Back in 2006, Interpublic Group brought together Foote, Cone & Belding, the then 133-year-old traditional global agency, with Draft, the 28-year-old marketing services agency with expertise in direct marketing, promotions, digital, retail and shopper marketing, to create Draftfcb.

Today Draftfcb is a fully integrated agency with a single worldwide P&L, a network employing more than 9,200 people spanning 94 countries, and a blue chip client roster that includes SC Johnson, Kraft, Taco Bell, Boeing, Dow, Nestle, Dockers, Sony, Volkswagen, and Beiersdorf’s entire global portfolio.

Draftfcb is a new model agency built around its proprietary "6.5 Seconds That MatterSM" operating system, which is based on research that shows advertisers have an average of 6.5 seconds to capture consumers’ attention and compel them to act.

Setting the strategic direction for Draftfcb as executive chairman is industry veteran Howard Draft, working in partnership with CEO and President Laurence Boschetto.

While Howard is widely known as a pioneer in the field of direct marketing, he early on recognized that consumers don’t make distinctions between types of advertising and started to integrate other marketing disciplines into his agency. As early as 1992, he espoused the idea of a fully integrated agency that would take advantage of advancing technologies, more sophisticated data analytics and great ideas across marketing channels – which would ultimately take the form of Draftfcb. His innovative and creative contributions to shaping the future of the industry have included:

• Understanding the importance of “big picture” expertise and championing the growth of Direct professionals within his agency by inspiring, mentoring, and investing in strategic planning, promotions, creative, research, technology, new media and digital capabilities
• Championing the use of data and the science of data analytics to better understand the science of consumer behavior, reduce risks, and thus free up the creative process at the agency.

In 2010, Howard was recognized for his career achievements as a new inductee to the Direct Marketing Association Hall of Fame. He was also awarded the Chicago Advertising Federation’s Silver Medal Lifetime Achievement Award.