulates everything a wingman is.
  
 
       
   David Allison 
 May 17, 2024
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Seth and the Keynote Curators team are tenacious and determined to do right by their clients and their speakers. I appreciate our relationship so much, and highly reccomend this group to anyone looking to book a speaker for an event.
  
 
       
   Meir Statman 
 May 10, 2024
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. It is wonderful to join Seth in helping people reflect on their financial and life well-being and enhance them.
  
 
       
   Trevor Wilde 
 April 24, 2024
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. This was an amazing experience. the Keynote Speaker we had was perfect for our event and will definitely be having another for our next one!
  
 
       
   Sandro Forte 
 March 22, 2024
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Brilliantly hosted, with great content. An absolute ‘must add’ to any podcast list!
  
 
       
   Jon VanDeventer 
 November 18, 2023
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I've been working with Seth at The Keynote Curators for over 3 years. I always look forward to our meetings because of both his professional expertise and his enjoyable, engaging personality. We have fun during our virtual meetings while developing innovative strategies and accomplishing goals. It's obvious from working with Seth over a number of years that he is always making event planning and booking services an easy process and providing responsiveness that sets him apart. He's an excellent partner who gets invested in your business and collaborates through every step of a process that can sometimes feel overwhelming.
  
 
       
   Jason Galaska 
 November 7, 2023
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Seth and his team were fantastic to work with in 2023 and we look forward to working with Keynote Curators to find potential speaker matches for our events in the future.  Thank you, Seth, for your professionalism!
  
 
       
   Hailey Wilson 
 October 23, 2023
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. A Treasure Trove for Anyone Involved in Speaker Selection!

As someone deeply involved in the intersection of marketing and technology at AImpact, I find the process of selecting the right keynote speaker to be a critical part of any successful event. Seth Dechtman's "The Keynote Curators" podcast is nothing short of a godsend for anyone facing the challenges and opportunities that come with this task.

Seth brings an almost poetic understanding to the power of words, acknowledging that a speech isn't just a scheduled event but a transformative experience that can change the dynamics of an entire room. His enthusiasm for the craft is contagious, making each episode a joy to listen to.
  
 
       
   Nicole 
 September 14, 2023
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Seth is super knowledgeable about the needs of meeting planners to have a successful event and partners with you to find just that right fit!
  
 
       
   Duncan Sigurdsson 
 August 28, 2023
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Working with Seth Dechtman and The Keynote Curators is always true partnership.  In the three plus years that we have been involved in various projects, I can tell you that they always deliver.  We have done some really cool stuff together.  Any meeting professional, conference planner or event producer will greatly benefit from partnering with The Keynote Curators.  High praise to Seth and his team.