Russell "Russ" Klein is an American business executive. He was the CEO of the American Marketing Association from 2014 to 2021. He has also directed the marketing operations of brands such as Burger King,[1] 7-Eleven, Arby's,[2] and Dr. Pepper/7UP.[3]
Education
editKlein attended The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business and graduated in 1979 with a degree in business administration.[4] He later graduated from the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program in 1998.[5] Klein is a recipient of Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business Distinguished Alumnus Award.[6]
Career
editAfter graduation, Klein was hired by Liggett Stashower, a Cleveland-based advertising agency.[7] He went on to join advertising companies Leo Burnett and Foote, Cone & Belding, where he supervised accounts including United Airlines, Gatorade, MaytagKimberly-Clark, and McDonald’s.[3]
In 1987, Klein was named head of marketing for Seven-Up USA at age 29.[7] He helped develop and introduce Cherry 7UP.[8]
In 2002, Klein became Chief Marketing Officer at 7-Eleven[3][9] before joining Burger King the following year.[1]
At Burger King, Klein served as President of Global Marketing, Strategy, and Innovation.[4] Under Klein's leadership, the company was named by Adweek as “The Advertiser of the Decade” for the 2000s.[10] Klein also oversaw the development of Burger King's "Subservient Chicken" campaign,[10] which was recognized by several publications including The New York Times,[11] The One Show,[12] and The Wall Street Journal[10] as one of the best ads of the 2000s.
Klein was also responsible for Burger King's "Whopper Freakout" advertising campaign, which won a Grand Effie, the top award for marketing effectiveness.[13][14][15]
In 2012, Klein became Chief Marketing Officer at Arby's.[2][16][17]
Klein served as CEO of the American Marketing Association in 2014 to 2021.[18]
References
edit- ^ a b "Burger King Ad Man Russ Klein Talks 'Tension in Advertising'". Memphis Daily News. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
- ^ a b Vranica, Suzanne (2022-01-12). "Arby's Names Marketing Chief". WSJ. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
- ^ a b c "7-Eleven's Klein Is New BK CMO". Adweek. 26 May 2003. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
- ^ a b "Klein honored for excellence in marketing". Fisher College of Business. 2019-04-16. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
- ^ "How to become a CEO of the American Marketing Association". How I Got The Job. 2018-09-01. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
- ^ Vaidya, Nick; Mattone, John (2016-01-04). Cultural Transformations: Lessons of Leadership and Corporate Reinvention. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-119-05576-1.
- ^ a b "Russ Klein". Crain's Chicago Business. 2014-07-28. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
- ^ McGill, Douglas C. (1989-02-11). "7-UP GOLD: THE FAILURE OF A CAN'T-LOSE PLAN". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
- ^ "RUSS KLEIN: 7-Eleven". www.mediapost.com. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
- ^ a b c "Burger King's 'Subservient Chicken' Marketing Campaign|Marketing|Case Study|Case Studies". www.icmrindia.org. 2009-04-07. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
- ^ Elliott, Stuart (2010-11-30). "The Best of the Best, Digitally Speaking". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
- ^ "Burger King Bets 'Subservient Chicken' Ad Campaign Will Go Viral Again". NBC News. 2014-04-28. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
- ^ Mersch, Amy. "Russ Klein". Ignite! 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
- ^ "'Whopper Freakout' Wins Grand Effie". Ad Age. 2009-06-04. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
- ^ "Global Marketing Chief Russ Klein Exits Burger King". Ad Age. 2009-11-10. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
- ^ "Arby's calls Smokehouse Brisket most successful new product". Nation's Restaurant News. 2014-01-22. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
- ^ "Russ Klein Joins Arby's as CMO". Ad Age. 2012-01-11. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
- ^ "A Note From Karen Albritton, Chair, AMA Board of Directors". American Marketing Association. Retrieved 2022-12-19.