Linda Kaplan Thaler Biography

Linda Kaplan Thaler is responsible for some of America’s most famous, relevant, and touching advertising campaigns, including the Aflac duck, the heartfelt “Kodak Moments,” the daring “Yes, Yes, Yes” for Clairol Herbal Essences, and the composer of “I Don’t Want To Grow Up, I’m a Toys ‘R Us Kid,” arguably America’s longest running jingle. Much of her work has become part of the American pop-culture landscape. Kaplan Thaler has also worked on several political campaigns, including the presidential runs for Clinton/Gore in 1992 and Hillary Clinton in 2008.

A powerful, entertaining and inspiring speaker, Kaplan Thaler’s lectures offer stories from the front lines of business on the impact that determination, hard work, and focused attention have on getting ahead. Having grown up in the Bronx, with no money or connections, Kaplan Thaler knows that perseverance and determination are what can make the difference and help people excel beyond their wildest dreams, whether in their career or personal life. She is proof positive of the power of grit. Along with her business partner, Robin Koval, they started a small fledging ad agency in Manhattan in 1997, and, within three years, catapulted it into one of America’s fastest growing agencies, with over a billion dollars in billings.

Today, Kaplan Thaler is the Chairman of Publicis Kaplan Thaler. The agency is the U.S. flagship within the Publicis Worldwide Network, and its blue-chip client roster includes: Procter & Gamble, Citibank, Nestle, L’Oreal, Merck, Pfizer, Cadillac and Wendy’s, among others.

Kaplan Thaler is also a bestselling author and television personality, and was a host of the Oxygen reality series, “Making it Big,” as well as a judge on “The Apprentice.” Her three collaborations with coauthor Robin Koval have all received national recognition. Together they authored "The Power of Small: Why Little Things Make All the Difference" and "The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World with Kindness," a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller. "Bang! Getting Your Message Heard in a Noisy World," a savvy marketing book and their first title, was also a national bestseller. Their new book, "Grit to Great: How Perseverance, Passion and Pluck Take You from Ordinary to Extraordinary," debuted in fall of 2015.

In addition to garnering Clio and Cannes Lion awards, Kaplan Thaler’s creative talents have earned her the prestigious New York Women in Communications Matrix Award, the Advertising Woman of the Year Award from Advertising Women of New York, the UJA’s Mac Dane Humanitarian Award, the Women’s Leadership Exchange’s Compass Award, the Girl Scout’s Woman of Distinction Award, and was named one of Advertising Age’s “Most Influential Women in Advertising.” Kaplan Thaler was also presented with a New York Women in Film and Television’s Muse Award, the first woman in advertising to receive this honor. Most recently, Kaplan Thaler was inducted into the American Advertising Federation 2015 Advertising Hall of Fame.

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