Michael Roth's Success Story

The CEO of IPG, one of the world's largest advertising and marketing companies, visits CCNYby Siddiq Mohammed.Michael I. Roth, CEO and chairman of Interpublic Group (IPG), has some advice for anyone who wants a great career.“Be the best you can,” and “surround yourself with an organization that embraces all of the values you stand for, “ Roth told a group of City College students last month.Roth, a CCNY alumnus (class of '67), discussed success and advised students on how to prepare for the future during a lecture on campus on October 20^th. Success is something he knows about. Holding over 60 different companies within it--including McCann Erickson, Hill Holiday and Deutsch--his company, IPG, is one of the world’s largest advertising and marketing companies with over 41,000 employees.During the two-hour visit, part of MCA’s Lunch with Leaders series, Roth proved to be quite the character while sharing stories about his work at IPG. He was clear, focused and really entertaining.Geico the car insurance giant, Roth told the audience, is one of his favorite clients. He informed everyone that the mascot, the gecko, came about from an actors' strike. The company, he explained, had no other choice but to run with the idea of using the gecko in their commercials since actors weren't available. "After that the rest became history,” he said, and Geico was able to brand itself with the gecko.Roth also discussed the internet and digital marketing in response to a student's question about social media's effect on the advertising industry. "It took television over 13 years to reach 50 million people,” he said. "But it took Facebook only 3 and a half years to reach 50 million people and now they have 800 million users. So you can see how this is rapidly moving and we have to adapt to that change."“Whenever there’s confusion there’s an opportunity,” added Roth. “The largest single brand other than Snoop Dog is Coca-Cola,” he joked. “They have the most friends on Facebook, and that’s a brand not a person. The question is what do you do with that?”Roth ended the lecture by urging students to look for an organization that fits them once they graduate. “If you find yourself in a situation where you don’t like the way things are going because they’re doing things that trouble you, or you’re not comfortable or you’re not being treated the way you should be treated," he said, "get out of there and go find a place that recognizes you for your values.”