As the leader of one of the world’s great agency brands, Bob Scarpelli is best known for the mantra “word of mouth is the best medium of all”.
In his 33-year career at DDB, Scarpelli has created some of the most iconic, talked-about and awarded creative work in the world. He is such a passionate believer in “Talk Value®” that he trademarked the term and made it part of the fabric of the agency. Inspiring ideas and creative business solutions that transcend advertising to become part of popular culture are at the heart of his vision for his clients and for DDB, where the core belief is that creativity is the most powerful force in business.
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Scarpelli served as the President of both the Film and Press Lions juries in Cannes in 2007. He has served as Jury Chair of five other 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.

Under Scarpelli’s leadership, DDB has won every advertising award there is and created a large yet nimble network of award-winning, innovative agencies. Based on creative output, DDB agencies have been named Agency of the Year in more than 25 countries, including the United States. DDB has won the most Lions and the most Grands Prix in the history of Cannes Lions, and is a consistently strong performer at the Clios, The One Show, ANDYs, D&AD, EFFIEs and the Radio Mercury Awards, among others. In addition, under Bob’s leadership DDB has been recognised as the top creative network by Advertising Age, Adweek, Campaign, Creativity and The Gunn Report, while its interactive unit Tribal DDB has been awarded multiple Gold Lions and Interactive Agency of the Year by Advertising Age.
Of the recognition he has received, he is most proud of the Silver Medal given by the Chicago Advertising Federation for his contributions to the industry and the community.

After starting his DDB career as a copywriter in 1977, Scarpelli was elevated to Creative Director in 1980. In 1994, he was named as Chief Creative Officer for DDB Chicago, and a year later became Vice Chairman. In 1998, Scarpelli was elected to the DDB Worldwide Board of Directors.
In 2000, he was named as US 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.
