Industrial Wisdom
“Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom.”
– Samuel Taylor Coleridge
DAVE TUTIN
Creative Strategist
Creative Strategy
“Victorious warriors win first then go to war. Defeated warriors go to war first then seek to win.”
– Sun Tzu
It is oddly appropriate that marketing commandeered a word born on the battlefield. Strategy was how wars were won.
Brands as diverse as Adidas and AT&T have benefitted from my strategic thinking. But so too have smaller companies and agencies who needed to temporarily boost their existing strategic capabilities.
Strategy, not just creativity, is most likely to ensure success. Only when your strategy is rock solid should you harness creativity to communicate it.
Creative Writing
“Aim for the company of immortals.”
– David Ogilvy
Starting as a copywriter in London I was mentored and trained by some great advertising minds. I ultimately followed in their footsteps to become an Executive Creative Director.
One highlight among many was helping to take what was then a staid packaged goods agency – Grey New York – into the world of tech, telecom and services through the creation of darkGrey, a bi-coastal agency-within-an-agency. Building the team from scratch, we brought in hundreds of millions of dollars worth of new business.
We find ourselves in an era where razor-sharp thinking and refreshing creativity seem harder to find than they once were. Automation through digital platforms and digital media seem to have diminished the quality of communications rather than enhanced them. It doesn’t have to be this way.
Creative Direction
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
– John Quincy Adams
It’s the greatest thrill. When you find yourself up against agencies you respect in a competitive pitch for an account. Every agency believes it will win. But only one can.
There is a path to success. And I like to think it’s a path I know well. I have led dozens of teams in the successful pursuit of new business.
I can coach your agency team to be better presenters, to be better meeting managers, to be, simply, a better team. I will not say I can always improve the work but I may well be able to focus it, to make it work that wins.
Sometimes, great things happen when impartial leadership comes from outside your day-to-day organizational structure.
Creative Teaching
“The best teachers are those who show you where to look but don’t tell you what to see.”
– A. K. Trenfor
There is nothing that gives me more pleasure than passing on what I have learned. I do this automatically through every business encounter, every strategic discussion. But I also do it more formally through teaching.
For several years I was an Adjunct Professor with Gaylord College at Oklahoma University. It offers one of the most respected advertising courses in the country and routinely places students in jobs with top agencies.
I have lectured at other schools and institutions and, among other things, I offer seminars on the use of storytelling for agencies and their clients.
Letters of Recommendation:
—Professor Debbie Yount
—Dean Ed Kelley
CREATIVE Experience
“The value of experience is not in seeing much, but in seeing wisely.”
– William Osler
I have worked for major advertising agencies including J.Walter Thompson, Grey Global Group and McCann. For McCann, I traveled the world holding Creative Director positions in London, Hong Kong, New York and San Francisco. In addition, I have lived and worked in Santa Fe, Portland, Honolulu, Philadelphia, and now Wilmington, Delaware.
I have worked in almost every product and service category.* My former agency clients and independent projects include Coca-Cola, UPS, Goodyear, Oracle, AT&T, BellSouth, HP, Microsoft, Intel, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Nokia, American Bankers Association, Unisys, California Milk Advisory Board, Dunlop-Slazenger, Lotus Cars, General Motors, Cisco, Cisco Investments, Verizon, Adidas, UCLA, Staple Cotton Cooperative, multiple start-ups, and more.
When not tackling strategic marketing challenges, I am a singer-songwriter, poet and author. My work can be explored at davetutin.com.
I am an Awarded Member of D&AD (UK), a member of SAG-AFTRA (USA) and a member of ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers). I am over 70 and proud of it. I think ageism has robbed marketing and advertising of vast stores of talent. I have no problem blending with teams half my age and less. I learn from them as they learn from me.
*The only industries I choose not to engage with are Tobacco and Pharmaceuticals.
Praise
“When the stakes are high and the vision needs more than execution – it needs brilliance – Dave consistently delivers. His ability to translate complex briefs into grounded ideas that captivate and inspire is why I keep coming back. He’s not just a creative director; he’s a trusted collaborator who elevates every project he touches.”
James Rice – Founder of Fiction Tribe
“Dave has a remarkable ability to compress a story and a mission down to its core, and then transform it into something that strongly resonates in the way that you want it to.”
Joe Morgan – President of Waya Health
“Dave was able to breathe life into our website and the overview that we prepared for potential donors. We provided flat project descriptions, and Dave captured our vision with vibrant prose.”
Helena Hanson – Professor, UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine
“Dave has helped our company on a number of marketing projects. His ability to craft and refine concepts that resonate on a deep human level is truly remarkable. He not only highlights the value of your solutions, but also elevates your brand in a way that is authentic and impactful.”
Rahul Patel – Co-founder Waya Health
“I’ve personally seen his intelligence and creativity come to bear on a problem and witnessed a thoughtful and elegant solution emerge.”
Steve Centrillo – Marketing Consultant
“Dave understands intuitively that teaching is more than passing on information. His years of strategic and creative experience prepare students for the work world, potentially shaping their lives not just their knowledge.”
Debbie Yount – Advertising Professor
“Working with Dave is an inspired journey. Through the substance of his insights, both strategic and creative, his ability to constantly produce new ideas even in the largely automated world of modern marketing, Dave really sees possibilities others miss.”
George Vakoutis – EVP, Fiction Tribe
“Dave brings to the digital space something it so often lacks: an almost obsessive focus on quality of communication, not just quantity”
Landon Pollack – Investor
Contact
“Help will always be given to those who ask for it.”
– Albus Dumbledore
INDUSTRIAL WISDOM
Dave Tutin LLC (dba Industrial Wisdom) is a Delaware based single member LLC., but Dave works with clients both national and international and is happy to travel as needed or work via conferencing apps.
Website words and images
© 2025 Dave Tutin
Website design by Alchemy Graphics.