Matt McDonnell is a member of Jackson Spalding’s Brand Strategy team where he leads client engagements across a range of marketing initiatives. Matt marries his analytical background with a creative approach to problem solving to help brands better engage their customers. Whether sorting through an Excel PivotTable or listening to a book on human behavior, Matt is always hunting for that key strategic or human insight on a project that helps point the way forward. 

Prior to Jackson Spalding, Matt was a Senior Planner at Doe-Anderson Inc. in Louisville Kentucky, the third oldest independent marketing agency in the U.S. While at Doe Matt provided strategic marketing advice to a variety of clients across the spirits (of course!), HVAC, healthcare, telecommunication, and education sectors. Matt also provided strategic direction to the Commonwealth of Kentucky on a variety of marketing initiatives including their statewide COVID-19 vaccine, healthcare insurance enrollment, and teen anti-vaping campaigns. 

Matt began the marketing phase of his career at Ford Motor Company as a member of its Marketing Leadership Program. In this capacity he held a variety of leadership roles across the marketing function included in early-stage strategic planning, digital communications, brand sponsorship and affiliations, and product marketing.  If you visit Matt’s Atlanta office you will immediately notice the signed print of a classic Ford Bronco that hangs prominently on his wall. Yet despite leading product marketing for the all-new Bronco he’s still waiting to get his hands on the real thing. The picture will have to suffice for now it seems.

Matt arrived at Ford after earning his MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management where he enrolled as a “career switcher.” While his early career providing Mergers and Acquisitions advisory as a member of Stout’s investment banking team helped him hone his analytical chops (and meet several lifelong friends in the process) his itch to tackle more “open-ended” business questions was one he needed to scratch. 

Matt and his wife live in Atlanta and are enjoying the warmer climes relative to their Michigan upbringings. A sports enthusiast of sorts, Matt’s early orders of business after landing at Jackson Spalding were to find a friendly basketball league and a great place to watch his Michigan Wolverines on football Saturdays. Check and check.