Greg Stielstra

I am a marketing executive with 20 years of experience, an innovative thinker, accomplished speaker and student of behavioral economics and the way influence spreads through human social networks. I am also an author. I wrote the book PyroMarketing: The Four Step Strategy to Ignite Customer Evangelists and Keep Them For Life (HarperBusiness, September 2005) and co-authored Faith-Based Marketing (Wiley, 2009). I taught Principles of Marketing at Vanderbilt University and frequently speak on marketing, social influence and word-of-mouth at events like TEDx, The Word of Mouth Marketing Association, Ad Tech New York the Forbes CMO Summit and more. My work has been covered by The Economist, Advertising Age, Reuters, Point Magazine, Business Week, Forbes, Wireless Age, Knowledge at Wharton, the Wharton Leadership Journal, and the book 9 Minds on Marketing. In my 16 years as a marketing executive with two of the world’s leading publishers, I promoted dozens of bestsellers, multiple New York Times bestsellers, and was the marketing director for The Purpose Driven Life, the fastest selling hardcover book American history. Business Week called it “A marketing miracle.” I was formerly the EVP, Director of Integrated Delivery for The Buntin Group, Tennessee’s largest ad agency, and I also partnered with Bob Garfield of Advertising Age and NPR to launch Stielstra Publishing and publish, The Chaos Scenario, Garfield’s book about the revolutionary changes to media and marketing wrought by the digital revolution. It won an IPPY Award for editorial quality and best book marketing. I currently work as Senior Marketing Specialist at Healthways where I design engagement plans designed to improve people’s well-being. I have a bachelor’s degree in broadcasting and public relations from Central Michigan University and a master’s degree in business management and marketing from The Aquinas School of Graduate Management. I am an avid Green Bay Packers fan and help to run the Nashville Packer Backers Club. I also make it to at least one game at Lambeau Field each year. I love to hike and climb mountains. I am also an avid audio enthusiast and enjoy designing and building my own loudspeakers.I live with my wife and children in Franklin, TN