Rob Weinberg

Madison Avenue veteran ad man Rob Weinberg, self-proclaimed “chief imagineer” of his MarketBuilding Team, enjoys a 30-foot commute from his bedroom to his office in Rancho Bernardo.

“I used to own a New York City ad agency in the ’80s at Gramercy Park,” he recalled. “I had 22 people reporting to me.”

His hefty roster of heavy hitters included such clients as Pfizer Inc. and Chemical Bank, and he “did the whole rat race thing. You know what they say — ‘The rats are winning,’ ” said Weinberg.

These days, he presides over his “virtual corporation” with wife and production manager, Randy Rose.

“I am a copy writer and strategist and account manager,” said Weinberg, who is usually seen sporting a Panama hat. “She is designer, editor and production person. We meet in the middle and have regular meetings.”

They also tap into a “crack” team of illustrators, writers, production and printing people, among others, to serve their clients, many of them from the real estate industry.

“That’s the key to making a virtual agency work well,” he observed. “You have to have the right people. I have two fat Rolodexes next to my computer. I network constantly.”

With his involvement in the Rotary Club, the San Diego North Chamber of Commerce, public speaking, a regular marketing column called “Ask Mr. Marketing,” and a couple of marketing books out, Weinberg is “all over the place.”

He prides himself on being able to marshal his freelance troops at a moment’s notice.

“You have to be able to actually deliver the product or service,” said Weinberg. “We have people in Montreal, New York, Florida, Atlanta and Houston, but the bulk is here.”

As for media, he said that, “We do high-tech, low-tech and no-tech. You have to have a very broad-based knowledge.”

Weinberg defines “no-tech” as networking.

“Word of mouth is the best marketing there is,” he said.