Firsts

APG published the first How to Plan Advertising handbook.

Stanley Pollitt, former head of research and media at Interpublic agency Pritchard Wood & Patners, co-founded Boase Massimi Pollitt (now DDB). It launched with 11 people, including three account people and three researchers.

Dr. Herta Herzog became one of the founding partners in Jack Tinker & Partners, the industry’s first creative think tank, and then in 1961 was also name chairman of Interpublic’s Marplan research division.

McCann increased its percentage of female officers from zero to 10% in one fell swoop when it promoted four women to VP status in late 1949, warranting both Time magazine and New York Times coverage.

Deutsch’s 1994 ad “Dining Room” for Ikea marked a pivotal moment in advertising as the spot shares TV’s first gay couple.

The holding company award is based on the accumulated points won by the agencies within each group. Ogilvy…

Northeastern bastion of academia and professional sports morphed into a cool adtown thanks to the creative work being produced by agencies that had been around for decades. John Hancock’s “Real Life, Real Answers” (Hill Holliday) and Monster.com’s Super Bowl ad “When I Grow Up” (Mullen) were created in Beantown.

Sure there were some big brands (Target, General Mills) headquartered in the frozen Minnesota metropolis. But, once Pat Fallon opened his legendary shop, eventually the Midwest’s second city became downright trendy.

The 1960s through the late 1980s have been characterized as the “Golden Age of Advertising.” It was a time of big ideas, three-martini lunches and larger-than-life personalities who graced both the society pages and the business columns.

Many call Ogilvy the “Father of Advertising.” A British native, he created his first ad agency in the…

DDB went on to produce legendary ads for Volkswagen and Avis. Legions of creative people still adhere to the “Bernbachian” philosophy of crafting ads.

It’s considered by many to be the most successful presidential ad campaign in history. It was also one of the first. “Prouder, Stronger, Better” – or as it’s commonly referred to, “It’s Morning in America Again” – was written and narrated by the late, great ad exec Hal Riney when he was part of the Tuesday Team, an independent all-star creative team that was formed for late President Ronald Reagan’s reelection campaign.

In November 1941, James Webb Young gave a speech to the 4As, setting a new mission of advertising solely for the benefit of the American public. The War Ad Council was formed the following February, on the heels of America’s entry into World War II. It would be the industry’s way to contribute to the war effort and public interest using some of the sharpest creative minds on Madison Ave.

It was the first Spanish-language commercial ever broadcast in prime time on a major American network. It was also a powerful message of hope, using the simple joy of the game as its vehicle.

In 1956, Vincent T. Cullers set out to change the industry. Specifically, to make it wake up and pay attention to a market it had been underserving for long enough.

There was a time when every American kid knew that if he ate his Wheaties and worked hard, maybe one day he could be just like Michael Jordan. Or Jackie Joyner. Or Billie Jean.

James Montgomery Flagg’s poster of Uncle Sam was just one of 46 illustrations he completed for war efforts before his death in 1960. Dubbed “The most famous poster in the world,” this commanding image of the fictional Uncle Sam pointing his finger directly at the viewer spoke to Americans.

In 1986, she became the first female 4As Chairman of the Board, on which she served till 1988. Beers is known for her strides to help break the glass ceiling for working women, a key topic of her book I’d Rather Be in Charge.

Burger King released Subservient Chicken as a launch for their new chicken sandwich, taking the tagline “Chicken Your Way” to an all too literal place.

The first female copywriter, Helen Lansdowne, was inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame in 1967, three years after her death. Her 1911 line “A skin you love to touch” for a soap ad is considered to be the first use of sex appeal in advertising.

Upon founding Wells, Rich, Greene in 1966, Mary Wells Lawrence became the first woman to found, own, and run a major agency and the first female CEO of a company traded on the Big Board of the New York Stock Exchange.

Turns out Dunkin’ Donuts wasn’t the original fuel for the USA. “America runs on Bulova time” was the line accompanying the first ever (legal and continental) TV commercial. Airing on WNBT on July 1, 1941, the 10-second spot for Bulova Watch Company was simply a graphic and voiceover designed by Biow Company.

After graduating from Barnard College, Phyllis Robinson had various copywriting jobs before securing a spot at Grey Advertising.

On June 4th, 1917, at City Hall in St. Louis, Missouri, the American Association of Advertising Agencies became official.