You may be shocked to discover that advertising is the world’s second-oldest profession. We’ll not mention the oldest.
We all enjoyed the AMC’s TV drama Mad Men which featured the lives of advertising executives in 1950s New York City. The star of the show is the most famous creative director Don Draper.
However, have you ever wondered about the real Don Drapers who changed the advertising industry?
No, not Dick Whitman! Sorry, non-Mad Men fans. And it’s not Jon Hamm, an actor who plays him. We mean the actual advertising executives on which the show is based.
In this article, you’ll learn about the ‘real world’ of advertising executives who transformed the advertising industry into what it is today.
1. John Webster
John Webster was not the kind of creative director who was a “leader of Ad Men”.
No, he was the type of guy who quietly went about his business producing some of the most inspiring and genius commercials ever.
He worked for the Ad firm, Boase Massimi Pollitt in London, England.
When he died in 2006 he was described as “the best TV commercials creator in Britain”.
The Guardian Newspaper went further. They said he was “the greatest TV advertising author of the late 20th century”.
That definitely puts him at the top of the advertising world since the talent for commercials wasn’t so tough in the early 20th century.
Remember Cadbury’s Smash Martians advert? What about The Gertcha marketing campaign about Courage Beer?
No, you wouldn’t. But check out this documentary to refresh your memory about one of the greatest in the business.
2. Lee Clow
Now that’s the top Brit out of the way, what about in the United States?
Remember the 2006-2009 “Get a Mac” campaign?
The backdrop is a white background, in which two guys introduce themselves as “Hello, I’m a Mac” and “And I’m a PC”.
The advertising campaign effectively presented Mac as the cool and creative computer on the market, against the slower and boring PC. Adweek called it the “Complete Campaign“.
That was Chow’s marketing genius.
The ad man became a close associate of Steve Jobs as the two worked together on a number of ad campaigns for Apple.
The Ad guru could always be found laying back on his seat in the office wearing his trademark flip-flops and shorts.
3. David Ogilvy
Many creative directors are so influential in their advertising agency that they leave their touch on everything about the culture of the organization.
That’s exactly David Ogilvy did.
Ogilvy introduced a scientific approach to understanding what kinds of advertising work and what doesn’t.
He was influenced by the work of pollsters, such as George Gallup, to understand his audience.
Ogilvy is the mind behind the campaign for Dove which said:
“Only Dove is one-quarter moisturizing cream”
He’s also the advertising genius which led to the memorable:
“At 60 miles an hour, the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock”.
Occasionally, when you see a modern campaign, you can see the imprint Ogilvy had on the art of copywriting.
4. Colin Millward
Back across the Atlantic to Colin Millward.
Although he’s not quite world-famous as the other three above, don’t underestimate his influence on the industry.
Millward was the mastermind behind campaigns which include Harvey’s Bristol Cream and Cinzano.
However, the most lasting influence of Millward is how he inspired a whole host of advertising talent in his career.
The film director and screenplay writer, Alan Parker started off in advertising under Millward. While the film producer of Chariots of Fire, David Puttnam was also impassioned by Millward’s work.
Charles Saatchi, the founder of Saatchi & Saatchi, claimed that “without Colin Millward, I would still be delivering groceries in Willesden”.
Whether this is true or not, it can’t be denied that Millward changed the lives of many in the industry.
5. David Droga
Many creative directors stay in one place. They gradually build up an agency from nothing. They imprint their own style on the organization.
It seems David Droga couldn’t stay in one place.
He started off in Sydney, Australia, he moved to Singapore, before moving to London until settling in New York. He has set up Droga5, which has risen to the top of the advertising industry.
Check out what David Droga thinks are the most innovative and successful advertising campaigns his agency has overseen.
He introduced an advertising approach which created partnerships which previously didn’t exist. Most famously, this was done by linking up Microsoft’s Bing Maps with Jay-Z’s release of his biography.
What he misses from the list is the iconic “Newcastle Brown Ale” commercial. This Ad was named the Inc Magazine’s 10 most Compelling Ad Campaigns of the Decade in 2015.
6. William Bernbach
William Bernbach set the foundations for modern advertising. In the early post-war period, the advertising industry was stale and old-fashioned. He “changed the history of advertising“.
Bernbach and DDB were a large part of transforming the advertising world kicking and screaming into the 1960s.
Simple things that are common sense now are Bernbach’s influence.
For example, Bernbach got the copywriters and the art directors to speak to each other more. He even put them in the same room to spark creative juices.
Bernbach was all about simplicity. Every piece of copy appeared simple and minimalist. His approach made advertising look effortless.
7. John Hegarty
The co-founder of Saatchi & Saatchi, John Hegarty has built a reputation as one of the stylish people working in the advertising business.
He’s produced numerous examples of stunning work for Levi, Johnnie Walker, and British Airways.
Hegarty was awarded a Knighthood in 2007 which just shows the admiration that exists for this special talent in his home country.
However, lately, Hegarty has warned about how creativity in the industry is under threat due to the obsession with data about the audience. And when Hegarty, the whole industry of advertising listens to what he has to say.
8. Dan Wieden
Wieden’s advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy believed in ripping up the rule book of advertising.
He was the rebel of advertising.
Wieden is responsible for perhaps the most famous slogan and advertising campaign which continues to shape the industry today.
Wieden has a talent for slogans in-house. Such as “fail harder” and “we will bend over backwards, we will not bend over forward”. However, he didn’t keep it all inside the agency.
Wieden also coined Nike’s “Just Do It” slogan. Perhaps the most memorable and effective slogan in the history of advertising. Even though the slogan was coined in 1988, thirty years later it still feels fresh and modern.
Since then, Wieden and his advertising agency have risen to new heights. They have taken on a number of famous brands from Bud light to Spotify to great success.
9. David Lubars
Many advertising executives have one or two awesome marketing ideas over the years. Only Lubars seemed to have an endless supply.
On the back of the BMW campaigns, he showed the advertising world that commercials have the potential to reach the quality of Hollywood movies. Lubars won the first ever Titanium Award at Cannes for his BMW commercials.
He has since gone onto bigger and better things by moving across to BBDO. The agency has been awarded the agency of the year for two years in a row in 2017 and 2018 respectively.
Check out the Moutain Dew campaign or Snickers commercial to see the latest work by this superb advertising brainbox. BBDO recruit Sir Elton John for the “you’re not yourself when you’re hungry” campaign to hilarious effect.
10. Mary Wells Lawrence
Unfortunately, for most of the history of advertising, women have been shut out of the industry. Even now, around 97 percent of creative directors in the advertising business are men.
However, the 3 percent are speaking up for the role women are increasingly playing shaping in marketing in the future.
Probably the most famous female name in advertising is Mary Wells Lawrence. She was the first woman CEO of a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Older readers will remember the Alka Seltzer’s “Plop, plop, fizz, fizz”. This was the work of Mary Wells Lawrence.
And surely, when an advertising slogan doesn’t even seem to be a slogan anymore. That’s the case with Mary Wells Lawrence’s “I love New York” campaign.
The Most Famous Advertising Executives
Any list of the most famous and important advertising executives who have transformed the industry is incomplete.
There are so many inspiration thinkers and passionate leaders who have graced the industry, there are always people left out of any list.
If you’re wondering about how to harness the marketing ideas of the best to develop your business, don’t miss out on our guide on tips to building your successful startup.
