J. Scott Franks, charismatic advertising executive, dies at 68

J. Scott Franks, 68, of Downingtown, a prominent Philadelphia advertising executive, died Wednesday, Feb. 17, of complications from a stroke at Penn Hospice at Rittenhouse.

A charismatic ideas man who specialized in collaboration, creativity, and versatility, Mr. Franks ran his own consulting firm after working more than 25 years in top executive roles at several big companies.

He was president, senior vice president, and management director at Ketchum Advertising for nine years; senior vice president at Earle Palmer Brown for two years; CEO, chairman, and chief operating officer at Tierney Communications for 10 years, and COO at Azuna LLC for seven years.

He had a zest for challenges and a personal charm that drew people and companies to his many projects.

“He was a tremendous leader,” said Brian Tierney, who hired Mr. Franks at Tierney Communications in 1996 and is on The Inquirer’s board of directors. “He understood the big presentations. He was a real advertising pro who got the strategic part.”

“He could light up a room,” said his daughter, Nancy Franks Newman. “Even his tone of voice was inspiring. He was able to navigate through his career, and jump on opportunities.”

In his later years, after opening his own consulting firm in 2013, Mr. Franks spent time with his adult daughters, Suzanne and Nancy, and his new grandson, Jonathan Scott. He also tried to improve his golf game, which he didn’t pick up until he was over 50.

Mr. Franks’ wife of 37 years, Maureen, died of lung cancer in 2012.

“He was the best dad, and my biggest supporter, and my mentor,” his daughter Nancy said. “He was selfless.”

Among Mr. Frank’s notable work at Tierney Communications was a $15 million brand launch in 2000 of Exelon Corp, which had become the nation’s largest utility company. He was also instrumental in big deals with, among others, Advanta and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.

In one memorable multi-firm negotiation with Verizon, Mr. Franks and others cooked up the idea of hiring circus clowns to greet the Verizon executives in the parking lot as they arrived for a meeting at a rival ad firm.

“He had a great sense of humor,” Tierney said.

Jeffery Scott Franks was born on April 6, 1952, in Danville, Pa., and grew up with his brother, Mark, in Harrisburg. A track athlete at Central Dauphin High School, he earned a bachelor’s degree in communications at West Chester University in 1974. As a celebrated college debater, he showed the interpersonal skills that would define his career.

Mr. Franks met his wife at West Chester, proposed to her after graduation, and they married in 1975. She was a history teacher, and he liked her energy and openness. “I can only aspire to have the love they had,” daughter Nancy said.

At first, Mr. Franks worked at the Chambers of Commerce in Valley Forge. He joined Ketchum in 1985 when it became apparent that his skills at networking, storytelling, and working with others were a perfect fit for advertising, marketing, and public relations.

Over his career, Mr. Franks helped launch or restage more than 100 regional, national, and global brands, including DuPont, Commerce Bancorp, ABC Sports, Pizza Hut, Independence Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Unisys, Sunoco, McDonald’s, and Lincoln Financial Corp.

Off the clock, Mr. Franks liked action movies and car shows. He liked to swim, so he had a house built in Downingtown with a backyard pool. The family spent many summers at Ocean City, N.J., where he preferred to relax on the deck when his wife and daughters took to the beach.

He went on cruises with family, played golf with friends at the Downingtown Country Club, and moaned all week when the Eagles lost. When he told stories, he liked to add little details and asides to keep his listeners engaged and entertained.

“Outnumbered” by his wife and two daughters over the years, he was delighted when Nancy and son-in-law Benjamin Martinez Newman had a son in 2019. “He was so excited it was a boy,” his daughter said.

Mr. Franks is survived by his daughters, grandson, brother, son-in-law, and other relatives.

A service is scheduled for Saturday, March 6, at 12:30-2:30 p.m. at the Donohue Funeral Home, 366 West Lancaster Ave., Wayne, Pa. 19087. A prayer service is to follow. Interment is private.