Arens William

William F. Arens spent his entire career in the advertising business, and after 35 years in the field he had literally done it all. As an undergraduate at Berkeley he worked part-time as a media rep for a San Francisco radio station, at the University of Paris he held a position with the The New York Times, and upon graduation from Whittier College, he began his career in earnest as a sales rep for various print media.

Within a few years, he changed tracks by taking an account management position at a large San Francisco-based high-tech advertising agency, where he rapidly rose to become the manager of their branch office in San Diego.
An entrepreneur at heart, Mr. Arens soon left that position to form his own agency with a partner, where he was both a principal and the chief creative officer. Specializing in business-to-business and financial accounts, that agency grew in stature and reputation over the years, accumulating many awards for creative excellence.

In 1975 he formed William F. Arens and Associates and began focusing on both national and international accounts. In 1982 he formed one of the early Hispanic agencies, Arens & Guiterrez, as a joint venture between his agency and one of the largest in Mexico. Working with mainstream American Agencies, A&G created Spanish-language advertising for blue chip advertisers including McDonald’s, General Mills, Sav-On Drug-stores, and the California Lottery.

In 1989, Mr. Arens jumped to the client side when he bought a chain of quick-lube stores in San Diego. As chief marketing officer, Mr. Arens was responsible for all the firm’s advertising and promotion. He over-saw the company’s growth in daily revenue as it doubled and then tripled.

Mr. Arens then headed Stratimark Consulting, which specializes in strategic integrated marketing communications consulting for clients in the health care field.

Bill Arens became a leading voice in advertising higher education with the success of his Contemporary Advertising textbook, first published in 1989. Educators and students alike were attracted to his clear, elegant prose and his ability to make difficult concepts and practices accessible and real. The high standard Mr. Arens established over 20 years ago continues to guide the authors of this edition.