Joseph T. Plummer

Chief Research Officer

Dr. Joseph Plummer has recently taken up the position of the Chief Research Office at the Advertising Research Foundation. As the ARF’s Chief Research Officer, Joe’s primary role is to insure that the ARF not only provides industry leadership on critical advertising and marketing issues but also determines how those issues can be positively impacted by intelligent and creative research. As a key member of the ARF team, Joe will sit on the ARF’s Executive Committee and will provide daily oversight on all research matters of import to the industry, the ARF and its members.

He recently left his position as Executive Vice President, Director of Research & Insight Development for McCann-Erickson WorldGroup. In this post, which he assumed in 2002, he was WorldGroup’s top knowledge officer with regard to insight-development methods, strategic research quality and employee training and standards. He oversaw the McCann Pulse global consumer insight network, WorldGroup’s ongoing dialogue process engaging consumers in more than 70 countries that keeps it in the forefront of understanding worldwide consumer trends. He also directed Brand Clout optimization research, WorldGroup analytics, the integration of all of consumer research and knowledge activities across all marketing communications disciplines, and the Human Futures Development (HFD) program, a worldwide all-communications training program that is the marketing communication industry’s largest and most extensive. Dr. Plummer has recently been appointed the new editor of the Journal of Advertising Research.

Previously to McCann, he was Executive Vice President, Director of Brand Strategy on Global Accounts for McCann-Erickson WorldGroup. His responsibilities included helping global clients develop brand vision and values, creating growth strategies for the future and developing communication strategies to build brand equity. In addition, he took on responsibility for the company’s HFD program and expanded it to include proprietary integrated brand communications programs.

Prior to joining McCann-Erickson in 1997, Dr. Plummer was Vice Chairman and Worldwide Planning Director at DMB&B advertising and a member of the DMB&B Board of Directors and the Executive Committee. Earlier, from 1995-1997, he was Vice Chairman of ASW, a worldwide research firm, and a Board Director of the firm from 1995-1999. Dr. Plummer served as Managing Director of Paine Webber/Young & Rubicam Ventures, a marketing and consumer-driven investment bank from 1986 to 1989. Prior to that, he was Worldwide Research Director of Young & Rubicam, Inc. He began his career at Leo Burnett in Chicago, where he rose to Senior Vice President of Research before joining Y&R in 1979.

Dr. Plummer earned a B.A. from Westminster College and a master’s and doctorate from Ohio State University. He was Chairman of the Research Committees for the American Association of Advertising Agencies and the American Marketing Association, and a Trustee of the Marketing Science Institute. He was also President of the Youth Guidance Board of Directors in Chicago, a past Trustee of Episcopal Charities and of Westminster College. Currently, Dr. Plummer is involved with New Alternatives for Children, CARE, the HudsonHighlands Land Trust and is on the President’s Advisory Council of Ohio State University. He has published in numerous publications, including The Journal of Advertising, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Marketing and Journal of Marketing Research. He is on the Board of Directors of Unisunstar BV.