John Wolfe, communications chief for ANA and former Ad Age editor, dies at 72

John Wolfe, a longtime industry executive and journalist, died this week from lung cancer. He was 72. Wolfe’s career spanned the ad business, where he both chronicled it as the New York bureau chief of Ad Age, and worked in it, with positions at agencies—GroupM—and trade groups—both the 4A’s and the Association of National Advertisers, where he was most recently director of communications. A proud journalist, Wolfe began his career in his native Chicago, where he was a writer for the Associated Press and later the Sun-Times, and would regale people with tales of his reportage, including in his early years covering the trial of John Wayne Gacy. He joined Ad Age in 1984, where he worked for a decade, serving in the London and Chicago offices before becoming New York bureau chief. By then a dyed-in-the-wool New Yorker, Wolfe always had a soft spot in his heart for the Windy City, enthusiastically escorting visiting Ad Age reporters to the famous Billy Goat Tavern and pointing out where legendary newspaper columnist Mike Royko held court. His love of the Chicago Cubs was equally legendary. “John was a journalist to the core, a gentleman in an age of vulgarity, and a generous friend with a heart as big as Manhattan, the Bronx and parts of Westchester County,” said Bob Garfield, an author, media personality and former Ad Age columnist. “He refined the insult to an art form, but from him it was an expression of tenderness. The man was simply a mensch. A tall Catholic mensch. We shared a lot of hijinks and heart-to-hearts, and I cherish every single one of them.” In 1997, Wolfe joined the 4A’s as senior VP and director of public affairs where he remained for six years. Three years later, he moved to an agency himself, as managing partner and director of communications at GroupM, where he remained for eight years. “John was a kind and loyal friend to all who knew him, including me,” said Stephanie Fierman, a former GroupM executive who is now exec VP and chief marketing officer at ANA. “There was always someone in your corner with John. That’s a quality that is not easy to find.” In a LinkedIn post, Fierman wrote of Wolfe: “I met him in 2010, I think, in a hilarious encounter during which he interviewed me for the wrong job. We both agreed I would have sucked for the job I was not supposed to be interviewing for… and a close bond grew.” Referring to his favorite greeting to friends, Fierman wrote: “Who’s going to call me kiddo now?” The warm and genial Wolfe made many friends in the small world of advertising journalism and PR and forged close bonds with his counterparts at agencies and trade groups. After a brief stint at DiGennaro Communications, he signed on at the ANA in 2015, where he was a familiar face at its events. “John Wolfe was an outstanding professional and an even better gentleman,” said Bob Liodice, CEO of the ANA. “We were blessed to have his unique suite of talents and insights that blended so well with his dry wit and humor. The ANA family will miss John deeply. Our hearts go out to his family and friends.” Wolfe is survived by his wife, Ray Ann, son Terrence and daughter Caitlin.

John Wolfe, communications chief for ANA and former Ad Age editor, dies at 72

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