Roger Jankowski

Roger Jankowski has always been a disruptive force in marketing. The first in Detroit to recognize the need for a new, more flexible, agency model, he opened his own firm, JankowskiCo, in 1998 and was rewarded for it immediately. Detroit Edison hired the agency to launch its new brand, DTE Energy, and to shepherd it through expansion in the heady days of deregulation. With full marketing responsibilities for all facets of DTE’s business (consumer, B-to-B, foundation and all subsidiaries), the partnership flourished and more clients followed: Cranbrook Institute of Science, University of Michigan, Karmanos Cancer Institute, LaSalle Bank, Oakland Community College, and others. Prior to that, Jankowski worked at McCann – first as creative director, spearheading the creation of a new division devoted entirely to retail advertising; and then as senior vice president over Buick’s two flagship brands: Park Avenue and Riviera. His re-launch of the Park Avenue earned a coveted Effie for the agency. Earlier in his career, he worked in Los Angeles and New York. He was the creative director at Sotheby’s, the international auction house, studied acting, appeared on soaps and achieved some small success writing for sitcoms. After running a successful agency for 20 years, Jankowski turned his talents to assisting nonprofit organizations; first as creative director at Art Ops, a full service company supporting local arts organizations, and then as the director of marketing and communications at Loyola High School, overseeing all marketing, advertising, communications, and press relations for this Catholic high school in northwest Detroit.  Today he focuses on writing and providing start-ups and established companies with marketing expertise. Jankowski attended Wayne State University and was the recipient of a three-month writing fellowship to the Karolyi Foundation, an artist colony in the south of France. He has won numerous creative awards, including gold medals at the New York Festivals, ADDYs and CLIOs, Best of Show at the London International Awards, and the prestigious Mobius Award.