Goafest 2009: Look who’s talking: Bob Scarpelli

Bob Scarpelli, DDB Worldwide’s Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, is known the champion of DDB’s defining values: Creativity and Humanity. 

Scarpelli embodies Bill Bernbach’s mantra that “word of mouth is the best medium of all.” At DDB, he has created some of the most iconic, talked-about and awarded creative work in the world including the well-known Budweiser campaigns: Gimme a light, the Bud Frogs, the Bud Bowl, Whassup and Real Men of Genius. 

He is a passionate believer in “Talk Value” and has trademarked the term and made it part of the fabric of the agency. 

Under his leadership, DDB has won a number of advertising awards including Cannes, Clios, One Show, ANDYs, D&AD, EFFIEs and the Radio Mercury Awards. DDB agencies have been named Agency of the Year in 25 countries, including the United States. In addition, under Scarpelli’s leadership DDB has been recognized as the top creative network by Advertising Age, Creativity and The Gunn Report and its interactive unit Tribal DDB has been awarded multiple gold Lions at Cannes and Interactive Agency of the Year by Advertising Week. 

Scarpelli served as the president of both the Film and Press juries at the 2007 International Advertising Festival at Cannes. Watch him speak about The Young Creatives Competition for Film, here:

He has served as jury chair of prestigious international shows including the 2007 Asian Advertising Awards, 2006 Malaysian Creative Circle Awards, the 2003 Clio Awards, the 2001 Radio Mercury Awards, the 2001 International Advertising Festival at Kinsale, and the 2000 International ANDY Awards. In 2004, he received the Silver Medal Award, the Chicago Advertising Federation's highest honour. 

After starting his DDB career as a copywriter in 1977, Scarpelli was elevated to creative director in 1980. In 1994 he was named chief creative officer for DDB Chicago, and a year later was named vice chairman. In 1998, he was elected to the DDB Worldwide Board of Directors. In 2000, he was named U.S. chief creative officer, and in 2001 he was elevated to the post of chairman at DDB Chicago. He took on the role of worldwide chief creative officer in 2005, and the following year was elevated to the additional role of chairman of DDB Worldwide. 

He also serves on the boards of the Chicago International Film Festival, The Virginia Commonwealth University AdCenter and The Off the Street Club.