About
Articles by Tim
Activity
20K followers
-
Tim Calkins shared thisToday is the first day of the fall quarter at Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management. I have a busy teaching quarter coming up. One thing that will free up some hours is that I’ve wrapped up my time as Associate Chair of the Marketing Department. I completed two three-year terms, and I decided that was sufficient. It was a fun stretch! I was able to work with two terrific chairs, Neal Roese and Blake McShane. Over the six years, I was involved in developing five new courses and scheduling more than 500 classes. I also coached faculty, introduced new instructors, shared learnings, helped shape our approach to AI and supported all sorts of student events. Kellogg had the number one marketing department in the world when I began and it remains that today. Stepping away from the Associate Chair role will open up some time. I’ll be teaching a lot, and I have new projects this fall – more about those to come. I have a hard to time saying no, but as I teach in strategy, you have to make choices. The only way to take on new projects and adventures is to let some other ones go. A big thanks to my marketing faculty and staff colleagues at Kellogg, and to the Marketing Club student leaders; it was a pleasure working with such a remarkable team. #transition #teaching
-
Tim Calkins shared thisIt was great fun to connect with old colleagues from Kraft Heinz last month. An amazing group, including Eric Leininger, Julie Hennessy, Barbara Ford, Lance Friedmann, Wendy Kritt and Christopher Hogan. It is fun to see how everyone is navigating this next phase. #kraft
-
Tim Calkins reposted thisTim Calkins reposted thisA branding story about Dolly Parton from Professor Tim Calkins Thank you professor!
-
Tim Calkins shared thisJust published my latest article: Branding Lessons from Dolly Parton. She was an amazing brand builder. #branding #dollyparton
-
Tim Calkins shared thisJust published my latest newsletter. The topic: Michigan's Dr. Abdul El-Sayed and his impressive marketing skills. #marketing #michigan
-
Tim Calkins shared thisLast week I had lunch with my former manager (or more accurately my manager’s manager) Carl Johnson. It was great fun to catch up, relive old strategic and competitive battles, and analyze the recent developments at Kraft Heinz.
-
Tim Calkins shared thisIt was a pleasure to host a terrific group of business leaders from NACS at Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management last week. The program covered everything from strategic marketing to capitalizing on the power of AI to leading innovation. A terrific week with lively discussions, lots of questions and amazing networking. #Kellogg #NACS
-
Tim Calkins shared thisJust published my latest article: Marketing Observations on the World Cup #WorldCup #marketing
-
Tim Calkins shared thisJust sent out my latest article. The topic: the importance of being physically present for key meetings. #consulting
-
Tim Calkins liked thisTim Calkins liked thisAs a traditional occasion for reunion and reflection, the Mid-Autumn Festival offered our GK family a precious chance to step away from busy schedules and come together. On September 26, our GK cohorts gathered for a Mid-Autumn Festival home gathering. We were honored to invite Professor Yan Se to share his perspectives on the latest macroeconomic outlook, alongside our Program Academic Director in attendance. Cross-class exchanges brought our GK community to life and showcased its true value. Together, we celebrated a meaningful Mid-Autumn Festival, rooted in connection and shared learning. Moments like these remind us that the bonds forged in our program extend far beyond the classroom — growing deeper like family, as we learn, connect and celebrate together. 💜 #GuanghuaKelloggEMBA #GKCommunity #MidAutumnFestival #EMBA #LifelongLearning #Friendship
-
Tim Calkins liked thisTim Calkins liked thisGrowth beyond grades 🌟 When Ryan Ghosh ’26 MBA arrived in Evanston, he was hit with a case of imposter syndrome. He’d left a career in pharmaceuticals looking for a better understanding of the healthcare system, and he wondered if he really belonged at Kellogg among so many accomplished peers. Two years later, he graduated with a healthcare certificate and a Dean's Service Award for significant and lasting contributions to the Kellogg community. “Over time, I became more comfortable trusting myself, taking chances and contributing in ways that felt authentic to me,” Ryan says. “I leave with a broader perspective, a stronger sense of how I want to lead and friendships I will carry far beyond Evanston.” Discover how Ryan got the most out of his Kellogg experience: https://kell.gg/f72b46 #KelloggLeader
-
Tim Calkins liked thisTim Calkins liked thisThe definitions of both masculinity and aging are evolving in healthy ways, and it’s critical for brands to embrace these shifts and positively contribute to them as they market to men. It was a blast discussing this with my excellent co-panelists Sami Hassanyeh and Andy Speer, along with expert moderator Kim Dolan (who moonlights as a Pinterest executive) at the Marketing to Men Summit in NYC produced by Antenna Up. Big thanks to the organizers including Janna Meyrowitz Turner and Robin Gelfenbien for inviting me to be a part of the conversation. And since I personally have a highly evolved definition of masculinity, I didn’t mind at all that they seated me next to Andy, the superstar Peloton instructor and Men’s Health magazine cover model.
