NEW YORK DDB Worldwide is bringing David Plouffe, Barack Obama's marketing strategist, to Cannes this year.
Plouffe is scheduled to speak on the "Audacity of Successful Brands" on June 25 at 10:45 a.m. in the Palais des Festivals' Debussy Auditorium at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival.
After President Obama's win on Nov. 4, he credited Plouffe, a partner in the Washington, D.C., consulting firm AKPD Message and Media, as "the unsung hero of this campaign, who built ... the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America."
Plouffe and David Axelrod, another partner at AKPD, first became associated with Obama while working on the president's 2004 run for the United States Senate. This fall Viking Press will publish Plouffe's The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama's Historic Victory.
In making the announcement, DDB CEO Chuck Brymer said: "Plouffe's blend of digital and traditional media was spot-on and the key driver behind the successful brand story and record campaign fundraising."
Added DDB CCO Bob Scarpelli: "Plouffe's smart campaign, characterized by bold, creative use of media and consistent, authentic messaging, arguably made President Obama the brand of the year and his political campaign the campaign of the year."
