Context: context-based research group

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About Context : People
Context-Based Research Group is an ethnographic research and consulting firm located in Baltimore, MD with a global network of cultural anthropologists located around the world. Professional anthropologists Robbie Blinkoff, Ph.D. and Belinda Blinkoff, MA, ABD created Context in partnership with Chuck Donofrio, the President and CEO of Carton Donofrio Partners, Inc., an international brand experience design firm also located in Baltimore.

Principal Anthropologist, Managing Partner Robbie Blinkoff
Principal Anthropologist, Managing Partner Belinda Blinkoff
Business Strategist, Managing Partner Chuck Donofrio
Director of Strategy & Client Service Stephanie Simpson
Research Director, Anthropologist Tracy Johnson
Director of Quantitative Research Cleve Corlett
Analyst, Anthropologist Leah Kabran

Robbie Blinkoff, PhD - Principal Anthropologist and Managing Partner
Robbie is an ethnographer and anthropologist and has overseen operations at Context since founding the company in 1999. Robbie works with the team to create research designs that lead to breakthrough insights and solutions.

Under Robbie's direction, Context has worked with clients such as: American Express, Adobe Systems Inc., Campbell's, Procter & Gamble, Kodak, General Motors, Kimberly-Clark, Fisher-Price, Sony, Microsoft, Kraft Foods, Oscar Mayer, GlaxoSmithKline, Herman Miller and Nike.

In addition to Context's extensive client work, Robbie has guided several proprietary studies that have helped define American and international culture. Recently, he led a study on consumer behavior in relation to the economic meltdown. The report, entitled, "Grounding the American Dream: A Cultural Study on the Future of Consumerism in a Changing Economy," explores the cultural shift occurring as a result of the downturn. Other proprietary Context studies include work on 9/11 and its impact on our culture, a study on wireless behavior entitled: "The Mobiles: Social Evolution in a Wireless Society," and a study on China entitled "The China Middle: Coming of Age in Consumerism."

In 2003, Robbie was identified by Fast Company magazine as one of its prestigious "Fast 50" innovators, people who are changing the way business is done. His insights into consumer behavior have appeared on the CBS News and the CBS Early Show and in Inc., Wired, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, Newsday, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Philadelphia Enquirer, and many other publications.

An experienced speaker, Robbie recently presented at Sun Microsystems Brand Summit and gave the keynote address to Adobe Systems Global Marketing Conference in Napa Valley. He's also addressed Universal Pictures on the relationship between consumer trends and the entertainment industry; chaired and spoke at the International Institute for Research's symposium on New Ethnographic Methods; and was a key presenter at Yahoo!'s "Born to be Wired" Conference. He holds a doctorate in anthropology from Rutgers University, where his dissertation focused on ideas of ownership among hunter-gatherers in Papua New Guinea and teaches courses on ethnography at the University of Baltimore and Goucher College.

Belinda Jo Blinkoff, MA, ABD - Principal Anthropologist and Managing Partner
Belinda leads design and analysis for Context projects and oversees management of Context's anthropologist network. Belinda is currently on leave to take care of Shayna and Max - Belinda and Robbie's two children.

An experienced researcher, Belinda has conducted research in Papua New Guinea, Newfoundland, and across the Mid-Atlantic states. Her dissertation work in Papua New Guinea examines ideas of modernity and development and how they have influenced individual and group identity in the region. While there, Belinda and Robbie helped the Sokamin (the group they lived and worked with) develop a community-based management plan for the wildlife preserve located in their territory. The Wildlife Conservation Society (commonly known as the Bronx Zoo) and Conservation International supported this work.

Belinda is currently working on her PhD and holds a master's degree in anthropology from the University of Kentucky. Belinda's undergraduate degree (a B.S. in anthropology with a biology minor) is from East Carolina University.

Chuck Donofrio - President & CEO, Carton Donofrio Partners, Inc.
Managing Partner, Context-Based Research Group
As the president and chief executive officer of Carton Donofrio Partners, Inc., Chuck Donofrio oversees the development of new businesses and products that improve value for clients' customers and constituents. Chuck is a role model for Carton Donofrio's team of 70 partners and is intimately involved with fostering a culture of creative thinking.

