Bernbach brought humanity and humor to advertising. Remarkable.
Bill Bernbach is the reason I became an adman.
He was the man credited with leading the creative revolution in the 1960′s, working as the CD at Doyle Dane Bernbach in New York City. The agency created legendary campaigns for VW, Avis, American Airlines, Samsonite Luggage, Levi’s Bread, Jamaica Tourism, Chivas Regal and dozens more.
The Volkswagen Beetle campaign is the one that inspired me to pursue advertising. Each ad read like a friend politely telling the truth, admitting faults, having a wry sense of humor and encouraging empathy.
The VW ads did not boast, they merely spoke in an interesting and human way. They stood out like a splotch of red paint on a gray canvas because advertising at the time was mostly bombastic chest-thumping and flowery, adjective-heavy B.S.
Bernbach brought humanity and humor to advertising, and for a young man who loved to write but didn’t much like the idea of being a starving artist, Bill B. became a beacon for the career path that I would pursue.
When I got out of college, I quickly went to New York to see if I could get into DDB. Nope. I couldn’t even get through the gatekeepers. Of course, I can’t blame them. I had nothing to show but my enthusiasm, naiveté and a bad case of hero worship.
I had my own journey to take, and Bernbach was the inspiration.
August 13, 2011 was the centennial celebration of Bill Bernbach’s birth. 100 years ago yesterday, a man was born who changed the game for all.
Bernbach said many great things, and I recently came across one of my favorites: We are too busy measuring public opinion that we forget we can mold it.
Today, those words are truer than ever. As more business people are filled with fear and apprehension, they tend to seek comfort and security in research and numbers. Politicians do the same. They play for the polls.
But Bernbach believed advertising is an art, not a science. Humans are driven by emotion and touching emotion is done through art, not science.
We all need to remember this, practice our art and be more human.
Thanks, Bill.
Amen. I quote his little book all the time. His simple common sense insights and understanding of what we do as ad guys is timeless.
Bernbach was like stage 1 of the rocket for me– off the launching pad.
Ogilvy was stage 2, some guidance– although at times too rigid.
But Gossage was stage 3, the one that gave me inspiration, direction and a newfound source of energy to continue the journey.
Between those three wise men, there is so much to learn.
Thanks for reading and contributing, Michael.
Bill was a very important inspiration for me as a young AE at Doyle Dane Bernbach, where I worked on American Airlines and Scotts Turf Builder. Note it was Doyle Dane Bernbach NOT DDB, and this was in a time when we recognized the importance of the men responsible for caring and creating and crafting. (OK, OK, perhaps not unlike Ames Scullin O’Haire or even Fletcher Martin Ewing, and hey, you guys are in good company, since I did get to work with Bill directly on some American ads I did for the Caribbean, and lo and behold, I have also teamed with Scullin at ASO, and with Ewing at Tracy-Locke – hmmm, are we sensing a pattern here, and it should come as no surprise that I may have been the glue for all your stellar careers! Or not.) Anyway, what I remember most about Bill besides his brilliance, was his candor and his kindness. And his respect and help for Account people. No not Accountants, but “ACCOUNT PEOPLE”, as he respected our hard work in bringing for insights, which was OUR DOMAIN, before the birth of the “Account Planner”. Bernbach helped advertising to reach the heights as noted with ad mentioned for Levy’s and VW, but Bill also used to make things a respectful and even playing field by reminding the Creatives that “every ad they developed WAS NOT at the caliber of a Levy’s”. They should STRIVE to get there each and every time, but also be humble to realize that each effort was not always going to be a perfect gem, and that we all need to rise to the higher occasion “as a team”. This created a level of camaraderie and respect across the board and across the agency. When I was working on the Executive Floor, we had three account teams – the VW folks; the Polaroid team doing the Garner and Hartley campaign, and my American Airlines crew, working on the “Doing What We Do Best” campaign, which ran for some 20 years! Now that was a floor and I hope and I try to be a bridge to others that I work with and always have, to channel the enthusiasm and love for the business that Bill always had – and it was about “the work” and what THE AGENCY craft was all about. Yes, we need to care about the customer and we need to care about the client . . .but you had a feeling back in those days, that the agency was an equally strong entity to the client and customer, and that we believed we were doing something very important for US, the agency to further our craft and our joy for the advertising business – and yes, it is a business . . .but really it is more of “a calling”. Like it was for Bill Bernbach.
Steve, you are proof that the six degrees of separation in advertising are usually just one degree.
Thanks for your remembrances. I can now say I almost knew Bernbach.