Ads & Politics: The Impact of Citizens United

About the Program

The corruption satirized in Mark Twain's 1873 The Gilded Age (with Charles Dudley Warner) became synonymous with the greed and politics of his era. In 2007 Jack Beatty chronicled its dark side in his Age of Betrayal: The Triumph of Money in America, 1865-1900. The excesses in American society after the Civil War at the end of the 19th Century parallel ours at the beginning of the 21st Century.

Then came the Citizens United v. FEC Supreme Court ruling in January 2010 that redefined the limits of corporate political giving. At a Georgetown Law School conference a week after the ruling, retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor observed: "In invalidating some of the existing checks on campaign spending, the majority in Citizens United has signaled that the problem of campaign contributions in judicial elections might get considerably worse and quite soon."

On October 17 two icons of global advertising — Keith Reinhard, and Allen Rosenshine will meet at Baruch to discuss the impact of Citizens United. Both Allen and Keith are members of the American Advertising Federation's Advertising Hall of Fame and both were recognized by Advertising Age magazine as being among the 100 most influential advertising figures over the last century.

About the Speakers

Keith Reinhard, Chairman Emeritus, DDB Worldwide
DDB ranks among the largest global advertising agency networks in the world with 206 offices in 96 countries. DDB has won more Grand Prix awards in the 50-year history of the International Advertising Festival in Cannes than any other agency network.

As a working creative man, Keith was best known as the author of "You Deserve a Break Today" for McDonald's, voted the best jingle of the twentieth century.

In 1986, Keith was one of the architects of the advertising industry's first and only three-way union, creating Omnicom, one of the world's largest advertising and marketing services holding companies. Concurrent with the creation of Omnicom, Keith accomplished the merger of Doyle Dane Bernbach and Needham Harper Worldwide, first known as DDB Needham Worldwide and now DDB Worldwide. Keith's vision as Chairman-CEO was to create a new DDB capable of bringing to life the insights of DDB founder Bill Bernbach and applying them broadly to the modern world. Today, DDB serves clients from 200 offices in 90 countries.

From 2002 to2010, Keith served as President of Business for Diplomatic Action, Inc. (BDA), a not-for-profit effort he founded to enlist the U.S. business community in actions aimed at improving the standing of America in the world. In this capacity, Keith testified to the U.S. Congress, consulted with the U.S. Department of State and was broadly featured in the media. His interest in public diplomacy continues as a member of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy.

Keith also serves on the boards of Sesame Workshop, Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Berlin School of Creative Leadership. He is a past Chairman of Union Theological Seminary in New York and past Chairman of the American Association of Advertising Agencies.

Allen Rosenshine, Emeritus CEO, BBDO
In 1986, Allen spearheaded what Time magazine called advertising's "big bang" which was the creation of Omnicom Group, one of the largest and most successful marketing communications companies in the world. At the time, Allen was head of BBDO Worldwide, which came together with Doyle Dane Bernbach and Needham Harper to create this unique merger of three major advertising agencies.

Allen was the first chief executive of Omnicom. The three agencies brought worldwide billings of $4.9 billion to Omnicom when they merged, growing to $6.3 billion by early 1989.

Allen then surprised the industry by bringing Bruce Crawford, his predecessor at BBDO, back to the business to replace him at Omnicom. Allen returned to BBDO, which he had continued to oversee as an Omnicom subsidiary. He explained that unlike the agency business, running a public, finance-oriented holding company was not what he knew or loved. Allen rejoined BBDO as chairman and chief executive officer. Today, it is among the world's largest advertising agencies with companies in more than 85 countries spanning all regions of the globe.

Beyond BBDO Allen has worked as a political consultant and as an advisor to the U.S. Department of State. He was also a co-founder of The Partnership for a Drug Free America (now The Partnership@Drugfree.org), and continues to serve as the organization's Vice-Chairman and Executive Creative Director. He has been involved in a broad range of industry associations and activities. He was president of the jury at the 1991 International Advertising Festival of Cannes, considered the most prestigious of the industry award shows. He has served on the boards of directors of both the American Association of Advertising Agencies and the International Advertising Association. Allen has also been on the board, the executive committee, and the creative review committee of the Ad Council. He has written a book entitled Funny Business: Moguls, Mobsters, Megastars and the Mad, Mad World of the Ad Game, published in 2006 — a collection of humorous stories from his experiences in the world of advertising and business.

Schedule

The discussion will run from approximately 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Co-Sponsor

Corporate Communication International - enhancing the performance and reputation of corporate communication as a strategic management function; the number one choice of practicing professionals and scholars for information and knowledge on corporate communication.

Registration

Please register through our program partner, Corporate Communication International.

Complimentary registration for:
Baruch College Faculty, Staff & Students.
Please email genest@corporatecomm.org or call 973-270-0038 with name.

Registration fees for:
General Public: $30
Non-Profits: $25
Baruch Alumni & Non-Baruch Students: $15
Please complete this form and fax to 973-270-0039; email as an attachment to genest@corporatecomm.org; or call 973-270-0038.