-
Tim Calkins liked thisTim Calkins liked this#hiring We’re hiring: Preschool Teacher | Curriculum & Caregiver Training We’re building the future of childcare at Snuglet and looking for a preschool teacher who can help us build something from the ground up. You’ll work closely with our team to: • Build age-appropriate activities, routines and learning frameworks for children • Help us design a practical childcare curriculum • Train and mentor our caregivers (nannies) on childcare, engagement, safety and child development • Create simple, hands-on training modules that caregivers can actually use at home • Help us raise the bar on what great childcare looks like Who we’re looking for: Someone with experience as a preschool teacher / early childhood educator who genuinely loves working with children and understands how children learn, play and develop. You should be comfortable being hands-on, building things from scratch and working closely with a young startup team. 📍 Location: Bengaluru 🏠 Work: In-person 🍼 Experience: Preschool teaching / early childhood education preferred + Mom preferred If you’re interested, Come help us make childcare better, one caregiver at a time. Send a note on why you would be a great fit at aastha@snuglet.in
-
Tim Calkins liked thisTim Calkins liked thisI'm hiring a shameless person at Snuglet 🚀 Sorry. I meant to say a growth intern. We crossed 1,000 bookings in 3 months, fully organic. Next month the target is 5,000. I can't get there alone, and the photo below is proof :p What you'll actually do (with me, directly): 1/ Offline distribution: stand outside preschools and societies, and find weird new ways to get parents to try us 2/ Partnerships: crack deals with societies, preschools, corporates and UGC creators 3/ Growth experiments: test something new every week, online and offline, and kill what doesn't work 4/ Talking to users: figure out why people book, then do more of that 5/ Storytelling: make people actually care about Snuglet This is not a manage our Instagram internship or whatever that is You're a fit if you: 1) can walk up to a stranger and pitch without dying inside 2) are okay with ideas failing, as long as you learn something fast 3) have good taste and an irrational amount of energy 4) are slightly whacky, very Gen Z, and want to see what 0 → 1 growth really looks like You'll make calls, get rejected, try again and figure shit out. By the end, you'll know more about growth than most people with it in their job title. A shameless person can talk to customers, do non scalable things and go above and beyond to get a customer to say...yes Apply here 👇 https://tally.so/r/xXKLQ5
-
Tim Calkins liked thisTim Calkins liked thisJoin me and Professor Kelly Cutler, my esteemed Northwestern colleague, for the Digital Marketing Accelerator executive education program at Kellogg School of Management with the next session in December at our Miami facility. I’m excited to co-lead this program designed to bridge the gap between tactical execution and high-level strategic growth. Together, we bring a mix of academic rigor and deep industry experience in AI, digital transformation, and marketing strategy. We built this program specifically for three distinct groups: Digital Marketers stepping into Senior Executive roles: Master the strategic frameworks, financial acumen, and leadership tools required to scale campaigns into broader business growth. Brand Marketers needing rapid Digital Leadership: Fast-track your digital knowledge so you can confidently lead multi-channel teams, evaluate modern martech stacks, and direct modern integrated strategies. Leaders mastering C-Suite & Board Communication: Gain the confidence and vocabulary needed to translate complex digital metrics, AI strategies, and growth drivers into business outcomes that resonate with Boards and executive leadership. If you’re ready to shift from executing campaigns to shaping organizational growth, we’d love to have you join us. https://lnkd.in/gkHUUKJp
-
Tim Calkins liked thisTim Calkins liked thisI am excited to share that Steve and Sue Wilson have made a $10 million gift to the Ann McIlrath Drake Executive Center. In their honor, the building's north entrance will be named the Stephen R. and Susan K. Wilson Family North Lobby. When the center opens in fall 2027, this lobby will be where so many people first experience Kellogg: our students, faculty, alumni and executives from around the world. It's a light-filled gateway overlooking Lake Michigan, and a fitting welcome to everything the building will make possible. Steve '70, '74 MBA and Sue '70 have been showing up for Northwestern for more than 50 years — for our students, our student-athletes, the arts, and now Kellogg's newest home. As Steve put it, a great university is built one generation at a time. Thank you, Steve and Sue, for helping bring the Full Circle Campaign, and this building, to life. #KelloggLeader https://lnkd.in/ghF3FGBjSteve and Sue Wilson give $10 million to name north campus entrance of the Ann McIlrath Drake Executive CenterSteve and Sue Wilson give $10 million to name north campus entrance of the Ann McIlrath Drake Executive Center
-
Tim Calkins liked thisTim Calkins liked thisToday I was in the reading room but last week took me from Capitol Hill to the classroom. In DC, I was with my Radiology Partners colleagues meeting with members of Congress and their staff, advocating for policies that recognize the essential role radiology plays in patient care. Then, later in the week, I had the pleasure to lecture at the Essentials of Pediatric Radiology course put on by the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Very different settings, but centered on the same goal: advancing imaging-based care. Grateful for the colleagues, organizations, and friends that make it all possible.
