By India Fizer, Ad Forum

We spoke with Robert Douglas, CEO of Left Off Madison, on the topic of how we can look back to move forward. What can we learn from past influential advertising? The undeniable effects of a catchy jingle, and character-driven work, among many other things.

Tell us about your role and how long you been working in the world of advertising.

With more than 25 years of ad agency experience, it was time to be an entrepreneur. My business partner and I launched Left Off Madison during the pandemic. Perhaps not the best time, but it has worked—thankfully!  As the CEO, my role is the same as I have had for the last 10+ years—wear multiple hats ranging from daily client management and growth to nurturing and encouraging our people as well as guiding creative and media teams, operations, finance, and HR. And yes, my partner and I will work at multiple levels ranging from project manager to launching ad campaigns if we need to.

My interest in the ad industry dates to my childhood. I had a unique upbringing growing-up at a home that has become a popular filming location for commercials, Saturday Night Live skits, TV shows, movies, and more.  I never wanted to go into film production, but I have a great respect and appreciation for it. The Douglas House is widely known within the New York film production industry. It remains very active today as evidenced by this recent Jimmy Fallon and Chris Stapleton skit HERE.

Are there some common staples or tropes that have developed in recent years within the industry? How do these compare to the ones of 10 or even 20 years ago?

At a high-level, I don’t find much difference… (read on at: https://www.adforum.com/interviews/a-shift-toward-mass-personalization-robert-douglas-left-off-madison)