Megan Singletary JOMC 170 July 14th, 2006 The Art of Writing Advertising “The Art of Writing Advertising”, by Denis Higgins, is a compilation of conversations with several ‘legends’ of the advertising industry. Personal histories, philosophies, and secrets to success are discussed through face to face interviews conducted by the author with Executives William Bernbach, George Gribbin, Rosser Reeves, David Ogilvy, and Leo Burnett. Bernbach is first to be interviewed, and is briefly characterized as soft spoken, conservatively suited, and smaller than expected. He begins by tracing his pre- advertising history from ghost –writer for the famous, to member of the 1939 World’s Fair research team. After working on the Fair, Bernbach was picked up by an advertising agent, which is how he got into the business. Bernbach states that he finds discipline and ‘freshness’ /originality to be most important in the advertising business- as 85% of ads today go unnoticed, getting attention is crucial. Bernbach also insists that there is no ‘formula’ for becoming a good copywriter- as research advocating use of a strategic, routinized method results in conformity and unoriginal/ unsuccessful advertising. Bernbach believes that the advertiser should not be permitted to regulate the ad or the ad agency, as it limits creativity. Discipline in creativity is emphasized, as it is also necessary to tailor one’s ‘creative’ message to the target audience, and to communicate product benefits in order to make the sale, in addition to creating an ad that is noticeable, provocative, andcreative. Advice for improving skill and creativity is limited to ‘practice and hard work’, as well as a willingness to draw from personal interests for creative inspiration. Commenting on his own methods of running an agency, Bernbach seeks out individuals who possess great talent, though these individual talents are varied, and nurtures their talent in a way that makes use of the individual’s strengths, as opposed to making everyone work on the same tasks in the same way. Few rules are implemented, as Bernbach emphasizes the importance of being flexible yet perceptive in the application of certain techniques. As appropriate application of technique is subject to the demand of circumstance, Bernbach feels that enforcing concrete rules within the agency would be a hindrance, encouraging employees to use good judgment instead. When asked about whether personal beliefs affect willingness to advertise certain products, Bernbach commented that he would not advertise cigarettes for personal reasons. Personal animosity yields a strong negative influence on advertising ability, as one’s viewpoint generally is communicated in an ad regardless of a writer’s intent. He states that while personal influences are instrumental in shaping one’s personality, which consequently affects the quality of their work, the most important element in writing successful ads is the product itself. Just as personal sentiment about a product can yield negative results in advertising, success and fondness, too, go hand in hand. Ohrbach’s department store was Bernbach’s first client, and the campaign ran for a total of 17 years. Bernbach stated that he maintained a ‘very deep relationship’ w/ Mr. Ohrbach, as their long standing camaraderie transformed the Ohrbach’s campaign into ‘more than just an account’.Leo Burnett, also based in New York, bears a strong physical contrast to Bernbach: hard nosed, blustery, and stern. He begins with his personal history- having worked with a printing press in his youth, writing obituaries and then stories. Burnett went to school to study journalism, and was heavily influenced by his wife’s father and by Michigan Professor Fred Newton Scott. Scott encouraged him to read the “New York World” (newspaper), from which he modeled his ‘style’. After school, Burnett was conned into working for the Chicago paper, the “Peoria Journal” by a friend who applied for and got the job under Burnett’s name without consent. Burnett decided to take the job anyway, packed immediately for Detroit, and upon arrival was sent to cover stories from morning until close. While working for the paper, Burnett stayed in contact w/ college friend Owen Winters, who persuaded him to seek employment in the Detroit auto industry. Burnett wrote Fred N. Scott for advice/ leads, and was directed to the Cadillac motor company to work as house magazine writer. Burnett was hired by Cadillac after some discrepancy, became involved in advertising, and was eventually put in charge of the whole department. In his early days at Cadillac, Burnett recalls being assigned to research in the field of undertaking, where he studied the competitive hearse market before joining the Navy during World War 1. After returning from the military, Burnett resumed his position at Cadillac, but foresaw a dismal future under the current managerial and economic conditions. While there, Burnett recalled discovering his favorite ad agency after being assigned to rip favorite ads from a copy of the “Saturday Evening Post”. Finding that the majority were done by the Erwin Wasey office in Chicago, he visited the agency, and convinced them to take the Cadillac/ LaFayette account. While there on business, Burnett became personally acquainted w/ copy ChiefArt Kunder and was reunited with old classmate Obie Winters. After Cadillac, Burnett received an offer, and began working with, Homer McKee, head of the top ad agency in Indianapolis, where he served as head of creative operations. Burnett found writing ad copy to be much more challenging and rewarding than newspaper copy in that it required one to be persuasive and provocative- interesting and convincing, as opposed to just informative. Burnett lived in Indianapolis for years, long enough to raise a family, and understand that Indianapolis offered limited opportunity for career advancement. Around the time of the stock market crash, Burnett, at age 40, moved his family to Chicago to work for the Erwin Wasey agency as head of creative work; a position which he acquired through his connection with Art Kunder. While at Erwin Wasey, Leo Burnett brought co-worker Jack O’Kieffe on board as a writer. From Wasey, Burnett broke off and formed his own agency. When asked about the importance of background knowledge of a product in writing successful ad