Experience & Education
Volunteer Experience
Publications
-
Breakthrough Marketing Plans, 2nd edition
Palgrave Macmillan
See publicationThe second edition of Breakthrough Marketing Plans provides my latest guidance on writing a great marketing plan.
The core themes: marketing plans are critically important, many are terrible because people get lost in the data, and the best plans focus relentlessly on objective, strategic initiatives and tactics.
-
Defending Your Brand: How Smart Companies Use Defensive Strategy to Deal with Competitive Attacks
Palgrave Macmillan
Anyone with a successful business can be certain of one thing: competitors are looking for opportunities to attack. As a result, defending a business is a critical task for business leaders. Indeed, a good defense is far more important that a good offense. If you fail trying to grow, you will miss your objectives. If you fail defending your business, you can lose everything.
Defensive strategy is a brutal business; the objective is to drive competitors into the group and make off with…Anyone with a successful business can be certain of one thing: competitors are looking for opportunities to attack. As a result, defending a business is a critical task for business leaders. Indeed, a good defense is far more important that a good offense. If you fail trying to grow, you will miss your objectives. If you fail defending your business, you can lose everything.
Defensive strategy is a brutal business; the objective is to drive competitors into the group and make off with their ideas. It isn't pretty, but a good defense can be very effective.
This book shows business leaders how to create an effective strategy. The book explains how to understand and get competitive intelligence; how to determine if your brand or company is at risk; how to create a defensive strategy; how to blunt your competitor's efforts - and much more.
Every business leader needs to understand how to play defense and this book will teach them how to do it. -
Breakthrough Marketing Plans
Palgrave Macmillan
See publicationMarketing plans are critical tools; a good marketing plan sets the course for a business. Unfortunately, all too many marketing plans simply don't work well.
"Breakthrough Marketing Plans" reviews why marketing plans are so important, why so many of them go wrong and how to write a good one. The book provides simple frameworks that are easy to apply. -
Kellogg on Branding
John Wiley and Sons
See publicationBrands are incredibly important for every organization. This book provides tools and framewords for managing your brand.
"Kellogg on Branding" includes chapters from marketing professors at the Kellogg School of Management and from practicing business executives. As a result, the book provides both theory and concerete, practical advice.
Languages
-
French
-
Recommendations received
4 people have recommended Tim
Join now to viewOther similar profiles
Explore more posts
-
Jerry Mona
Are you relying on faulty data to guide your marketing and new product development efforts? Respondent fraud is a dirty little secret in market research that often goes unaddressed, quietly undermining your firm's efforts. If you're responsible for product development, marketing campaigns, or driving growth for your company and sometimes rely on market research, watch my recent video where I discuss the SIX STEPS you should take to reduce fraud and to increase the quality and actionability of your data. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/gKMFjFbb #BoatingIndustry #Boating #MarketResearch #DataQuality #SurveyFraud #ProductDevelopment #MarineIndustry
-
Michael Fassnacht
A Chicago Tribune Op-Ed from last weekend didn’t get nearly as much attention as it deserved. Written by University of Chicago Crime Lab leaders — Executive Director Katie Hill and Professor Jens Ludwig — it offers a deeply analytical and thought-provoking challenge to a long-held belief: that we must first solve poverty before we can address high crime rates in many underinvested neighborhoods across the U.S. While their argument will likely draw strong reactions from progressive circles, Hill and Ludwig contend that “ending poverty is neither necessary nor sufficient for solving gun violence in Chicago.” They argue that there are other root causes of crime that may be equally — or even more — important and often easier to address. At the heart of their analysis is a comparison of socioeconomically similar neighborhoods with vastly different crime rates. They highlight a community’s “vibrancy” — the degree of neighborhood activity and engagement — as a major factor influencing safety, drawing on urban planner Jane Jacobs’ famous concept of “eyes on the street.” On a practical level, the authors call for an “Abundance Agenda” for these underinvested neighborhoods: cleaning up vacant lots, fixing abandoned homes, improving lighting, and reinvesting in the physical environment. Such steps, they argue, can increase neighborhood vibrancy, reduce crime, and reverse the cycle of depopulation that has weakened many urban communities. This Op-Ed deserves far more discussion — including pushback and alternative perspectives. Let’s have more data-driven, nuanced conversations about the complex roots of crime and safety in our cities, rather than falling into familiar talking points and stereotypes. Read the complete OpEd here: https://lnkd.in/gyv6zYnH
39 Comments
Explore top content on LinkedIn
Find curated posts and insights for relevant topics all in one place.
View top content