About me
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Avi Dan is a rare combination of remarkable personal experience, business expertise, and unmatched track record. He is a big picture thinker and a strategic brand builder, known for pursuing, and delivering, unparalleled growth during his 30+ years career.
He managed P&G brands at D’Arcy (now Publicis) and Wells, Rich, Greene, among them billion dollar brands like Crest, Pampers, Charmin, Scope and other beauty care brands. He was responsible for the launching of the most advanced P&G products, Tartar Control Crest and Ultra Thin Pampers, reversing years of respective share declines. Among the accomplishments he is most proud of is encouraging his agency to develop the first multicultural campaigns for P&G as he became aware of the growing purchase power of these populations. Crest advertising directed at African-Americans and Hispanics, respectively, were launched over 20 years ago. Later, as Executive Vice President at Young & Rubicam he ran the agency’s biggest global integrated account, Colgate-Palmolive, (coordinating creative, bundled media, branding, PR, promotion and Direct) account. Colgate toothpaste became market leader, as did Colgate toothbrush. Colgate and Avi and his team were later written up by Prof. John Welch, who now serves on the WPP Board, in one of the most popular case studies about innovation and marketing for The Harvard Business School.
At Saatchi & Saatchi, as head of Business Development for North America, Avi successfully improved its image after years of turmoil in the wake of the exit of the Saatchi brothers, by marketing the agency as managing more No.1 brands than any other agency. The agency experienced a robust of business development activity with the agency pitching Valvoline, Ernst & Young, Delta, Pfizer, KPMG, Chase, Johnson & Johnson, Burger King, JC Penney and others. While at Saatchi & Saatchi Avi was a member of its North America Board.
Avi then joined a small boutique, Berlin Cameron and Partners, as its Managing Partner. At the time that he joined the agency had only two national accounts – Reebok, and Purina cat litter. Within two years the agency quadruples its revenues by winning Coca Cola Classic from McCann-Erickson, a number of Pfizer brands, Pernod Ricard, The Wall Street Journal, Sprint Nextel (Boost), Samsung, Silk Soy Milk, the General Motors corporate account, and the NBA. The winning streak, and its creativity, led to the agency being named by both Advertising Age and AdWeek as “ U.S. Agency of the Year”. Along the way the agency was acquired by WPP and became the hub of a global mini network known as Red Cell in 65 countries. Red Cell eventually landed Procter & Gamble’s licensed fragrances as its first global client.
After Berlin Cameron, Avi joined Euro RSCG as its first Global Executive Director, overseeing growth for its 230 offices in 75 countries. During his first 18 months there, Avi helped engineer a reversal of the agency’s fortunes, helping it win a record $3 billion in billings from major advertisers like Exxon Mobil, Sanofi, LG, and Verizon. In a 2006 interview with Mr. Dan, the Wall Street Journal noted, “It is a far cry from the executive turmoil and account losses that plagued the agency two years ago. Then, the problems symbolized the challenge facing Havas -- a midsize advertising company competing with bigger corporations”. In recognition of the winning streak and the turnaround, Advertising Age and Campaign magazines in the U.K. named Euro RSCG as their “Global Agency of the Year”, respectively. While at Euro Avi was also a member of its Executive Board.
After leaving Euro RSCG Avi established his own marketing consulting firm, Avidan Strategies LLC, advising marketers and agencies. The firm specializes in improving the efficiencies of the marketing supply chain, improving client-agency relationships, including conducting audits, agency search and compensation, branding, and advising agencies on growth strategies.
Avi is a frequent contributor to Advertising Age, Forbes, and AdWeek and is often quoted in the press about Advertising and Marketing. He is an Effie awards judge and a founding member of The American Association of Advertising Agencies New Business Committee, and helped draft “Rules of The Road”, which codified the relationships between search consultants and agencies.
Avi is on the Board of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Brand center, the premier postgraduate Advertising school. At the request of VCU he is currently writing a book about the history of Advertising. He is also on the faculty of the Association of National Advertisers where he conducts webinars and teaches a course about Best Practices In Global Marketing.
Avi was born in Israel, attended Columbia University before interrupting his studies to rejoin the Israeli Army and fight in the Yom Kippur War. After the war he returned to Columbia and completed his B.A. in Economics and his M.B.A. from the Columbia Business School. He lives in Forest Hills, N.Y. with his wife Lucille, and artist, and is publicly ambivalent, but privately proud, that his son follows him into Advertising."
