Roy Spence is Chairman and CEO of GSD&M Idea City, a leading national marketing communications and advertising company founded in 1971.

     Through their philosophy called Purpose-based Branding,™ GSD&M Idea City and their Purpose Institute division help organizations identify, simplify and articulate their purpose—the fundamental difference they’re trying to make in the world. The agency’s roster of purpose-based clients includes: Southwest Airlines, Wal-Mart, the Clinton Global Initiative, MasterCard, BMW, John Deere, L. L. Bean, Kohler, American Legacy Foundation, AARP, Hallmark, Lennox, Norwegian Cruise Line, PGA TOUR, American Red Cross, World Market, AT&T, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Marshalls, the United States Air Force, Cancer Treatment Centers of America and Compass Bank.

     Roy has been named Ad Man of the Year, Idea Man of the Century and University of Texas Distinguished Alumnus, among other accolades. He is the author of It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Stand For, with Haley Rushing (Penguin Portfolio, 2009.

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