In 2001, our unaided awareness was 5%, and our revenues were $320 million. By 2007, awareness grew to 37% and revenues to over $1 billion. I credit a lot of that revenue growth to brand building and I credit a lot of the brand building to CCFC.

Ed Russ
Chief Marketing Officer
Grant Thornton

Ben Counts

Creative Director/Copy

The Catholic nuns at Ben’s grade schools all called him “the school artist,” due to his gift for art and drawing, which he exploited by doing posters for school events, thereby currying their favor and enhancing his grades. This eventually led Ben to advertising.

Ben honed his craft at some of the best shops in the nation, including Leo Burnett, Burrell and DMB&B. His thinking has enhanced such brands as Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Kellogg’s, Procter & Gamble and Anheuser-Busch. Harry Caray even dubbed Ben “the man who made Harry Caray famous” in appreciation of his Cub Fan/Bud Man campaign. At CCFC, his ability to distill complicated thoughts down to a short, memorable message has resulted in “The Salvation Army… We’re Fighting For A Better World,” “Advocate Health Care… Better Healthcare Begins With Listening” and many other campaigns.

Ben’s desire to make the world a better place keeps him passionate about noble causes such as Boys and Girls Clubs, Shriver Center for Poverty Law, the American Cancer Society and more. Other passions are art, theatre, movies, music, songwriting and food.