In 2001, after a five year period in which the company doubled in revenue, Chuck led the transformation of Richardson, Myers & Donofrio, an integrated marketing communications company, into Carton Donofrio Partners, a brand experience design firm specializing in advertising, public relations, interactive media, anthropological research, brand consulting, and customer experience management.

Prior to joining the firm in 1983, Chuck spent the earlier years of his career in account management at Young & Rubicam/New York where he worked on the General Foods International Coffees account and related Maxwell House Division new products, The United Negro College Fund, and Eastern Airlines. Before joining Young & Rubicam, he worked in Seattle for Cole & Weber, a subsidiary of Ogilvy & Mather, on the Westin Hotels account.

Chuck is a cum laude graduate of Union College. He currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of Goucher College (Towson, Maryland) and as a Director of the Children's Hospital at Sinai Foundation. He is also a member of the National Advertising Review Board, and the American Association of Advertising Agencies' Agency Management Committee. Chuck also previously taught freshman Composition at the University of Montana.

In addition to his work and civic responsibilities, Chuck is also an avid birdwatcher, poet, writer, outdoorsman, and most importantly a husband and father to three girls.

Stephanie Simpson - Director of Strategy & Client Service
Stephanie worked in advertising and marketing prior to joining the Context team. Throughout this time she worked in both traditional advertising and interactive media. The majority of her work included the overall strategy and development of client's businesses as well as internal production process of the company.

Stephanie is responsible for driving direction and innovation of strategic initiatives for Context Research and cultivating business growth. She leads the teams in developing client relationships and delivering the most effective projects and strategic insight in order to achieve overall client satisfaction and project success for all Context clients.

She has worked for a multitude of clients and within a variety of categories from consumer food products to automobiles and electronics, financial and technology products, associations and non-profits. Some of these clients include: Kraft, General Motors, Sony, American Express, National Association of REALTORS®, Campaign for Our Children, GlaxoSmithKline, Philips, Fisher Price and Nike.

Stephanie works closely with the Research Director and Analysts to translate our anthropological insights into strategic business implications for all our clients, ensuring that our recommendations are applicable to the business objectives of the projects. She has also co-facilitated working sessions for clients like Adobe, J&J and Kraft to make the insights actionable by integrating them into the client's innovation and development processes. Stephanie received her B.S. in Marketing from the University of Maryland School of Business and Management.

Tracy Pilar Johnson, PhD - Research Director
Tracy is a cultural anthropologist with over 12 years of experience in ethnographic and qualitative methodologies. Throughout her career she has focused on developing action-oriented research plans and innovative methodologies. This is the same approach that Context has always taken, allowing us to capture a holistic vision of the study topic and deliver insightful and impactful findings for our clients' businesses.

As Research Director, Tracy main responsibility is customizing research approaches to answer client questions and needs, and developing and expanding Context's ethnographic research toolkit. She leads Context's Analysts in designing the ethnographic methodology for studies, and oversees the field research, analysis, and development of final deliverables.

Tracy has designed and led research projects for Target, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Merck & Co., Inc., Arby's, Florida's Natural OJ, Caribou Coffee, Verizon, The Clorox Company, The Maryland Lottery, The Associated Press, Booz Allen Hamilton, Kraft Foods, and General Mills. The projects she has led have covered a range of topics as well as diverse audiences, and the experience models delivered by these projects have helped to shape the client's understanding of their core customers, products, markets, well as employees in some instances.

Tracy has extensive experience in the areas of human rights and education. In her previous position at the Office of Women in Development/USAID, she was responsible for the design, writing, and oversight of Congressionally-mandated human trafficking studies. She also analyzed and synthesized research to produce "Global Snapshots," country-specific narratives detailing USAID's technical expertise in the area of gender. She has worked as a monitoring and evaluations specialist and trainer and she speaks and publishes on anthropology and development.

Having lived and worked throughout Southeast Asia, Tracy brings to Context an international understanding and global awareness that informs her research. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from Wesleyan University and a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Columbia University.

