About The Survey Professor™

Research‑driven strategy for leaders who need clarity, direction, and a plan that works in the real world.

Who I Am

I’m Andrew Blum — a marketing strategist, insights leader, and Professor of the Practice who has spent more than 20 years helping organizations make smarter decisions, move faster, and execute with confidence.

My career spans Fortune 500 leadership, top agency and consulting roles, and academic appointments at Fairfield University, Columbia University, and UCONN. Across every role, the through‑line has been the same: turning research into strategy, and strategy into action.

What I Know

Most teams don’t fail because they lack talent. They fail because they lack clarity.

I am more than just a marketer, I build strategy systems that will drive your entire operation.

Most marketing agencies – either the freelances or the high ticket agencies – do not define marketing properly.  It is not just SWOT Analysis and highly polished websites with lots of jargon.  I define marketing as the backbone of a business operations.  To that end, you will not get a SWOT analysis or a plan for a digital advertising campaign.  You don’t have a business strategy if you can’t answer these critical questions:

1. Opportunity:  Where is the gap in the market that we can fill?
2. Brand Essence: How can we avoid being a commodity and a “pack follower”?
3. Profitability: What is our expected operating margin, how can we be most efficient with our COGS, and how can we optimize our pricing model?
4. Barriers to Entry: What is our core competency/can just anyone copy what we are doing?
5. Risk Management: How do we insulate our corporate assets and what contingency plans do we need to keep the business running?
6. Sales Pipeline Management: How many prospects must we target in order to achieve our revenue goals and then what do we need to do in order to protect the base?

My Marketing Strategy Blueprint Kit will address all of these questions.  And you won’t have to read through a 100 pages in PowerPoint to get your answers.

Credentials

Corporate Leadership

I’ve led insights, research, and strategy functions inside major organizations, including:

• AIG
• Harcourt
• Diageo
• GE

These roles taught me how large organizations think, how decisions get made, and what it takes to move a team from uncertainty to action.

Agency + Consulting Experience

I’ve worked inside and alongside agencies and consultancies (AC Nielsen, Millward Brown, Green Seed Group), helping brands solve complex marketing, branding, and go‑to‑market challenges. This is where I learned how to translate research into creative, operational, and commercial outcomes.

Academic Appointments

I serve as a Professor of the Practice at Fairfield University and  Lecturer at Columbia University, where I focus on:

• marketing strategy & brand management
• marketing research
• business communications

Teaching keeps me sharp — and forces me to explain complex ideas simply, clearly, and practically.  I am also a panel member for Fairfield University’s “StartUp” competition program.

Education

MBA, Fairfield University, Marketing with a Quantitative Track

How I Work

Every engagement follows The Survey Professor Method™ — a structured, research‑driven process that turns insights into a playbook your team can execute immediately.

Although I work autonomously, it is important that we collaborate and engage in order for my work to be in full alignment with your needs and expectations.

What I Deliver

I work with leaders who need to make the right decision the first time — and need to move quickly.

My work typically takes the form of:

• Market Research Reports
• Complete Strategy Plans
• Brand Positioning & Architecture 

Everything I deliver is built on research, grounded in verifiable data, and designed for execution.

Why Leaders Trust Me

• Fortune 500 leadership
• Top agency and consulting experience working for high profile clients
• Academic authority from Fairfield University and Columbia University
• 25+ years of research‑driven strategy
• I deliver a complete playbook — not just a deck

My Philosophy

Decks Get Ditched. Kits Get Deployed.

• I don’t hand over plans that sit on a shelf. I design systems that can be activated and used — consistently, confidently, and for years.

• My goal is to give you a complete marketing and operational system that runs like a well‑oiled machine. Every recommendation is grounded in verifiable market research and a full understanding of both the competitive landscape and the operational impact behind each decision.

• Every engagement begins with your vision of success. Once we know exactly where you want to go, we work backward to build the roadmap — because you can’t chart a course without knowing the destination in advance.

• My work is built on clear alignment and collaboration — we stay in sync through structured communication, shared expectations, and a disciplined rhythm that keeps the project moving without surprises. Because each section of the Blueprint builds on the one before it, we meet periodically to confirm direction and ensure every step is grounded in the work that came before it.

• You will not get a 100 page PowerPoint report with jargon, fluff, and cute ideas.  I am an operational purist and my deliverables will reflect that.