Jonathan Salem Baskin is a thought-leader on 21st century branding and marketing, and a student of the relationship between business and culture.

He has been called “a merry iconoclast,” “lucid and cutting,” and “groundbreaking,” among other things both favorable and not. He is the author of four books, the latest -- Tell the Truth: Honesty is Your Most Powerful Marketing Tool -- was published earlier this year by BenBella Books. 

Jonathan is president of Baskin Associates, Inc., a marketing decisions consultancy that offers products that make brands more reliable, sustainable, and profitable. He possesses 30 years of experience driving consumer purchases and building strong brands, having led marketing communications for Nissan, Blockbuster, and Limited Brands; directed the experience design practice for a major Y2K systems integrator; and served as the top agency strategist on client projects such as Apple’s launch of its first iMac.  

He writes a bi-weekly column on leadership for the CMO Strategy section of Advertising Age, as well as frequent blog posts on his company’s site, BaskinBrand and daily tidbits of social history on the site for his third book, Histories of Social Media (a second edition was just published in April as well). Jonathan speaks at business and academic events around the world about the importance of understanding “brand as behavior” (a term he has trademarked) and applying the lessons of the past to the future.

He is a member of the Advisory Board of SocialMediaToday.com, and a Senior Fellow Emeritus at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. 

Jonathan began his career at Grey Advertising, where he worked on integrated marketing campaigns for consumer products such as Duncan Hines’ cookies and Joy Dishwashing Liquid. He also ran major public relations programs for Edelman Worldwide, both in New York and Los Angeles. He received a degree in English Literature from Colby College, Waterville, Maine, in 1982.