Kevin Roberts

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For the Chester City player, see Kevin Roberts (footballer)
Kevin Roberts, CEO Worldwide of Saatchi & Saatchi

Born 20 October 1949
Lancaster, England

Kevin Anthony Roberts (born 1949) has been the Chief Executive Officer Worldwide of the advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi since 1997. In September 2006, Saatchi & Saatchi won a US$430 million JC Penney contract because of the idea of lovemarks, which was invented and promoted by Roberts.

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[edit] Early life and career (1949-86)

Roberts was born and raised in Lancaster in the industrial northwest of England. He was educated at Lancaster Royal Grammar School in the 1960s. He was expelled from the school at the age of 16 and became an assistant brand manager for Mary Quant Cosmetics in 1969.[1] Roberts was later promoted to a brand manager.[2]

From 1969 to 1986, Roberts worked as International New Products Manager at Gillette to Group Marketing Manager at Procter & Gamble (P&G) to Regional Vice President at Pepsi Cola, Middle East in 1982.[3][4]

[edit] Executive career (1987-96)

In 1987, Roberts was appointed to the first "Chief" role in his career, as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Pepsi Cola, Canada. While at Pepsi Canada, Roberts notably executed a publicity stunt after a keynote speech to a group of Pepsi Canada employees, bottlers, and the media. Roberts had a Coke vending machine rolled onto the stage while he was speaking. As he finished his speech, he reached down, picked up a machine gun, and blasted the Coke machine. [5] "[Roberts] meticulously planned the spectacle, borrowing a gun from a squad of police officers and rigging the vending machine so that he had to fire only one blank to set off a dazzling rat-a-tat-tat." [6]

From 1989 to 1997, Roberts became Director and Chief Operating Officer of Lion Nathan.

[edit] Current Role (1997-)

In 1997, Roberts was appointed the role of Chief Executive Officer Worldwide of Saatchi & Saatchi. In 1997, Saatchi & Saatchi was in "deep trouble, with morale at an all-time low." [7] Roberts was advised to restructure the business drastically by bringing Roberts's own people in and moving current people around. Instead, Roberts bought in nobody and moved nobody for two years. [8] Against all odds, Roberts was able to get things in Saatchi & Saatchi moving again in one year. Roberts then started the process to make Saatchi & Saatchi into one of the best advertising agencies around the world.

In September 2006, Saatchi & Saatchi won a US$430 million JC Penney contract because of the idea of lovemarks, invented and promoted by Roberts.

[edit] Quotations

  • "Ideas are the currency of the future." [9]
  • "Brands are running out of juice." [1]

[edit] Personal life

In 1989 Roberts moved with wife Rowena, his daughter Bex and two sons to New Zealand where they still live today.

[edit] Books written by Roberts

  • Peak Performing Organisations - Lessons for Business from the World's Leading Sports Organisations, 2000, by Clive Gilson, Mike Pratt, Kevin Roberts, and Ed Weymes (ISBN 1-58799-150-0)
  • Lovemarks: The Future Beyond Brands, 2004
  • Sisomo: The Future on Screen, 2005 (ISBN 1-57687-268-8)
  • Lovemarks: The Future Beyond Brands (Expended Edition), 2006, (ISBN 1-57687-270-X)
  • The Lovemarks Effect: Winning in the Consumer Revolution, (expected published date: 2006 Nov), (ISBN 1-57687-267-X)
  • LoveMaking: How to advertise it, (expected published date: 2008 Dec), (ISBN 1-67284-517-X)

[edit] References

  1. ^ Kevin Roberts. Lovemarks: the future beyond brands p.13
  2. ^ Kevin Roberts. Lovemarks: the future beyond brands p.14
  3. ^ Saatchi & Saatchi Media Press Kit about Kevin Roberts. p.1
  4. ^ Saatchi & Saatchi Media Press Kit about Kevin Roberts. p.1
  5. ^ Kevin Roberts. Lovemarks: the future beyond brands p.17
  6. ^ Ono, Yumiko (June 11, 1997). "Saatchi's CEO Roberts Sees Romance With Core Clients". The Wall Street Journal. 
  7. ^ Kevin Roberts. Lovemarks: the future beyond brands p.20
  8. ^ Kevin Roberts. Lovemarks: the future beyond brands p.21
  9. ^ Kevin Roberts. "Ideas Manifesto" 15 September, 1998 . Article originally accessed with www.saatchikevin.com/media/ideas.html The article is no longer directly available on the website.

[edit] External links


[edit] Videos