Keynote Speakers

"Smart Advertising....It’s More Than Just the Campaign, Its the Numbers...The Power of Direct Response Campaigns"
John Adams, Chairman & CEO, The Martin Agency, has lead the agency to an unprecented “5 time” recognition as Adweek magazines “Agency of the Year”. He brings to DMA 07, insights on the language and power of direct response campaigns, a language and process now being championed by CMOs throughout industry. The Martin Agency with clients such as GEICO, Wal-Mart, UPS, Hanes, Discover Financial, has won numerous ECHO Awards over the years including the Diamond ECHO in 1999 and the 2006 DMEF Corporate Leadership Award.

There is certainly truth to the old cliché, “you can do well by doing good”. For Kenneth Cole “doing good” has meant being on the front–line of fashion trends and social awareness. As a renowned American designer and humanitarian, Kenneth Cole believes that “it is great to be known for your shoes. It is even better to be recognized for your soul.” Kenneth Cole, Chairman & CEO, Kenneth Cole Productions and author, Footnotes, will kickoff DMA07 in Chicago at the Monday General Session. Kenneth Cole, Humanitarian, Activist and Philanthropist, will share with us his thoughts on "Responsible Leadership in Responsible Times."

Deemed by Fortune Magazine as, one of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Business”, Shelly Lazarus, Chairman & CEO, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide has been at the vanguard of creating integrated multimedia advertising campaigns for her firm's myriad clients. Thanks to Lazarus' vision, Ogilvy boasts some of the world's most recognizable (translation: profitable) clients, including American Express, Unilever, Kodak, Motorola, IBM and DuPont. Lazarus serves on several notable boards, including General Electric, Merck & Co. Inc., the American Museum of Natural History and the New York Presbyterian Hospital. Shelly brings to our DMA07 audience a message and her insights on the “Changing Faces of Direct — Reinventing the Client, the Consumer and the Agency.”

Jimmy "Jimbo" Wales, best known as the founder of Wikipedia, and a former futures and options trader in Chicago will join DMA07 attendees on Wednesday's General Session for a riveting and engaging discussion on "User Generated Media: Leading the Marketing Mix in the Digital Era." Jimmy has extensively traveled the world evangelizing the success of Wikipedia and the importance of a free culture.