Christopher Gray, Psy.D.
Consumer Psychologist With Over Two Decades Experience in Sales and Marketing
Dr. Chris Gray is a highly accomplished authority in consumer psychology and purchase behavior, with a wealth of hands-on sales and marketing experience spanning more than two decades. Throughout his impressive career, he has delved deep into the minds of consumers, interviewing, observing, and shopping alongside countless numbers of customers. This invaluable experience has endowed him with an extensive understanding of the underlying factors that govern purchase decisions and drive buying behavior across a vast range of product categories — from dish soap to diamonds. What sets Chris apart is not just his formal training in psychology and extensive retail background but also his real-world experience that enables him to think like a marketer to achieve tangible results. His deep understanding of consumer psychology enables him to transform complex psychological concepts into actionable insights and strategies that fuel business success. He has an exceptional track record of helping many of the world’s most esteemed brands understand their customers on a deeper level, empowering them to attract, engage, and ultimately convert their shoppers into loyal buyers. Chris finds immense fulfillment in sharing his knowledge and empowering his audiences to succeed. He is a captivating speaker, a skillful trainer, an innovative thinker, and a first-rate trainer. His engaging speeches, workshops, and think tanks have resonated with clients and audiences worldwide, covering a range of consumer psychology topics such as gaining attention, engaging with emotion, communicating effectively, and (his favorite) influencing consumer behavior without feeling gross.
INTRODUCTION
Work History
SVP Consumer & Shopper Psychology
The Marketing Arm (May 1, 2016 - October 31, 2017)
Led development and application of behavioral insights to facilitate innovation and consumer engagement across the agency’s core marketing practices, including shopper, experiential, digital, social, influencer, and healthcare marketing Designed and led insights-driven strategic workshops with multiple clients to identify business-building opportunities, support creative problem solving, and foster consumer engagement across the path to purchase. Brand experience: Aqua/Almirall Pharmaceuticals, Arby’s, State Farm, Kona Brewing Company, Olive Garden, Sony Home Entertainment
VP of Shopper Psychology, Shopper Insights & Strategy Team Lead
Saatchi & Saatchi X (November 1, 2002 - February 1, 2016)
Oversaw insights development for 19 Effie Award-winning campaigns from 2011 to 2016 Built, managed, and developed North American shopper insights team; provided global training, thought leadership, and consulting across the Saatchi & Saatchi X network Led development and global deployment of core insights frameworks and approaches, including path to purchase, emotional drivers of behavior, shopping communication needs, and co-creation labs Led design, execution, analysis and reporting of multifaceted shopper insights projects; distilled primary and secondary research findings into actionable insights and strategic recommendations Developed and delivered agency thought leadership, including client workshops, new business pitches, proprietary research, industry presentations, white papers, best practices, and shopper insights blog. Brand Experience: Procter & Gamble, The North Face, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Quaker Oats, Frito Lay, Elizabeth Arden, Mead Johnson, Wendy’s, Nestle, Sally Hansen, Del Monte, LG, Diageo, EA, American Express, Gerber, Novartis, TracFone, Walmart, Sam’s Club
Experience Manager, Consumer Goods & Services
Accenture (January 4, 2000 - July 3, 2002)
Managed design and delivery of training programs for large-scale organizational transformation projects. Coordinated and conducted consumer needs assessments, interviews, focus groups, and audience analyses to determine most effective training strategies, knowledge gaps, and learning needs. Brand Experience: Levi’s, Del Monte, Procter & Gamble, and Roundy’s
Founder & Lead Buycologist
The Buycologist (August 1, 2019 - Present)
The Buycologist is a strategy, training, and consulting organization that helps companies better understand the minds of their consumers, uncovering new opportunities to attract, engage, and motivate them to buy using real-world psychology, insights, and approaches they can begin applying today. The Buycologist offers speaking engagements, strategy workshops, masterclasses, and innovation and insights consulting, all based in decades of applying practical psychology to connect with consumers, foster innovation, and fuel highly effective sales and marketing initiatives.
Education
BS, Psychology
Michigan State University
1988 - 1992
Psy.D., Clinical Psychology
Illinois School of Professional Psychology
1993 - 1998
Publications
Restoring Customer Relationships In a Post-COVID World, The Association for Business Psychology (June 25, 2020)
A psychology-based guide for retailers seeking to re-establish connections and trust with wary consumers once COVID-based restrictions begin to lift. The article encourages retailers to focus on addressing safety concerns head-on, engaging in open and honest communication, and applying empathy to anticipate and meet their customers' needs. It provides readers with practical steps to accomplish these goals and restore mutually beneficial relationships with consumers.