The Department of Anthropology will host Patricia Sunderland, founding principal at Cultural Research and Analysis, for a presentation titled “Mining Cultural Metaphors in Product Development and Design” Thursday, April 8, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. via Zoom.
Sunderland is a specialist in the anthropological, ethnographic and cultural analysis of consumer worlds. Founder and president of Cultural Research & Analysis, she also is first author of Doing Anthropology in Consumer Research and co-editor of the 2014 Handbook of Anthropology in Business. Her analyses have provided the strategic insight for the successful makeover of brands and retail environments as well as contributed to the launch of new advertising, products and brand strategies for many clients, including Citibank, Nissan and PepsiCo.
Sunderland’s lecture is free and open to the public. The Zoom meeting link can be accessed on the Department of Anthropology’s website.
Sunderland’s talk is the Plimpton Lecture, presented annually by the CWRU Department of Anthropology. The Plimpton Lecture highlights the value of anthropological theory and methods in solving real-world problems, with a focus on applying these methods to business activities. This lecture is possible through the generous support of Mr. Jonathan Plimpton, founder, International Business Management Inc. and a 1970 graduate of anthropology at Western Reserve College.