Yesterday, the Philly Ad Club honored Chairman & Chief Creative Officer Berny Brownstein as a Mover and Shaker in the Greater Philadelphia Communications Industry. For those who couldn't make the event, here is the speech Berny shared with everyone in attendance:
I can feel this room moving and shaking as I speak.
Though the Philadelphia Ad Club has graciously chosen to honor me with the Movers & Shakers Award, you could have easily given this award to the people in this room.
That’s because the profession we’ve chosen, advertising, is committed to moving and shaking world economies.
We entertain and motivate with comedy, and drama, and logic, as we emotionally demonstrate and speak as the voice of our clients.
We move products off shelves. We create trends.
The people in this room change people’s minds about pre-existing assumptions.
We’re a fortunate group, we ad people.
We get paid for our creativity, while having fun.
The public rarely had insurance top-of-mind. Then movers & shakers just like you, creatively connected a duck to a company name, and vaulted that insurance company into the public’s life and awareness.
That was followed by a gecko, that not only charmed us, but also put that company into the forefront of the insurance business.
The entire ultra-conservative insurance industry is changed forever.
They’ve happily discovered a growing top-of-mind awareness, a newfound public acceptance, and respect for their newly enhanced brands, and, of course, an increase in business.
Advertising professionals just like you, successfully made household names out of young start-ups like Apple and Nike. Target, Microsoft and IKEA. And aren’t we all applauding the new JCPenny campaign, and wishing them success?
60 years ago, when a young group of ad geeks just like you moved and shook the ad world for a new style of automobile by convincing us to “Think small.”
And, how that same group turned a car rental business around by getting the public to believe in them, by admitting that because “they were number two, they would try harder.”
60 years ago it was called “The Creative Revolution”, and the advertising profession has never looked back.
Those of us in this room, and in ad agencies all across the world, are keeping the spirit of this magnificent revolution alive with great work.
I was fortunate to be in the right place and time as this new way of thinking and creating advertising was reaching young Ad Guys like me.
I believed and adopted this fresh new way of creating advertising, and I too never looked back.
It’s quite a compliment when a child follows in his father’s footsteps. In my family, both sons chose our field. Growing up, they heard ad-talk around the dinner table, and the creative process was something they easily related to. I am proud to say that today they are both Movers & Shakers.
Michael Brownstein began his career on Madison Avenue and was eventually recruited into the magazine world, where today he is Executive Vice President, Chief Revenue Officer at Meredith Corporation.
And Marc Brownstein, who many of you know, decided to come back to Philadelphia from New York, after creating global campaigns at Ogilvy & Mather. Today Marc is our CEO, and has built the Brownstein Group into regional prominence.
A dozen years ago, Marc’s foresight identified the need to build a digital expertise at a time few had ever heard of digital marketing.
That kind of innovation continues to drive our success.
I started Brownstein Group 48 years ago, and we’re having fun every day by differentiating brands and making businesses succeed.
All of us are fortunate to be part of a profession where our talents receive continuous fulfillment, while encouraged to be Movers & Shakers.
As a life-long, dedicated Mover & Shaker myself, quite frankly, I can’t think of anything more fun than that.
I especially want to thank my dear family, my friends, my dedicated clients and business associates, for wanting to be here with me today. And to my co-workers, whose creativity, on every level, continues to inspire me.
And finally, to every one of you Movers & Shakers, never, ever, stop.