Rob Sumner comes from a long line of quickwitted advertising people. He’s the third generation, to be exact. His grandfather, G. Lynn Sumner, worked in advertising in New York City and was president of the New York Advertising Club. Both of Rob’s parents worked in advertising on Madison Avenue during the Mad-Men era, and dinnertime conversation at the Sumner house often revolved around campaign ideas and marketing strategies. So it made sense and felt completely natural when Rob grew up and gravitated toward a career in marketing and advertising, too.
Today, Rob serves as the Vice President and Director of Client Services at Aardvark Communications. Although, over the years, his career has taken him from the east coast to the west and back again, he loves North Texas and is happy to call Grapevine his home.
Rob has worked on many memorable ad campaigns over the years but one in the early years of his career still stands out as a favorite. “I worked on a Nike TV commercial featuring Ken Griffey Jr.,” he recalled. “The concept for the spot was Don Mattingly hitting a ball so far that it flew out of Yankee stadium, all the way across the country. Ken Griffey runs across the country to track it down and catches the ball on the beach in California. We filmed the commercial in multiple locations in New York City and California. It was an incredible experience for a young guy in advertising.”
The industry has certainly changed in the years Rob has worked in it. “When I first started in the business, we were creating TV ads, print ads, radio spots and direct mail inserts,” he said. “Now, the vast majority of what we create is digital. We are able to target and measure the impact of our advertising much more accurately than we ever could before.”
Rob is passionate about forging trusting, collaborative relationships with his clients and this is the strength he brings to the Aardvark team. “It’s important to develop that foundation of trust, openness and a mutual desire to do great work,” he said. “When you take the time to do that first, amazing and creative things happen.”
Four fast and final questions…
Hometown?
I lived in Atlanta, Georgia, Hoboken, New Jersey, Portland, Oregon, Santa Monica, California and currently reside in Grapevine, Texas!
Introvert or extrovert?
Extrovert. But I will mysteriously disappear from a gathering when I’m done socializing.
Favorite sport?
NFL football
Pizza or tacos?
Pizza. Thick crust. (All true Texans know the correct answer here is TACOS. But we forgive him for this because he’s such a nice guy!)
Take Your Business to the Next Level with Aardvark
Aardvark Communications offers a full menu of services including public relations, crisis communications management, advertising, digital marketing, creative, media planning & buying, social media, and web design/SEO. We deliver everything from ideation and strategy to development and execution.
“Rolling up my sleeves and helping my clients find creative ways to solve their business problems is such joyful work,” said Rob. “Building relationships based on transparency and trust allows us to do the very best work for our clients.”
If you’re looking for a trusted marketing and communications partner for your business, we want to hear from you! Reach out today.
