Photo by Jonny Barrett
Cultural Strategy Consulting is run by Nicholas Coblence who combines consumer research experience with deep knowledge of the arts and culture sector. For over 15+ years, he has developed expertise across both corporate brand strategy and cultural consulting, working with companies and organizations to better understand their audiences and build meaningful relationships with their communities.
Consumer Research & Brand Strategy
Nicholas conducts qualitative research - focus groups, in-depth interviews, online communities - to help brands understand their audiences and make strategic decisions. He has worked with companies like LinkedIn, Google, Chanel, Christie's, Ford, and Robinhood across industries including technology, luxury, healthcare, automotive, and beauty.
Whether understanding luxury consumers for retail design, researching patient journeys in healthcare, or exploring user behavior for tech companies, he translates insights into strategies that actually work.
Arts & Culture Strategy
Nicholas also brings deep experience in the arts world through hands-on administration, cultural institution leadership, and nonprofit work. He has managed major exhibitions like Ashes & Snow (which drew 500K+ visitors), led patron groups at institutions like FIAF Alliance Française and The Watermill Center, and created Cords for Music, a social enterprise that funded music education for NYC public school students. He holds a Master's in Arts Administration from Columbia University.
This cultural experience means he understands how arts organizations operate, what they value, and how to build authentic partnerships between brands and creative communities.
Capabilities
Consumer Research & Brand Strategy
Stakeholder interviews and workshops
Virtual and in-person in-depth interviews with consumers, influencers, and industry experts
Virtual and in-person focus groups with consumers and prosumers
Online community forums with consumers
Brand management and values alignment across client's business
Brand positioning and repositioning strategy
New market penetration strategy
New product launch strategy
Brand definition/building
Brand ideation and implementation strategy
Brand tracking and health check
Consumer experience optimization
Cultural Management & Partnerships
Cultural partnership development and management
Arts organization strategy and operations
Cultural institution leadership and governance
Nonprofit and cultural sector navigation
Creative community engagement and relationship building
Cultural program design and implementation
Arts exhibition and event production management
Corporate-cultural collaboration development
Two Worlds, One Perspective
Nicholas's dual background allows him to serve clients across both domains while offering unique insight for projects that require understanding of commercial objectives and cultural values.
Nicholas’ client roster has included:
American Express, Blue Note Records, Burberry, Chanel, Christie's, Diptyque, Doordash, EMI, Ford Motors (Europe), Google, Jaguar Land Rover, LinkedIn, Net-A-Porter, Robinhood, SAB Miller, Sephora, Starwood, Topshop, and Vivify.
Nicholas has also conducted research in the healthcare industry for confidential clients.