# John Gerzema

> John Gerzema is the CEO of The Harris Poll, one of the most recognized names in American public opinion and market research. A four-time author and New York Times bestseller, he built a career turning consumer data into early warnings about cultural change, from the post-2008 values shift to the case for traditionally feminine leadership traits. He spent decades inside ad agencies like Fallon and Young & Rubicam before taking the helm of Harris in 2017, where he now turns weekly polling into a running read on the American mood.

- **Role:** CEO at The Harris Poll
- **Organizations:** The Harris Poll, Harris Insights & Analytics, BAV Consulting, Young & Rubicam, Fallon Worldwide, Campbell Mithun, Athena Center for Leadership Studies, Barnard College
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A., Marketing, Ohio State University, M.S., Integrated Marketing, Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University
- **Known for:** Four-time author with multiple New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers, CEO of The Harris Poll, a brand synonymous with American public opinion since 1963, Co-author of The Athena Doctrine, built on a 64,000-respondent survey across 13 countries

## Career timeline

- **1987** — Joined Campbell Mithun as an account supervisor handling blue-chip brands.
- **1992** — Joined Fallon Worldwide and co-founded account planning at Fallon Minneapolis.
- **1997** — Became planning director and managing partner of Fallon New York.
- **2004** — Joined Young & Rubicam as Chief Insights Officer, overseeing planning, research, and analytics.
- **2008** — Published The Brand Bubble, documenting a $4 trillion gap between brand value and consumer perception.
- **2009** — Delivered the TED talk 'The Post-Crisis Consumer.'
- **2010** — Published Spend Shift with Pulitzer winner Michael D'Antonio.
- **2011** — Became Executive Chairman of BAV Consulting, steward of the BrandAsset Valuator.
- **2013** — Published The Athena Doctrine, a NYT and WSJ bestseller, based on a 64,000-person global survey.
- **2014** — Inducted into the Medill Hall of Achievement; named a Top 100 Thought Leader in Trustworthy Behavior.
- **2017** — Became CEO of Harris Insights & Analytics, parent of The Harris Poll.

## Achievements

- Four-time author with multiple New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers
- CEO of The Harris Poll, a brand synonymous with American public opinion since 1963
- Co-author of The Athena Doctrine, built on a 64,000-respondent survey across 13 countries
- Inducted into the Medill Hall of Achievement (2014)
- Named one of the Top 100 Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Behavior by Trust Across America (2014)
- Named one of Forbes' Must-Follow Marketing Minds on Twitter (2014)
- Fellow with the Athena Center for Leadership Studies at Barnard College
- Creator and steward of the BrandAsset Valuator, one of the world's largest brand databases

## Latest updates

- **2025-12** — Continues to publish and host 'America This Week,' The Harris Poll's running read on US society and culture, as CEO.
- **2025-01** — Covered CES 2025 in Las Vegas, noting AI had become central to product and service innovation.

## Links

- Website: https://theharrispoll.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johngerzema
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/johngerzema
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sy6P5YSVo

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/john-gerzema
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-04