Education
Syracuse University.
Syracuse University.
His agency"s work has been described as "simple and effective" (Adweek) and “in your face” (Time). He runs Big Idea Video (a division of Follis Incorporated) and is creator and host of The Marketing Show with John Follis. Follis began his career working for advertising agencies such as FCB/Chicago and Doyle Dane Bernbach Worldwide in New New York
In the mid-1980s, his entrepreneurial career began with freelance work for such major New York shops as Chiat/Day, Della Femina and Kirshenbaum & Bond.
His work on the Kenneth Cole account resulted in awards and national press In 1988, Follis co-founded Follis&Verdi, with clients such as The American Stock Exchange, Number Excuses Jeans, Solgar Vitamins and Sorrell Ridge Fruit Spreads—a case taught at the Harvard Business School and featured in Forbes.
That same year Follis formed Follis Incorporated to include a focus on non-traditional and online marketing. In 2003, in response to the shifting media landscape and to provide an alternative to the traditional ad agency model, Follis created "Follis Marketing Therapy".
And, in 2006, Follis created "The Follis Marketing Report" blog and "The Marketing Show with John Follis" podcast syndicated on iTunes.
Follis has been an adjunct professor of advertising and marketing at the Parsons School of Design, the School of Visual Arts, and the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. He is also a nationally requested speaker having spoken at such venues as The American Management Association, The World Business Academy, Social Media "07, and the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute. Follis and his agencies have worked with such orgizations as Unicef, the League of Women Voters, the Olympic Games, Marble Collegiate Church, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, SmokeFree, Scholastic’s Stay in School Program, and The National Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse.
His work for the NCPCA resulted in being honored at The White House.