Greg Pinch
is obsessed
Greg Pinch is obsessed with youth culture and he harnesses this obsession to help the biggest brands in the world stay relevant within the evolving youth market. Greg is more than a trend forecaster, he is a master of social analysis and a pioneer of innovative research techniques. Through his immersive research style Greg is able to gather street-level perspective into subcultures and bring those cultures directly to clients and creative teams through visually rich presentations. By identifying and leveraging emerging cultural movements, his work has allowed brands to expand into untapped markets all over the world.
”When I find a developing trend
I become obsessed with figuring out how it's going to shape the future and the evolution of culture.”
NEW YORK
At Lowe Lintas advertising, Greg served simultaneously as SVP of Strategic Planning and SVP of Social Analysis and Forecasting. Working mainly with youth markets his research guided creative strategic development for a number of global brands.
Greg's research influenced Heineken to align its brand with creative innovators and cultural events. This major repositioning was a huge shift for the brand and dramatically grew their global market share. Greg’s research was able to identify and connect Sprite with the heart of freestyle hip hop in America and guided the strategic direction of its national TV campaign, in-store promotions, and cross collaborations with the NBA.
For Valvoline motor oil, Greg spotted the emerging tuner car culture in California that allowed the company to open up a previously untapped youth segment for its brand. Greg also worked on cross-promotion strategies with Universal Pictures, spearheaded 15- to 17-year-old burger culture research for Burger King, personally conceived the “Bionicle” product name for Lego, and consulted for X Games and the launch of FADER magazine.
TORONTO
While working for McCann Canada (the largest ad agency in the country) Greg was Department Head of Strategic Planning. There he developed youth strategies for Coca-Cola, Xbox, Wendy’s, General Motors, Rogers Wireless, Stella Artois, and Bacardi.
At Taxi, Canada’s most awarded ad agency, Greg was a senior strategic planner and played a key role on their new business team. Leading the strategy for the Nike account, he was instrumental in the direction of its hockey line launch, including personally conceiving the “Light It Up” position line. His work at Taxi also included strategies for Molson's beer brands, The Movie Network, MINI and Athletes World.
While working for the Cott Corporation, he conducted cultural research for over 60 private label beverage brands around the world, ranging from Walmart in the USA to Virgin Cola in Japan. As a senior strategist at Uchida, Greg directed identity programs, web projects, package design, and retail strategies for Foot Locker, BMG Music, HMV and Universal Music. Greg also enjoys guest lecturing on a number of topics at universities and colleges.
Design
With his degree in Industrial Design, Greg also enjoys working on architectural projects, including his personal homes and properties, which have all been featured in design publications and books.
Travel
When he is not scrolling through TikTok, Greg loves to spend his time venturing into the world through self-guided travel - including trekking to base camp Mt. Everest (where he almost died!). A passion for adventure has driven Greg to master sea kayaking, backcountry camping and canoeing, skiing, motorcycling, scuba diving, rafting, and mountaineering. Greg loves to take his teenage children on these adventures and they all look forward to exploring more of the world together.
