Marcie Merriman is a global leader in cultural anthropology, brand strategy, and generational research, known for driving business growth by tapping into changing human needs. At EY, Marcie works with CEOs and Board Directors across industries to anticipate disruption and propel growth through human-led strategies. She speaks globally on societal change, generational shifts, and changing consumer and workforce behaviors. Marcie’s insights have gained international attention with features on CNBC and BBC and in publications like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
Recently, in an exclusive interview with Digital First Magazine, Marcie shared her professional trajectory, insights on diversity and inclusion, considerations for tech, significant career milestones, future plans, words of wisdom, and much more. The following excerpts are taken from the interview.
Hi Marcie. Please tell us about your background and areas of expertise.
My background is in cultural anthropology and brand strategy. I’ve worked in many different environments – from big management consulting like EY, to big corporate like Toys R Us and Victoria’s Secret, to creative start-ups, including my own I sold to EY in 2013. The common thread I have woven through all of these has been in applying my training and education in anthropology to see the patterns of change within societies early in their cycle and matching these against business opportunities and capabilities to solve human needs. This often this results in emerging whitespace businesses can fill through new products, services or experiences. The magic is in aligning a business’s core competencies against where consumer sentiment is going. In the best of situations, it helps businesses solve underlying human needs with solutions consumers come to find they can’t live without.
What drives your passion for using business as a force for good, and how do you stay inspired to tackle complex societal challenges?
I believe there are too many people suffering from unnecessary problems. Major health and security challenges are a part of this, but even the basic daily experiences or simple challenges of life people go through have a ripple effect.
Solving the little problems that are often overlooked by the masses can make a big difference in someone’s world. I especially think about the challenges that are affecting parents or moms, which I am especially sensitive to being one myself.
I think of the mom struggling to work her way through a complicated health care system to fill out the forms required to start school, or discovering the Halloween costume will not arrive when promised, or discovering items missing from a takeout food order. These hassles deplete energy and create a trough in the customer experience. Additionally, companies not keeping up with customer expectations are counting on their front-line employees, frequently also moms and often at minimum wage, to make up the difference. That shouldn’t be the case. These are basic challenges that should not exist, because businesses can do better.
What do you believe are the most pressing societal issues or human needs that businesses can address in the next 5-10 years, and how can entrepreneurs and leaders make a meaningful impact?
One of my top concerns is the impact of today’s environment, events and activities on children. We are seeing inequities between children who simply don’t have the same opportunities, the same technologies or the environments to thrive. Children coming from more privileged families are also struggling with mental health issues and concerns about safety and security. I also think about the implications for parents, the business environment and ultimately society at large. As any parent will tell you, you can only be as happy as your least happy child. These parents are not just consumers, buyers or demographics, these are your employees. These are the people that you count on and want to be fully committed and productive. If they are having challenges in their day-to-day life how are they supposed to give their best effort to the work? All of this creates ripple effects that cause challenges across organizations and society.
Business leaders and entrepreneurs are about solving problems. There is so much more we can do to start to address the societal and business implications of childcare, child education, mental health, security, and safety. In order to succeed, businesses will increasingly be called on to compensate for what societies at large are not delivering.
What has been your most career-defining moment that you are proud of?
There are two, and they are very different. At Toys R Us, I was early in my career just out of college and managing stores and teams of up to 200 people. I was a 24-year-old managing people from 18 all the way up to 75 from many different backgrounds. I had to learn how to earn their respect, how to motivate them, and how to provide them what they needed to do in their daily work. The ability to succeed in that environment, and especially see people thrive, change, and become more empowered themselves, was one of the greatest feelings in my career.
If it’s just one moment, I would say it’s the moment I decided to go out on my own and start my own company. The stomach-churning in that and looking back on it, I sometimes can’t believe I did it. It’s about being able to trust yourself, believe in yourself and take the leap.
What are your thoughts on diversity and inclusion? How important is it to have authentic conversations with leaders, professionals, and changemakers to create more acceptance across the globe?
Authenticity is a critical enabler of inclusion. Employees who feel pressure to mirror those around them will fail to share their perspectives that differ from others. Creating a culture of authenticity – which is also the basis for trust – starts with the leaders demonstrating and embracing it. This is perhaps one of the biggest challenges since many of today’s businesses leaders have spent a lifetime trying to fit in, losing site of who they are at their authentic core.
If you could have a one-hour meeting with someone famous who is alive, who would it be and why?
Barron Trump. I would be fascinated to understand, from a Gen Z and insider perspective, how he feels about current events.
Is there a particular person you are grateful for who helped get you to where you are?
My daughter. She is my north star, setting an example for me to live up to and inspiring me to be better and do better every day.
How do you keep your mind healthy and stay resilient? And how do you motivate your team?
Sports, exercise, reading historical fiction, vacations, family, friends and continuously reminding myself that I do this because I love it. I encourage the same for my team – to find the aspects of our work that gives them the most energy – and work together to maximize the attention they can put toward those activities or initiatives.
Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
Continuing to help businesses understand and solve the needs of people.
What advice would you give to aspiring social entrepreneurs or business leaders who want to make a positive difference in the world, but may not know where to start or how to scale their impact?
Start with clearly defining the problem that needs to be solved. What are the unmet human needs at the root of the problem? These can include challenges and needs expressed as consumers, employees, citizens and many other forms of identity. Many entrepreneurs and business leaders are searching for the earth-moving, huge initiatives, when the fact is there are so many seemingly small fixes that can result in big changes for the lives of the people most impacted.