Madison Avenue Insights: Collected Writings From Ken Roman

Over the past few years, former Ogilvy Chairman and CEO Ken Roman graciously and passionately shared his expertise, lessons, and guidance through his Madison Avenue Insights column. In honor of Ken's life and legacy we've compiled all of his recent writings in one place.

Ken didn ' t just lead Ogilvy for some time; he helped shape what it stood for. We're so grateful that he continued to share his timeless wisdom and insights with all of us until the very end.

Ken Roman - Madison Avenue Insights

Admit Your Mistakes - Ken offers three short but powerful lessons for business inspired from a trip to Edinburgh taken while researching for one of his books.

Speeches That Keep Audiences Awake - Ken offers advice on giving a great speech by emphasizing the importance of an engaging opening, focusing on a single, compelling point, and clearly structuring the talk around a passionate, novel idea.

Ken's Five Best Books on Creativity & Ideas - Five can't-miss reads about creativity and the creative process.

Hug a Client Today - Ken shares his thoughts on the importance of personal relationships between clients and agencies and why sstablished, trusting connections serve as the most significant source of new business.

Ugly Babies: A Lesson in Creative Leadership from Pixar - Ken dives into Pixar to demonstrate that truly creative organizations, under strong leadership, must empower and prioritize creative talent across all departments, making it a collective mission to produce great output.

Is AI the End of the Road for the Ad Business? - Ken offers advice on the capabilities and limitations of artificial intelligence, emphasizing that while AI can assist in creative tasks, it fundamentally lacks the human "soul," emotional intelligence, and insightful "fingerspitzen" required to generate truly impactful and memorable advertising campaigns on its own.