The self-proclaimed ‘Founding Mother of Minneapolis Advertising’ dishes blunt truths to industry

With tiara, glass of wine and dog Phoebe on her lap, Sue Kruskopf strikes a majestic pose as the self-proclaimed “Founding Mother of Minneapolis Advertising.”

In a series of short videos, Kruskopf — in full regal guise — dispenses snippets of what she calls the “cold, hard truth” to an industry she believes is in need of blunt takes. Just a few examples of her advice: “The reason nobody complains about mediocre advertising is because nobody ever notices mediocre advertising,” and “it’s not the crazy ideas that are risky. It’s the bad ones.”

One of the city’s first female ad agency owners, Kruskopf founded Kruskopf & Co. in 1988, rebranding it as KC Truth in the early 2000s. The purpose of the rebrand — thought up with executive creative director Robb Burnham and director of strategy Mike Cronin — was to put workplace politics aside in favor of great thinking.

“Quit talking in marketing jargon and talk straight to people,” Kruskopf said. “In advertising, you have to be true to who you are. When you can uncover those truths about a brand or a company, truth is the most powerful motivator on Earth. Truth has always been what we stood for and are for. But sometimes, you’d have to call the baby ugly.”

While she has since sold her agency to SixSpeed, a Minneapolis-based independent creative marketing firm, that’s the same spirit behind the “founding mother” videos that some of Kruskopf’s trusted colleagues created. The series debuted nearly a year ago on the Kruskopf & Company account on Vimeo.

“I feel like I’m the oldest person in advertising in this town that’s still working,” said 67-year-old Kruskopf, who was initially nervous about being the center of attention in the videos. “But I’m wiser than ever.”

In September, Kruskopf will aim to use that experience and her vast network as she launches a new consultancy “for clients that want bold thinking.”

“It’s not that different from what I have been doing for 35 years except that it will be part time, and I’ll get to work with some of the amazing talent in this town,” Kruskopf said. “It will center around brand strategy/creative but also include helping clients that are looking for an agency partner.”

She also will help some nonprofits, and she will continue as co-founder of MyWonderfulLife.com, a free site where users can plan their own funerals so “loved ones don’t have to.”

“I still want to stay in the game,” Kruskopf said of the consultancy. “It’s in my blood. I’m not ready to sit in a La-Z-Boy.”

She also is helping clients transition to SixSpeed. Between the two merged entities, clients include 3M, Minnesota Public Radio, Cargill, Twin Cities Orthopedics, Polaris, Red Bull, Titleist and Target.

“I was just looking at where I was in life,” Kruskopf said of her decision to sell. “It was the right opportunity at the right time.”

The way the acquisition unfolded reflects the nature of the advertising community here, said Kruskopf, who had been speaking with industry counterparts about her next chapter. Discussions leading to the acquisition began after she met SixSpeed’s Kevin Reilly at one of the regular gatherings of Twin Cities agency CEOs.

“The one thing about Minneapolis that is so different is that Minneapolis is a very collaborative town,” Kruskopf said. “Everybody wants the future of Minneapolis advertising and marketing to keep rising.”

Something very much on the horizon for the advertising industry: artificial intelligence. Kruskopf said she’s excited for it, not afraid of it.

“People think that it’s going to take away their jobs. It’s only going to make their jobs easier, with inspiration,” she said. “Storytelling is going to become paramount. Because if you don’t have a good idea or a good story, AI is not going to make it better. It’s a good brainstorming tool. But it still requires human intervention. We should embrace it. Because we have no choice. Clients are going to be wanting to know how we use it. It’s really important to stay on top of it.”

KC Truth’s most famous work — recasting former pro wrestler Jesse “the Body” Ventura as Jesse “the Mind” — helped him win election as governor of Minnesota. In one attention-grabbing TV spot late in the 1998 campaign, Ventura sat nude, posed like “The Thinker,” French sculptor Rodin’s iconic statue.

“I couldn’t believe it when it happened,” Kruskopf said of Ventura’s shocking victory. “I was like, ‘He’s governor. Oh my god.’ Proof of advertising working.”

Business “really took off from there in terms of getting a lot of great clients and hiring a lot of great people,” Kruskopf said. But she still prioritized work-life balance, saying it helped her retain employees. Kruskopf herself had two young daughters, one adopted from China and one from Cambodia, with her former husband.

“I thought, I have to be home with my kids after school, and I wanted my co-workers to be able to do that as well,” she said. “Because where else do you get your ideas from? From your personal life. That’s where you have time to think. If you’re working all the time, you don’t have time to think.”

In fact, in her 35 years of running an agency, the culture she created remains one of her biggest achievements.

“In the end, the job of a CEO is building a culture that thrives. I wanted to be an agency that treats other people the way I want to be treated,” she said. “We thrived on great creative, great ideas. Being transparent. I hired great people who stuck around. I’m really, really proud of that legacy.”

Todd Nelson is a freelance writer in Lake Elmo. His e-mail is todd_nelson@mac.com.