TAMPA – Over 100 USF business students, most eager to get a foothold into the competitive
marketing and advertising world, flocked to the Judy Genshaft Honors College on Friday
to hear from an industry icon.
Advertising mogul Jordan Zimmerman, founder of Zimmerman Advertising, sat down for
an hour-long fireside chat led by University of South Florida President Moez Limayem.
The 60-minute conversation covered a slew of topics — everything from the state of
AI to why he decided to buy his company back from Omnicom.
Zimmerman began the discussion by talking about his early years. His bootstrap narrative
began while sleeping on the sofa in the back room of his parents’ house in Sunrise,
Florida. He said he thought he had written a good business plan, but he wasn’t able
to move out until six and a half years later, when he started his life in a small
apartment.
“Sacrifice. That is the way to truly get ahead,” he told the packed crowd. “What I
learned is that you never want to look back and say, ‘I wish I could have’. There’s
a lot of sacrifice between the vision and the accomplishment.”
In 1984, Zimmerman founded Zimmerman Advertising and, in 1999, sold it to the Omnicom
Group. The agency has become a worldwide leader in the advertising sector, known for
its innovation, creativity, and data-driven approach. It outperformed other Omnicom
agencies, so after more than two decades, he decided to buy it back.
“Being able to buy Zimmerman back after 26 years is truly a blessing to me,” he said.
“I wanted to move faster. I want to get my independence (back) again because I wanted
to do better work for our clients. It's never about money. It's about independence.”
I had about $10,000 to start my dream, and a lot of people told me what I couldn’t do. So do not listen to the ‘No-Man’. If I did it, anyone could do it. It takes perseverance and sacrifice.
Jordan Zimmerman
He also assured the roomful of students that AI will not take away jobs.
“AI doesn’t do our work. AI gives us input to do great work. You bring ideas to life,”
he said.
USF students Ella Collarino and Kyle Campbell recapped their summer experiences as
interns at Zimmerman Advertising.
“It’s incredible the things we learned,” said Collarino, who is set to graduate with
a marketing degree in December. She said she was given six mentors, and even an employee
who was not her mentor would give her two hours of his time each day. At the end of
her internship, she received a full-time job offer and will be starting at Zimmerman
in January.
Her biggest advice to fellow students: Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort
zone.
“You need to have your own sense of initiative. Always work hard and network,” she
said.
Campbell, a junior majoring in advertising, said his internship was a once-in-a-lifetime
experience. He said the team spent about four weeks on data and strategy before doing
any creative. He reiterated Collarino’s advice. “Nothing bad ever came from trying
a new experience,” he said.
Zimmerman ended the fireside chat by encouraging students to dream and to take inspiration
from his story of success.
“I had about $10,000 to start my dream, and a lot of people told me what I couldn’t
do,” he said. “So do not listen to the ‘No-Man’. If I did it, anyone could do it.
It takes perseverance and sacrifice.”