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Utsav Michael

@utsavmichael

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Strategy Director crafting culture-led brand narratives that decode behaviour and drive story-driven communication.

India

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What I'm looking for

I’m looking for an integrated strategy role where I can build story-led brand worlds—mining culture, mapping narratives to business goals, and translating human behaviour into communication that wins in market.

I’m a Strategy Director who shapes culture-led brand narratives by decoding human behaviour and building story-driven communication strategies across top agencies. I operate at the intersection of Culture, Behaviour, Contact Narrative, and Address Storytelling—so brands can show up with emotional precision.

My strength lies in seeing what others overlook: the emotional subtext, the unspoken motivations, and the cultural triggers that guide consumer decisions. I blend brand strategy, communication planning, consumer psychology, and narrative craft—supported by a background in film production and storytelling.

In recent roles, I’ve translated category realities into story-led communication frameworks and defined narrative territories that align business needs with cultural momentum. I’ve created integrated communication architecture for brands including IDBI Bank, Mother’s Recipe, and ITC Gold Flake, and strengthened pitches through insight mining, cultural tension mapping, and story framing.

I’ve also built digital ecosystems grounded in culture and behaviour for brands like Zee Zindagi and Ecovacs, designed influencer-led story arcs mapped to audience motivations, and led culturally aware content strategies using social listening and consumer moods. I’m known as the team’s “thought miner” who unlocks sharper creative through narrative clarity.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Integrated Strategy Consultant

Current

Integrated Strategy Consultant

Dec 2025 - Present (4 months)

Translates category realities into story-led communication frameworks and defines narrative territories that align business needs with cultural momentum.

Brand Strategy Storytelling Brand Architecture Integrated Marketing Primary Research

Strategy Director

Loggerheads Communication

Jul 2025 - Dec 2025 (5 months)

Created story-led integrated communication frameworks and narrative territories for integrated brand initiatives, grounding strategy in cultural momentum.

Brand Strategy consumer behavior Storytelling Strategic Planning Communication Framework Brand Worlds

Strategy Director

82.5 Communications (Ogilvy Group)

Jul 2023 - May 2025 (1 year 10 months)

Built integrated communication architecture for IDBI Bank, Mother's Recipe, and ITC Gold Flake by mapping cultural insight to narrative strategy.

Brand Strategy Cultural Insight Mining consumer behavior Brand Architecture Storytelling Content Strategy Integrated Marketing Pitch Support

Digital Strategy Manager

GOZOOP Pvt. Ltd.

Oct 2022 - Jul 2023 (9 months)

Built culture-grounded digital ecosystems for Zee Zindagi and Ecovacs, designing influencer-led story arcs mapped to audience motivations.

Digital Strategy Platform Behavior Influencer Marketing consumer behavior Audience Motivations Behavioural Insights

Digital Strategy Manager

SoCheers Infotech Pvt. Ltd.

Apr 2022 - Oct 2022 (6 months)

Developed content strategies driven by cultural themes, social listening, and consumer moods, mapping narrative opportunities for brand voice and moment marketing.

Content Strategy Social Listening Consumer Moods Narrative Opportunities Brand Voice Moment Marketing Category Behaviour Strategic Narratives

Manager

New World Viewers

Nov 2019 - Apr 2022 (2 years 5 months)

Strengthened customer relationships by understanding local community behaviours and emotional cues, enabling culturally aware communication for retention and goodwill.

Emotional Cues Research & Insights

Project Manager

McCann Worldgroup

Dec 2018 - Nov 2019 (11 months)

Built strategic research stimulus (Narramatics) for Britannia Good Day and crafted category-based story codes for Dairy and Cookies portfolios.

Research Strategy Narrative Coding Strategic Planning Storytelling Cultural Triggers Communication Strategy

Brand Services Manager

Lowe Lintas

Apr 2018 - Oct 2018 (6 months)

Developed positioning and narrative direction for Flying Machine, Ed Hardy, Shell, and Central, translating research into brand identity, voice, and messaging.

Positioning Brand Identity Brand Voice Messaging Strategy Youth Fashion Insights Strategic Research

Senior Account Executive

Grey Worldwide

May 2017 - Apr 2018 (11 months)

Explored cultural patterns around milk consumption across India and delivered strategic insights for President Butter and Thirumala Milk through behavioural market immersions.

Strategic Insights consumer behavior Market Immersions Consumer Insights Communication Evolution

Account Planning Trainee

ADK Fortune (Asatsu DK)

Jul 2015 - Jun 2016 (11 months)

Conducted consumer and dealer ethnographic studies across multiple categories and developed brand propositions for Ghari, MRF, and Nikon.

Ethnographic Studies Consumer Insights Communication Evolution Market Research Strategic Planning

Account Planning Intern

Leo Burnett

May 2015 - Jul 2015 (2 months)

Supported consumer research with ethnographic studies and helped translate communication evolution and category behaviour trends into actionable brand thinking.

Ethnographic Studies Consumer Insights Category Behaviour Brand Thinking Strategic Research