Mark vanderVoet

Mark vanderVoet

Director, Midnight Circus

Director, Midnight Circus

THE SIT DOWN

“If you want to influence someone, stop trying to sell them. Build something that earns their attention.”
“If you want to influence someone, stop trying to sell them. Build something that earns their attention.”
“If you want to influence someone, stop trying to sell them. Build something that earns their attention.”

Mark vanderVoet

Mark vanderVoet

Most marketers treat experiential as a tactic. Mark treats it as anthropology. He looks for the tectonic plates beneath consumer behavior, the cultural shifts that quietly reshape how people decide. His career spans Canada, the United States, and Japan, where he worked at the edge of emerging communication technologies.

He built his reputation by making a bank feel human. During his time with TD Bank, he helped reimagine customer experience from the ground up. He did not just design installations. He helped create ATMs that came to life and thanked customers, transforming a routine transaction into a shareable emotional moment that drew coverage from CNN to Forbes.

Now at Midnight Circus, Mark leads strategic intelligence and behavioral forecasting. Working with brands such as JTI and Kraft, he connects insight to execution.

DEFINING MOMENTS

2005

The Perspective

The Japan Years. The Lesson: "Living and working in Japan rewired my brain. I learned that design isn't just aesthetic, it is functional empathy. You have to understand the silence between the notes just as much as the music itself."

2011

The Transformation

TD Bank. The "Automated Thanking Machines." The Lesson: "We had to take an 'old man comfort' brand and make it pulse with life. We turned ATMs into human interaction points. I learned that even the most boring, regulated industries can be magical if you stop treating people like account numbers and start treating them like humans."

2014

The Definition

Defining "XD" (Experience Design). The Lesson: "It is all about finding the Tectonic Plates. You have to pinpoint the unseen forces that are moving your consumers. That is where the grand solution rests. Nobody wants to be influenced, they want to be inspired."

2024

The Craft

The Grocery Shelf Philosophy. The Lesson: "My motto is simple: Do the best you can every day. When I stocked shelves in a grocery store, I made sure every box was perfectly aligned and every logo faced forward. If you aren't progressing forward, you are stalling out. Excellence is a habit, not a job title."

2005

The Perspective

The Japan Years. The Lesson: "Living and working in Japan rewired my brain. I learned that design isn't just aesthetic, it is functional empathy. You have to understand the silence between the notes just as much as the music itself."

2011

The Transformation

TD Bank. The "Automated Thanking Machines." The Lesson: "We had to take an 'old man comfort' brand and make it pulse with life. We turned ATMs into human interaction points. I learned that even the most boring, regulated industries can be magical if you stop treating people like account numbers and start treating them like humans."

2014

The Definition

Defining "XD" (Experience Design). The Lesson: "It is all about finding the Tectonic Plates. You have to pinpoint the unseen forces that are moving your consumers. That is where the grand solution rests. Nobody wants to be influenced, they want to be inspired."

2024

The Craft

The Grocery Shelf Philosophy. The Lesson: "My motto is simple: Do the best you can every day. When I stocked shelves in a grocery store, I made sure every box was perfectly aligned and every logo faced forward. If you aren't progressing forward, you are stalling out. Excellence is a habit, not a job title."

2005

The Perspective

The Japan Years. The Lesson: "Living and working in Japan rewired my brain. I learned that design isn't just aesthetic, it is functional empathy. You have to understand the silence between the notes just as much as the music itself."

2011

The Transformation

TD Bank. The "Automated Thanking Machines." The Lesson: "We had to take an 'old man comfort' brand and make it pulse with life. We turned ATMs into human interaction points. I learned that even the most boring, regulated industries can be magical if you stop treating people like account numbers and start treating them like humans."

2014

The Definition

Defining "XD" (Experience Design). The Lesson: "It is all about finding the Tectonic Plates. You have to pinpoint the unseen forces that are moving your consumers. That is where the grand solution rests. Nobody wants to be influenced, they want to be inspired."

2024

The Craft

The Grocery Shelf Philosophy. The Lesson: "My motto is simple: Do the best you can every day. When I stocked shelves in a grocery store, I made sure every box was perfectly aligned and every logo faced forward. If you aren't progressing forward, you are stalling out. Excellence is a habit, not a job title."

Working at

Working at

Midnight Circus

Midnight Circus

“Midnight Circus is where strategy and imagination collide. We turn human insight into experiences people actually feel.”
“Midnight Circus is where strategy and imagination collide. We turn human insight into experiences people actually feel.”

— Mark vanderVoet

— Mark vanderVoet

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Join Mark's Team

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Mark vanderVoet

Mark vanderVoet

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