# Mark Schaefer

> Mark W. Schaefer is a globally recognized marketing strategist, bestselling author of 12 books, keynote speaker, and Rutgers University professor who has spent 30+ years pioneering human-centered marketing. Known for writing the world's first book on influencer marketing and six #1 Amazon marketing bestsellers, he champions the idea that 'the most human company wins' — a philosophy that has taken on new urgency in the AI era. His latest book, Audacious (2025), features the world's first AI-activated augmented reality book cover.

- **Role:** Executive Director at Schaefer Marketing Solutions
- **Organizations:** Schaefer Marketing Solutions, Rutgers University, HARBOUR.SPACE Barcelona, Knoxville Leadership Foundation, Habitat for Humanity
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. in Journalism, West Virginia University, MBA in Marketing, Claremont Graduate University (Drucker School of Management), M.A. in Applied Behavioral Sciences, Bastyr University
- **Known for:** 6 books have reached #1 in marketing on Amazon, Wrote the world's first book on influencer marketing (Return On Influence, 2012), Taught the world's first college-level social media marketing class (2008)

## Career timeline

- **1982** — Graduated West Virginia University with B.S. in Journalism
- **1982-1987** — Early career in sales, PR, and marketing roles
- **1987** — Joined Alcoa as Sales Manager
- **1992** — Completed MBA at Drucker School of Management, studied under Peter Drucker
- **1990s** — Negotiated landmark $5 billion contract with Anheuser-Busch - Alcoa's largest ever
- **1990s** — Created one of the world's first corporate intranets at Alcoa
- **1995** — Joined Habitat for Humanity board
- **1997** — Completed M.A. in Applied Behavioral Sciences at Bastyr University
- **1990s-2000s** — Rose to Global Director of eBusiness at Alcoa; earned 7 international patents
- **2007** — Became mentor with Knoxville Leadership Foundation
- **2008** — Left Alcoa after 21 years; founded Schaefer Marketing Solutions
- **2008** — Launched the {grow} blog (businessesgrow.com/blog)
- **2008** — Taught world's first college-level social media marketing class
- **2009** — Married Rebecca
- **2010** — Joined Rutgers University as Adjunct Professor, Graduate Studies
- **2012** — Published Return On Influence - world's first book on influencer marketing
- **2012** — Published The Tao of Twitter - world's best-selling book on Twitter
- **2013** — Launched The Marketing Companion podcast
- **2015** — Published The Content Code - named top 5 business books by INC Magazine
- **2017** — Published KNOWN - became world's #1 bestselling book on personal branding
- **2017** — Became principal host of Dell Technologies' Luminaries podcast (top 1% globally)
- **2019** — Published Marketing Rebellion: The Most Human Company Wins - #1 on Amazon
- **2021** — Published Cumulative Advantage
- **2023** — Published Belonging to the Brand
- **2024** — Published How AI Changes Your Customers
- **2025** — Published Audacious - #1 on Amazon, features world's first AI-activated AR book cover
- **2025** — Launched MarkBot - custom AI trained on his entire body of work
- **2025-12** — Released final episode of The Marketing Companion podcast after 12+ years

## Achievements

- 6 books have reached #1 in marketing on Amazon
- Wrote the world's first book on influencer marketing (Return On Influence, 2012)
- Taught the world's first college-level social media marketing class (2008)
- Created the world's first AI-activated augmented reality book cover (Audacious, 2025)
- Holds 7 international patents from his Alcoa years
- Books used as textbooks at 70+ universities worldwide
- Books translated into 15 languages
- Books held in 750+ libraries worldwide
- The Marketing Companion podcast downloaded 1.5+ million times
- 7th most-mentioned person by CMOs on Twitter globally
- American Library Association 'essential' designation for Return On Influence
- Ranked as one of the world's most popular business keynote speakers
- {grow} blog consistently ranked top 5 marketing blogs in the world
- Negotiated Alcoa's largest-ever contract - $5 billion deal with Anheuser-Busch
- Regular contributor to Harvard Business Review
- LinkedIn Top Voice in Personal Branding
- Blue ribbon at Tennessee State Fair for beekeeper honey

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Actively blogging on AI-era branding and marketing strategy at businessesgrow.com
- **2026-04** — Offering live 6-session Personal Branding Masterclass coaching program
- **2025-12** — Released final episode of The Marketing Companion podcast ('My Fond Farewell to The Marketing Companion') after 12+ years
- **2025-12** — Launched MarkBot - custom AI model trained on his entire body of work
- **2025-02** — Published Audacious: How Humans Win in an AI Marketing World - debuted #1 in marketing on Amazon; features world's first AI-activated AR book cover
- **2025-01** — Hosted The Uprising - annual intimate invitation-only marketing retreat

## Links

- Website: https://businessesgrow.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markwschaefer/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/markwschaefer
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MWSchaefer
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markwschaefer/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mark.schaefer3

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/mark-schaefer
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-26