Scott Miller

Scott Miller

After graduating from Washington & Lee University, and a five-minute shot at the AFL, Scott Miller began work in advertising and then political consulting.

As Creative Director of McCann- Erickson in New York, where he lead the creative work for such clients as Coca-Cola and Miller Brewing, Sony, L’Oreal and many others. Mr. Miller won every major award for creative excellence in the advertising industry, including many Clio Awards and a Lion d’Or from the Cannes Film Festival.

In 1979 he founded Sawyer/Miller Group with David Sawyer. This strategic consulting group developed communications strategy for many political campaigns, corporations and institutions. Among Sawyer/Miller Group’s clients: Corazon Aquino, Vaclav Havel, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Miller Brewing, Boris Yeltsin, Drexel Burnham Lambert, Kim Dae Jung, Goldman-Sachs, Apple Computer, Virgilio Barco, USA for Africa/Hands Across America, Lech Walesa and The Better World Foundation. Sawyer/Miller also advised over 40 U.S. candidates for Governor or Senator and several Presidential campaigns.

Steven Jobs of Apple Computer hired Sawyer/Miller in the 1980’s. He asked for a strategy for their competition with IBM and Microsoft – based on the insurgent strategic principles SMG was developing and learning in politics. That work with Apple created the strategic foundation for Scott’s Core Strategy Group, which he founded with Sergio Zyman in 1991.

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Over the past several years, he has worked on developing communications, marketing and branding strategies for clients like McDonalds, Verizon, CitiGroup, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Google, News Corp., Johnson & Johnson, Highfields Capital, Gannett, World Wildlife Fund, Rio Tinto, Cox Newspapers, Women & Co., Pepsico, The Newspaper Association of America, The Southern Company, American Express, The Home Depot, our Special Operations Military Command and The Walt Disney Company.

He has continued his work in politics. In 2012 Scott founded RealLeader.com with Pat Caddell and Bob Perkins, and in 2013 worked on First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Partnership for a Healthier America” initiative. During the 2014 elections, he, Pat and Bob founded “WeNeedSmith.com” and “A Promise to America”.

Early in 2016 their research predicted the victory of Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton -- an outlandish idea to the establishment (and still is). The messaging developed for WeNeedSmith.com informed the effective campaign themes and political narrative of that insurgent, as he won the Republican nomination and went on to defeat Ms. Clinton.

In addition to The Leadership Campaign, Miller wrote Building Brandwidth with Sergio Zyman, The Underdog Advantage with David Morey and One More Customer with Fran Tarkenton.

Former Editor of the Times of London James Harding’s book Alpha Dogs is based on Miller’s work in politics. Scott is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He was included on several Who’s Who lists over the years, before realizing the listing is basically a marketing scam. Nevertheless, to his great embarrassment, he bought one faux marble plaque.

Scott Miller lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife Denise. His sons Tyler and Brett live in Brooklyn, New York.