Biography
John W. Martin is President and CEO of the Southeastern Institute of Research, Inc. (SIR), a 45 year old market research company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. SIR has conducted over 13,000 research studies utilizing focus group, ethnography, and survey research to help organizations identify their unique selling propositions, formulate strategies, explore new products and services, and measure the overall effectiveness of marketing programs. Clients of SIR include many of America’s leading companies and associations including GE, Polaroid, Johnson & Johnson, Lincoln Financial, Wal-Mart, Google, AARP, American Chemical Society, the Public Relations Society of America, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and hundreds of other Fortune 1,000 companies and national associations.
John is also the co-founder and CEO of the Boomer Project (boomerproject.com), a national research-based marketing “think tank” that tracks major demographic and societal trends and provides strategic consultation on how to understand and effectively communicate with different generations – Silent Generation, Boomers, Gen Xers, and Millennials.
Boomer Project insights have been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Toronto Star, BusinessWeek, The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, and on NBC Nightly News, CBS News, MSNBC, and NPR’s Morning Edition. John co-authored the award-winning business book, Boomer Consumer, published in 2007 and subsequently named a Top 10 Business book by Corbis, a Bill Gates Company.
In addition to directing SIR and the Boomer Project, John is a national keynote speaker on topics ranging from new rules on marketing to Baby Boomers to harnessing the power of a multigenerational workforce.
John earned an M.B.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University and a B.A. in Economics from Washington & Lee University. He is a member of the Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT), the American Marketing Association (AMA), and the Council of American Survey Research Organizations. John currently serves on the boards of the Richmond Memorial Health Foundation, the Medical College of Virginia Foundation, the Sustainable Transportation Initiative of Richmond (Project STIR) and Collegiate School.
Industry Expertise (3)
Think Tanks
Market Research
Corporate Leadership
Education (2)
Virginia Commonwealth University: M.B.A, Business Administration 1984
William and Lee University: B.S., Economics 1982
Links (2)
Style
Availability
- Keynote
Social