Linda Kaplan Thaler

Advertising Hall of Famer, Branding Expert, Marketing Visionary, Bestselling Author, Entrepreneur

Topics: Branding & Marketing, Creativity, Storytelling, Best Selling Author, Business, Business Growth, Business Leadership, Communication, Customer Experience, Entrepreneur, Innovation, Leadership, Media, Personal Development, Sales, Success, Thought Leadership, Women Leaders

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Biography

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Linda Kaplan Thaler is one of America’s most influential advertising and marketing visionaries, celebrated for her groundbreaking campaigns and contributions to the industry. With a career marked by creativity, innovation, and business success, Linda Kaplan Thaler built an agency that achieved over $2 billion in billings, serving major clients like Aflac, Wendy’s, Clairol, and Toys “R” Us. Known for her inventive approach, Linda Kaplan Thaler and her team created iconic campaigns such as the feisty Aflac Duck, Clairol’s daring “Yes! Yes! Yes!” for Herbal Essences, and the enduring jingle “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up, I’m a Toys ‘R’ Us Kid.” Her work has defined and elevated brand identities across industries, establishing her as a pioneer of memorable and effective advertising.

In addition to her advertising achievements, Linda Kaplan Thaler is a sought-after media commentator, often sharing insights on branding, marketing, leadership, and personal growth. She has appeared on CNN, TODAY, Good Morning America, Fox News, and even The Apprentice. She also hosted Oxygen’s Making It Big reality series and was a judge on Mark Burnett’s Jingles. Linda’s impact extends to the political arena as well, having contributed to presidential advertising teams for both Bill and Hillary Clinton’s campaigns.

Linda Kaplan Thaler’s creative contributions go beyond advertising jingles. She is also a talented improvisational performer, trained at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade, and frequently leads improvisational sessions for corporate teams across the country. Her experience in theatrical improvisation enriches her approach to brand storytelling, helping clients find fresh ways to engage audiences and stand out in a crowded marketplace.

As a New York Times bestselling author, Linda Kaplan Thaler has co-written several acclaimed books on business, leadership, and creativity with her longtime collaborator, Robin Koval. Together, they’ve published influential titles such as Bang! Getting Your Message Heard in a Noisy World, The Power of Small: Why Little Things Make All the Difference, and The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World with Kindness. Their latest book, Grit to Great, was recognized as one of the top business books of 2015. It has inspired countless readers with its message on the transformative power of resilience and determination.

A renowned speaker, Linda Kaplan Thaler has delivered keynotes at major conferences for companies such as Wendy’s, Citibank, Wells Fargo, Virtuoso Travel, and Procter & Gamble. Her thought-provoking talks, infused with humor and real-world insights, have captivated audiences at prominent universities, including Yale, Baruch, Pace, Columbia, and the Colin Powell School at CCNY. Linda Kaplan Thaler’s influence as an author and speaker has made her a trusted voice for organizations seeking fresh perspectives on leadership, teamwork, and brand excellence.

Linda Kaplan Thaler’s ability to create campaigns that resonate emotionally with audiences has made her a trailblazer in advertising, with work that continues to shape industry standards and consumer expectations. Her accolades, national media presence, and status as an Advertising Hall of Famer highlight a career dedicated to both creativity and business impact.

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Videos

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How to Go from Grit to Great

Based on her bestselling book, “Grit to Great,” Ms.Thaler reveals that the world’s most extraordinary successful people were completely ordinary growing up. In fact, their meteoric rise had little to do with an “it” factor- a brilliant IQ or virtuoso talents- and everything to do with having the “grit” factor- guts, resilience, initiative and tenacity. Through myriad interviews and cutting-edge research, Linda illustrates why grit is the most important determinant of future success and offers tips on how anyone can improve their concentration, perseverance and determination.

The Power of Nice, In the Age of Mean

Based on her national best seller, “The Power of Nice,” Ms. Thaler’s research and insights have discovered that the secret sauce of most effective leaders is kindness, empathy, and a collaborative spirit. Counter to the current “eat your young in order to survive” mentality, being nice leads to a better bottom line, a longer life span, fewer divorces and a thriving corporate culture. Learning how to build a stronger “Nice Q,” will help you become far more successful, in work and in life.

The Power of Small: Why Little Things Make All the Difference

Contrary to the popular belief that we need to see the “forest through the trees,” the most important innovations and discoveries came to fruition because people understood that, in fact, it is the little things that make all the difference. Through research, interviews and personal stories, Linda discusses the little things that truly make a huge difference in our lives, whether it’s the importance of small talk, celebrating small victories or paying attention to the detailed information that can make, or break, your career trajectory.

Bang! Getting Your Message Heard in a Noisy World

Having created one of America’s fastest growing and most successful ad agencies, Linda discusses the importance of creating huge, disruptive ideas in an ever increasingly cluttered world. Based on her national bestseller, “Bang!” Linda offers valuable tips on how to create messaging that is dramatic, memorable, talked about, and will help your brand to achieve iconic status in today’s world.

Playing Around at Work

Contrary to what you might believe, many of the world’s most important discoveries, inventions, and marketing ideas came about when people were joking around and just having fun. When we’re in a positive and playful mood, that’s when our brains are most conducive to imaginative thoughts and breakthrough solutions.

Based on interviews, insights and personal stories, Ms. Thaler will discuss the role of playfulness in the workplace, as well as in our personal lives, while engaging the audience with entertaining exercises they can use to spur creativity and breakthrough ideas.

Testimonials

We get the best speakers in the world for our C-Suite Network Conferences. We hold our speakers to the highest bar of excellence. Linda Kaplan Thaler is at the top. She engaged our audience with her wit and insights. Her stories of hard work and perseverance not only inspired our audience of top business leaders but gave them tools they could use right away. Linda is a pleasure to work with and we highly recommend her as a world class speaker.

– Jeffrey Hayzlet, Chairman, C-Suite Network

Linda was brilliant in her ability to inspire and motivate, leaving our entire audience asking for more.

– Diane Petras, CEO, The Travel Institute

Linda’s passion and message was a hit with our audience of entrepreneurs – it connected at a deep personal level. She inspired and energized our Forum kick-off which elevated the energy for the rest of the program. Many commented it was one of the best keynotes we’ve had at a Virtuoso event, and given our who’s who line-up, that’s saying a lot.

– Matthew Upchurch, CEO, Virtuoso Travel Advisors

Linda’s keynote set the perfect opening for our Franchise Convention.

– Liliana Esposito, CCO, Wendy’s

Witty, warm and smart, Linda is the real deal. Sharing her catalogue of extraordinary life experiences, personal insights and independent research, Linda instantly established credibility with our delegates and connected on a personal level drawing a full spectrum of emotion from inspiration to laughter and tears. A truly authentic motivational delivery and a hit with our audience.

– David W. Johnston, President & CEO, The Canadian Association for Pharmacy Distribution Management

Linda gave a stellar keynote that made the day!

– Andy Sernovitz, CEO, SocialMedia.org

Linda is a terrific speaker. Linda was able to articulate one of my fundamental managing tenets- be nice. She’s inspiring and she captured the imagination of my team. Hers is a most refreshing approach.

– Len Fogge, President, Marketing & Digital, NBC Entertainment