Arnold Worldwide exec talks advertising
Fran Kelly, vice chairman of Boston-based global advertising agency Arnold Worldwide, spoke to Emerson graduate students in the Charles Beard Room on November 8, sharing his insights into the advertising world.
When asked by students what his best work has been, Kelly was quick to list the famous 1998–2006 “Drivers Wanted” ad campaign that Arnold Worldwide developed for Volkswagen.

“It had never been done before, it was enormously successful, and it was a joy creatively,” he said. “I’m very proud of what we did…Volkswagen was one bad year away from exiting the United States [before the campaign].”
For an hour, Kelly shared anecdotes from his more than 35 years of experience in the advertising industry. The discussion was led by four Emerson graduate students from the Global Marketing Communication and Advertising (GMCA) and Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) programs. The event was part of the recently launched emersonNEXT professional development program run by the Office of Graduate Studies, which provides opportunities for graduate students to meet and learn from industry professionals.
