Michelle Rotbart

Brand Strategy & Trend | MS Strategic Design & Management

New York, New York, United States

About

Culture leaves clues. The work is knowing how to read them. I’m a creative strategist and trend forecaster helping brands turn cultural change into brand strategy, innovation, and growth. My work sits at the intersection of strategic foresight, consumer insight, and design, guiding companies across beauty, wellness, retail, fashion, CPG, and hospitality to understand what’s shifting and what to do about it.mI partner with organizations ranging from flavor and fragrance innovators to wine brands, dermatology and aesthetics practices, and lifestyle companies looking to sharpen their brand positioning and connect more meaningfully with modern consumers. Much of my thinking starts with observation. Retail environments. Beauty counters. Restaurants. Pharmacies. Fashion shows. Digital communities. These everyday spaces often surface the earliest signals of cultural change. When those signals are connected thoughtfully, they become powerful inputs for brand strategy, product development, and innovation. I’m also the Co-Founder of Gingergeist, a cultural intelligence platform exploring the future of retail, beauty, wellness, fashion, and consumer culture. www.gingergeist.com What I Do I partner with brands and leadership teams to: • Apply trend forecasting and cultural insight to brand and innovation strategy • Shape brand positioning and storytelling rooted in cultural relevance • Identify whitespace opportunities across categories and consumer behaviors • Translate emerging signals into products, experiences, and brand platforms • Develop marketing narratives and content strategies, editorial calendars, and social storytelling • Lead strategic workshops and foresight sessions that help teams think beyond the immediate horizon Areas of Expertise • Brand strategy and cultural positioning • Trend forecasting and strategic foresight • Consumer insights and emerging behaviors • Gen Z, Millennial, and Gen Alpha consumer behavior • Innovation strategy and whitespace identification • Retail, beauty, wellness, fashion, and CPG trends • Scenario planning and future-focused workshops Signals I’m Watching • The collision of beauty, wellness, and hospitality in retail environments • The return of ritual and sensory experiences in everyday consumption • Gen Z’s shift from digital status to tactile and collectible culture • The blurring of fashion, interiors, and lifestyle commerce Many of these observations show up through my work at Gingergeist, where we explore how cultural signals translate into strategy and innovation!

Experience

  • Co-Founder at Gingergeist
    Feb 2024 - Present · 2 yrs 6 mos

  • Brand Strategy & Trend Director at Apex Creative NYC
    May 2020 - Present · 6 yrs 3 mos

  • Michelle Rotbart FRWD at Michelle Rotbart
    Jan 2013 - Present · 13 yrs 7 mos

    + Future insights, trends, strategy, design & product development, branding, & operations + LPK, P&G, A&F, Staples, StyleNoted.com, Jafra Cosmetics, Plastic-Craft, Shu Housing + Co-Founder: Gingergeist.com

  • Trend & Insights at JCPenney
    Jul 2021 - Jul 2025 · 4 yrs 1 mo

    + Home, Gifting, & Beauty

  • Culture + Insights Director at Fashion Snoops
    Apr 2019 - May 2020 · 1 yr 2 mos

    + Led trend forecasting for global retail brands to deliver highly actionable insights to improve product, design, consumer engagement, and integrated marketing strategies