Quantum Leap Winner:  Rosemarie Ryan

April 6, 2009

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Rosemarie Ryan has an open mind– and an open office. Since joining JWT five years ago, she has torn down walls and department silos to spark a free flow of creative ideas. Now she’s busy building the advertising agency of the future.

“The world of communications has changed dramatically in five years,” says Ryan, who leads JWT’s offices in New York, Chicago and Toronto. “Now the audience is in control. So agencies need an environment where people can collaborate and share ideas while using technology to engage consumers in exciting new ways.”

One recent example: a dramatic new campaign for the Diamond Trading Company staged at Madison Square Garden. Under the mistletoe and surrounded by 50 cameras, couples would step into the spotlight for an “unbreakable kiss.” JWT then posted the images to the web, where participants could download them to use as screensavers or share with family and friends on Facebook.

“To make that multimedia campaign work, we had to collaborate with a broad range of talented professionals from set designers to commercial contractors,” says Ryan. “It takes a lot of talented people to bring ideas like that to life.”

Ryan’s creative spirit has done wonders for her agency and its clients, which include Microsoft, Royal Caribbean International, Nokia and Macy’s. JWT’s revenue and profitability have doubled in five years, and the agency won a coveted 2008 Effie award for its “Let it Out” campaign for Kimberly Clark’s Kleenex brand.

“Today you have to understand your client’s business and the cultural context,” says Ryan. “Brands are dynamic and have to keep evolving in a relevant way.  For agencies, the old command and control dynamic is gone – you have to help each other, build on great ideas and be able to collaborate effectively.”

For more Changing the Game Awards Winners:

Quantum Leap Winner: Nancy Smith
Quantum Leap Winner: Dr. M. Bridget Duffy
Quantum Leap Winner: Christine Owens
Brainwave Winner: Sue Bostrom
Paradigm Shift Winner: Esther "E.T" Franklin
No Apologies Winner: Dr. Jane McGonigal