April 30, 2026
St. John’s University celebrated an advertising and marketing pioneer on April 23, hoping that contributions made over his 40-year career will inspire the next generation of industry leaders.
Bob Greenberg, Founder and former Chairman of R/GA, has shaped some of the world’s most recognizable brands, including IBM, the National Basketball Association, Nike, Samsung, and other Fortune 500 companies. The 2016 Marketing Hall of Fame inductee was the guest of honor at the fourth annual Ad Legends Series, hosted by The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies (CCPS) at the University’s Queens, NY, campus.
Interviewed before students, administrators, and faculty from CCPS’ Division of Mass Communication by Rick Boyko, former Chief Creative Officer of Ogilvy North America, Mr. Greenberg recalled his career highlights, including the firm’s historical partnerships with American Express, Google, YouTube, Zoom, and, most recently, the artificial intelligence (AI) design studio Addition.
Mr. Greenberg discussed the evolution of advertising and associated industries with an audience of about 100. Essential to the growth of R/GA, he said, was the company’s willingness to take chances—on projects, technologies, and in the purchase of small, but emerging companies.
“When things would come into view that could change the business, I always viewed the metaphor as holding my nose and jumping off a cliff,” Mr. Greenberg said. “I would always do that, and it worked most of the time.”
Made possible through the sponsorship of Nancy Deckinger, Executive Director of the Dr. E. Lawrence Deckinger Family Foundation, the Ad Legends series honors visionaries whose creativity and leadership continue to shape the industry today. Previous honorees include Ralph Ammirati and Martin Puris, founders of Ammirati & Puris; Jerry Della Femina, founder of Della Femina Travisano & Partners; and Tiffany Rolfe, Chair and Global Chief Creative Officer at R/GA.
Welcomed by Luca Iandoli, Dean, CCPS, and Professor, Division of Computer Science, Mathematics, and Science; and Gina Grillo ’86C, Chief Executive Officer of The Advertising Club and Chair of the CCPS Dean’s Board of Advisors, as an industry visionary, Mr. Greenberg engaged in an hourlong back-and-forth with students, after which two students received special awards for achievements in advertising and public relations.
Senior Sharmayne Crockett received the Excellence in Advertising award, while senior Giovanna Ventimiglia received the Public Relations Award of Distinction. Ms. Deckinger presented both awards, each with a $2,500 prize.
“The idea of the Ad Legends series is simple—learn from the masters, such as Bob,” Dean Iandoli said. “We want our students to have the opportunity to hear directly from them.”
Undergraduate and graduate students came out to hear Mr. Greenberg, who in 2006, received a Clio Lifetime Achievement Award, one of the industry’s highest honors, for his continued creative excellence and innovation in communication and design.
“It is a rare opportunity to network with an industry icon,” said senior Caroline Meck, who will graduate May 17 with a bachelor’s degree in advertising communications and public relations. “It is wonderful to communicate with those in my field; to learn what they do and how they do it.”
“You always want to acquire as much knowledge about the field as possible,” added Eilis Tesfai, a junior who is also studying advertising and public relations. “I am specifically on a creative track, and listening to Mr. Greenberg’s story is compelling.”
Mr. Greenberg founded R/GA with his brother Richard in 1977. Under his leadership, the company evolved from a computer-assisted film-making studio that created title sequences for films including Alien (1979); Ghostbusters (1984);and Superman (1978) into a digital studio, an interactive ad agency, and eventually a global consultancy.
During that time, R/GA partnered with Nike (2006) and Beats by Dre (2012–14) on award-winning campaigns that redefined digital creativity. Driven by Mr. Greenberg’s philosophy of “ceaseless reinvention,” the company became known for business transformation, product and service innovation, and breakthrough communications. Mr. Greenberg intentionally restructured R/GA’s business model every nine years to stay ahead of technological shifts.
“Technology impacts everything,” Mr. Greenberg explained. “And I think that risk-averse people will have bigger problems in the future than what they face in dealing with clients, budgets, and schedules. When I saw how big a change the internet would create—that it would change everything—I sold a company. It was a risk, but I could see how big the impact would be.”
Mr. Greenberg shared similar insights in a 10-minute documentary about his career, produced by Mr. Boyko, that aired ahead of the question-and-answer session. In the film, he detailed his lifelong struggle with dyslexia that he, ironically, put to clever use as an advertising executive.
“Dyslexia gives you the ability to previsualize data in a way that is useful in, say, pattern recognition,” Mr. Greenberg explained, adding that it also helped refine his sales skills.
He insisted that the next generation of industry leaders remain passionate about creativity despite the threats posed by AI. “I do not think you can do what we and others do if you are not emotional about it,” he said.