About Us

At the heart of our BRAND CRYSTAL, we are “Practical Visionaries”.  We are strategic, creative, and practical thinkers who will empower you to make the right choices to keep you ahead of the competition and realize positive ROI.

Allan DeYoung, Strategy Director and Moderator

Allan DeYoung

Allan has over 20 years of experience in branding and marketing research, from both client and agency sides.

Allan has managed and personally used a range of tools including conducting both in person & online: idea generation, creative testing (positioning, logo, naming, tagline, concept, ad, messaging), product (form, function, on pack messaging) evaluation, ethnographies, path-to-purchase & attribution mapping, secret shopper analysis, website/app usability testing, social media mining.  Quantitative studies include Awareness & Understanding, Brand/Ad Trackers, product/experience testing, digital/mobile usability, and creative testing.

Allan was formerly Vice President, Client Development & Success at Kantar/TNS (global shopper marketing agency) and TippingSprung (branding, marketing, and innovation consultancy). As a partner and moderator, he was instrumental in establishing Socioscan USA Research. At HBO and Time Magazine, he was a hands-on marketing manager. Also, Allan has excelled as a User Experience designer at Razorfish and a management consultant at Booz, Allen & Hamilton.

Allan earned a MBA in Marketing from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Business School, and a Political Science degree from Princeton University.

LinkedIn Profile:
http://inkedin.com/in/allandeyoung

Chris Marino, VP of Research

Chris Marino

Chris has over 20 years of market research experience and his main areas of specialization include category segmentations, concept/product testing, advertising/brand tracking programs. He has done work in several industries, including IT, Automotive, Retail, Travel, Restaurant, CPG and Education industries. Chris is a strategic, creative and practical thinker who helps brands achieve their ambitions.

Chris spent most of his career at TNS and has developed a strong base of experience with the design and analysis of strategic planning. He brings a particular expertise in the areas of advertising and brand studies and has guided growth for many brands including IBM, Microsoft, Starbucks, Schick, Mercedes, LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, Banana Boat, Hershey, Harman Kardon, Samsung, KIND, Playtex, Royal Caribbean, Lactalis, UOPX, Blackwood for Men, and Kayak.

Chris has a passion for research and enjoys the challenge of digging through data to help clients with direction on business challenges and issues as well as opportunities for growth.