Cleve Corlett - Director of Quantitative Research
Cleve has spent over 20 years directing marketing research, strategic planning, and brand development efforts for new and existing products and services to ensure that marketing communication efforts have the greatest impact on the target audience. He has studied and practiced both quantitative and qualitative marketing research methodologies, enabling him to identify the best methods to discover new consumer insights for clients.

He began his association with Context in 2005, and has conducted research projects for Adobe, Oscar Mayer, Playworld Systems, Army National Guard, University of Maryland University College, Walden University, National Association of REALTORS®, American Institute of Architects, and other clients.

Prior to forming Brand Planning, his own market research and consulting firm, Cleve was the Director of Account Planning for the Washington, DC office of Arnold Worldwide, a division of Paris-based Havas, the 4th largest global agency network. He guided all account planning and brand development efforts for more than 50 brands, including Choice Hotels International, McDonald's, Sallie Mae, PNC Financial Services, ExxonMobil, The Washington Post, Dominion Energy, Eskimo Pie, CORT furniture, STIHL tools, BearingPoint, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Virginia Lottery and others.

Before joining Arnold Worldwide, Cleve was the Manager of Research for Universal Pictures in Los Angeles, and held a similar position at the Virginia Lottery. In both positions, he was responsible for all consumer research for launching and marketing new products. Cleve began his career in the research department of Young & Rubicam.

His doctorate from the University of Iowa in mass communication specialized in statistical analysis, research design, the psychology of persuasion and the behavioral effects of mass communication. Cleve also has an MA in mass communication (TV and film production and writing) from Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles.

Leah Kabran - Analyst
Leah is a cultural anthropologist whose work focuses on the consumer segment. As an Analyst with Context Research, Leah is responsible for designing research methodologies with the Research Director, conducting fieldwork and leading the analysis process for each specific study. She has extensive experience in the field using research methodologies such as in-depth interviewing, observation or shadowing, projective techniques, behavior and relationship mapping and self-expression exercises. During field research, Leah has often brought clients along on interviews to interact with their consumers and observe the ethnography in progress.
In her capacity as Lead Analyst on select projects, she directs the research team through the process of analyzing the research findings. This semi-structured process includes leading a series of insight sessions, during which the team discusses the data in light of the specific study objectives and how it may relate to larger cultural trends. Subsequently as she builds the final deliverables, Leah continues to interpret consumers' values, behaviors, and the particular dynamics related to the product or service in question. The final, and key step is developing business implications for clients' product development and marketing needs.

Leah has assisted in the design of projects, conducted research in the field and lead the analysis process for numerous clients including Absolut Vodka, Adobe Systems, Army National Guard, Booz Allen Hamilton, Caribou Coffee, Fisher-Price, Florida's Natural OJ, General Mills, GlaxoSmithKline, Herb Alpert Foundation, Johnson & Johnson, Kimberly Clark, Kraft, Nike, Philips Oral HealthCare, T.Rowe Price, Wyeth and others.

Prior to joining Context, Leah worked with a nonprofit organization specializing in promoting the human rights and cultural heritage of Indigenous peoples and oppressed ethnic minorities. She researched and wrote articles for a quarterly newsletter distributed across the country. Leah continued her interest in Indigenous issues during her work as a researcher in the Knowledge and Learning Cluster of the World Bank. She independently researched, synthesized, and published seventy-three traditional practices of Indigenous communities worldwide on the Indigenous Knowledge online database to inform internal development practitioners.

Leah is a cum laude graduate of Boston University where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology, along with a minor in Religion. She participated in the International Honors Program, a four-month integrated study of indigenous knowledge systems, governance and polity structures, and social movements in the United States, India, New Zealand and Mexico. Leah also spent a year and a half living and studying in Israel.

About Context Consumer Insights

Context Consumer Insights provides a lens into consumer behavior based on our ethnographic research. This year, we cover the Grounded Consumer. We will identify key pieces that comprise this insight, illustrate examples from the marketplace and offer recommendations on what to do with this information from a marketing and product development standpoint.

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