Obit: Long-Time Advertising Media Exec Ben Jankowski, Dead At 63

by Joe Mandese , January 29, 2024

Ben Jankowski, a long-time advertiser and ad agency media executive, died Saturday. He was 63.

Jankowski, who headed his own consultancy Modern Media Solutions, and was a senior consultant to R3, since retiring as group head of global media at MasterCard in November 2021, held senior media roles at Omnicom's OMD, Havas' MPG, and Omnicom's BBDO, during a long career in agency media services that began when he joined Grey Advertising as a media planner in 1982.

Last summer, Jankowksi co-authored "Study of In-housing: Strategic Direction, Trends, and Perceptions of Major Brands," which was commissioned by Hudson MX.

2 comments about "Obit: Long-Time Advertising Media Exec Ben Jankowski, Dead At 63".

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Greg Stuart from gregstuart.com, January 30, 2024 at 5:58 a.m.
We'll miss you Ben. So sorry to hear. Prayers to your family.

Greg Stuart
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Gerry D'Angelo from P&G, January 31, 2024 at 3:54 a.m.

Shocked and saddened to hear the news that Ben passed away.

Ben and I worked closely as Co-Chairs of the WFA Media Forum and then on many industry initiatives such as the Global Media Charter, the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, and Cross-Media Measurement. Many of these initiatives would not have made it off the ground without his passion and commitment.

Ben always rolled up his sleeves and threw himself into things with enthusiasm. I fondly recall an anecdote he told me of his time in China, at their equivalent of the television upfronts. It was an in-person auction, and his local counterpart told him he could say or do anything except hold up the paddle he was equipped with for fear of inadvertently bidding on millions of yuan worth of television inventory. Of course, and typically for him, he observed the local decorum, but I always admired his willingness to roll up his sleeves and get stuck in.

When I think of Ben, I think of his generosity. On top of a demanding day job, he was generous with his time in acting as the longest-serving Chair of the WFA Media Forum, almost ten years. He generously took me under his wing and onboarded me when I became his Co-Chair of the WFA Media Forum. He generously agreed to chair the ANA Media Committee and the WFA Media Forum. He was generous in his commitment to teaching the next generation of media professionals at Temple University, his alma mater.

I'll miss him.