You’ve probably already seen the work of advertising executive Karl Lieberman, AS99. He co-created “The Most Interesting Man” campaign for Dos Equis with fellow UD alumnus Brandon Henderson, AS99. Lieberman also penned the 2010 P&G “Thank You, Mom” Olympics campaign, helped bring back “The Colonel” for Kentucky Fried Chicken, and championed the “Dilly Dilly” campaign for Bud Light—again with Henderson—which became a cultural phenomenon.

Since 2016, Lieberman has served as the executive creative director for the New York office of Wieden+Kennedy (W+K), the largest independent advertising agency in the world. As of January 2021, he has taken on the additional role of chief creative officer for the agency’s eight offices in New York, Portland, Amsterdam, Delhi, London, São Paolo, Shanghai and Tokyo. Put simply, he has one of the best jobs in global advertising.

“As a company, we try to be rooted in the truth,” says Lieberman, who has brought in brands such as McDonald's, Ford, KFC, HBO, P&G, Duracell, OkCupid and The Atlantic. “Real human emotions, real thoughts. The truth doesn’t necessarily have to be this super insightful thing. It’s reflected in how consumers see the products in their normal lives.”

While Lieberman was student at UD, faculty in the visual communications program talked about advertising as a career—something he didn’t realize was even a job option. But he credits three UD mentors for his success: Profs. Bill Deering, Martha Carothers and Ray Nichols.

“Their expectations were high, creating an environment where you had to bring something special to class,” Lieberman says. “They opened us up to the world, brought us to ad agencies in New York. Bill pushed me to do an internship in London, and that was my first time outside the U.S.”

The collective impact of these experiences is why, as an alumnus, he has hosted UD seniors wherever he’s worked for 22 years.

“The UD alumni network is incredible,” Lieberman says. “As a student, I would email five people who had real careers in advertising Thursday night and they’d email me back Friday morning with thoughts and advice. I try to really pay that back.”

Lieberman now serves on the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Advisory Council at UD and looks forward to creating more mentorship opportunities for the college.

Opening Doors 

A newly established Wieden+Kennedy Visual Communications Scholarship will support the academic and professional goals of underrepresented Delawareans. 

“We realized that the existing creative paths into a career in advertising weren't facilitating diversity in our offices,” says Karl Lieberman, AS99, chief creative officer at W+K. “The scholarship is about creating paths, opening doors.”

The scholarship will award $60,000 in tuition over four years and provide three summer internships, as well as the option to join W+K full time upon graduation. 

"It’s a huge priority for me personally, and for all of us at Wieden, to make sure underrepresented talent has equal access to a career in the creative industry.”

For more, visit art.udel.edu/WKScholarship.