—Systemic change begins with personal change—
Mr. Puris was Co-founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ammirati&Puris, one of America’s most revered advertising agencies.
He is presently founder and CEO of Puris&Partners LLC, a marketing consulting firm.
A copywriter by trade, Mr. Puris has over thirty years experience building some of the world’s most esteemed brands, writing some of the world’s great stories, including BMW (“The Ultimate Driving Machineâ€), Club Med (“The Antidote For Civilizationâ€), UPS (“The Tightest Ship In The Shipping Businessâ€), Compaq Computer, Aetna, Burger King, Four Season’s Hotels, Schweppes, and dozens more of the world’s finest companies.
Begun in 1974, Ammirati&Puris grew to over 650 employees in the U.S. and Canada with more than $750 million in billings and was twice named Agency of the Year.
As Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ammirati Puris Lintas, as the agency was called after a 1994 acquisition-merger with The Interpublic group of Companies, Martin managed one of the largest advertising networks in the world, with over 10 thousand employees, 172 offices in 54 countries and annual billings of $7.9 billion. During his tenure on the Board of Directors of IPG, Martin was involved in the merger and acquisition of numerous companies in a wide range of disciplines.
Author, guest lecturer (NYU, University of Chicago, Columbia Business School Alumni Club), contributor to various publications including the Harvard Business review, honored and awarded internationally on numerous occasions by industry peers. Mr. Puris was named by Ad Week magazine, “one of the twenty most influential figures in advertising during the past 20 years.â€
He served as a director of several not-for-profit boards including The ASPCA, The Mystic Seaport Museum, Sheltering Arms and The Hampton Classic.
He served as Media Advisor to President George H. W. Bush in both presidential campaigns.
He was inducted into the Creative Hall Of Fame.
Martin and I continued our conversation about America, its problems, and what we can do about it. I misread him that he had a specific plan, but that didn't stop him from clarifying and continuing more of what we spoke about last time. We talked about education, arts, voting, government, the future, the past, competition, and more. Listen for reflections from a master communicator who has worked with people at the forefront of American business for decades. I mentioned before that I was prompted to reconnect with Martin after almost two decades while seeing him give a webinar online. I took the liberty of capturing the screen when he showed this slide. I hope you can tell why it made me connect. Creativity is up there with curiosity for me. Here's the conversation:
Martin is a legend. How many people craft phrases that become part of everyday language like “The Ultimate Driving Machine," "The Antidote For Civilization,†and “The Tightest Ship In The Shipping Business� He comes from a different time in advertising and communication, as he describes in our conversation. I met him nearly twenty years ago. He was considering investing in the company I cofounded, Submedia, based on the medium I invented. He didn't invest, but he came to my first solo gallery show in Manhattan. We lost touch. Then I saw him speak recently. I confess a slight disposition to expect corporate writers not to engage in depth, which I recognize as a flaw in myself. He spoke about creativity, what it can be, how much we've lost it today, and the consequences of losing it. He spoke with a love of an America in hibernation now, what caused it to sleep, and how to bring it back. We talk about creativity, culture, passion, and more.
Here's the conversation: