Hello 

My name is Erica David and I do brand strategy, market research and communications. I’m curious about how culture works and how people operate in this changing world. What I’m best at is finding hidden opportunities for brands as well as designing and conducting/moderating primary qualitative research (ethnographies, groups). Basically, analyzing data and finding the magic.

The backstory: after finishing my PhD in anthropology and working in academia for several years, I veered into advertising based on an eye-catching job posting from Crispin Porter + Bogusky (they were seeking social scientists for their alternative planning department). That was in 2007.

I couldn't have had a better training ground than my eight crazy years at CPB. It was a period of memorable, provocative creativity. We made work that was talked about on the street, written about in the mainstream press,  and awarded virtually every prize in the industry, including being named Ad Age's Agency of the Decade in 2009. I was lucky to have worked on an amazing range of brands, including Volkswagen, Burger King, Hulu, Kraft/Mondelez, Dominos and Microsoft. My tenure at CPB taught me how to collaborate closely with creatives and translate principles from social science to the world of brands, at top speed, with the very ambitious goal of changing culture in favor of the brand--a feat that, amazingly, we sometimes actually managed to pull off. “Good Enough Sucks,” was the motto and it’s something I’ve carried with me ever since.

After CPB, I moved to Los Angeles and worked for 180LA, as a Strategy Director (on Expedia and HP), Team One as a Cultural Anthropologist (doing research on cars and luxury for Lexus), and MullenLowe (leading strategy on USAA insurance).  Now I work as a freelance consultant (strategy, research, communications, production), alongside agencies and brands who see the value of understanding the culture around their business in a way that goes deeper than taking what consumers say at face value.

Whether I design and conduct research myself or am analyzing someone else's findings to build a strategy or write a creative brief, I see people's responses as part of a larger (cultural, historical, psychological) context (why are they saying this? What bigger trend or discourse is this articulating? What is it working against?). So often, the "truths" uncovered in research turn out to be boring stuff you already know. What I get excited about (and what keeps me inspired to do this work) is figuring out not just what is, but why, and what's next. And, finding things that are not only true, but surprising, timely and potentially sticky. Then, always telling the best story possible. Because the last thing the world needs is more blah blah.

Also: animal rescue, immigrant advocacy, women’s health, creative writing, journalism, visual art, film/entertainment, theater, pilates, yoga.

Let’s chat!