If you're a regular listener to Truth Tastes Funny, you probably know that I started my career in NY on Madison Avenue after attending School of Visual Arts. Well, my guest John Follis is a Madison Ave adman who made waves before I ever dipped my toe in the ocean. John's campaign for Sorrell Ridge Fruit Spreads - citing their jam's all-natural ingredients - knocked Smuckers for a loop (maybe it was the tagline, "With 100% fruit, it has to be better."). The ad was so effective it became a case taught at the Harvard Business School and featured in Forbes. In ‘93, Follis/DeVito/Verdi was the second most awarded agency in New York. That same year John formed Follis Inc to include a focus on non-traditional and online marketing. In 2003, in response to the shifting media landscape and to provide an alternative to the traditional ad agency model, he created "Follis Marketing Therapy". And, in 2006, John created "The Follis Marketing Report" blog and "The Marketing Show with John Follis" podcast syndicated on iTunes. John has always made time for public service and for one very successful public service campaign that he spearheaded, he was honored at The White House. As a result of John's career success he's been invited to write for ADWEEK and speak at venues including The World Business Academy and Yale University.
Now for the funny part: John flunked out of his first college advertising class and was told by the instructor that he would never be successful in advertising.
Find John:
Wiki bio: https://en.everybodywiki.com/John_Follis
”True Stories” series; https://bit.ly/3Kok4GJ
Recent article: https://bit.ly/3vr2uft
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