William Bernbach

Bill Bernbach made ads for things. He was born in New York. He loved to play the piano. He worked in a mailroom first. Then he started making ads. He wanted ads to be new and fun. He thought the way an ad looked was important. He also thought the words were important. He started a big company with two friends. He made ads for cars and bread. His ideas changed how ads are made today. He even won many awards for his work.

William Bernbach was a famous leader in advertising. He was born in New York City in 1911. He studied many things like music and English. He even played the piano.

Bernbach started his career in a mailroom. He wrote an ad for whiskey on his own. This helped him get a job in advertising. Later, he felt that ads were too much the same. He wanted to make them more creative.

In 1949, he started a company called DDB. He worked with two partners. Bernbach believed the way an ad looks is just as important as the words used. He also changed how teams work. He put writers and artists together in pairs. This is how many agencies work today.

His team made many famous ads. They made ads for Volkswagen cars and Avis rent-a-car. One ad for Avis said, "We Try Harder." This helped the company make money again. Bernbach won many awards for his great ideas. He is known for the Creative Revolution of the 1960s.

William Bernbach was a famous leader in the world of advertising. He was born on August 13, 1911, in The Bronx, New York City. His parents were Rebecca and Jacob Bernbach. He grew up attending public schools in New York City. In 1932, he earned a degree from New York University. He studied English, business, philosophy, and music. He even enjoyed playing the piano.

Bernbach's career began in a very simple way. In 1933, he worked in a mailroom for Schenley Distillers. He was working there during the Great Depression. He decided to write an ad for American Cream Whiskey on his own. He got the ad to the right people, and it was used. This helped him move into the advertising department. Later, he worked at several other places like Grey Advertising. He became a creative director there by 1947.

By 1949, Bernbach wanted to change how ads were made. He felt that most advertising looked and sounded the same. He wrote a letter to his bosses about this. He then joined James Edwin Doyle and Maxwell Dane to start a new agency. They named it Doyle Dane Bernbach, or DDB. This agency was located in Manhattan. Bernbach focused on the creative parts of the work. He left the business tasks to his partner, Maxwell Dane.

Bernbach had many famous ideas that changed the industry. He believed the way a message looks is as vital as the words. His team created the "Think Small" ads for Volkswagen. They also made the "We Try Harder" campaign for Avis Rent a Car. This Avis campaign started in 1962. It helped the company go from losing money to making a profit in one year. DDB grew very large under his leadership. By 1976, it was the 11th largest agency in the United States.

He left a huge legacy for all future advertisers. He was a major part of the Creative Revolution in the 1960s and 1970s. Bernbach was the first to pair copywriters with art directors. This created two-person teams that still work in agencies today. He won many honors, like the Man of the Year of Advertising award. He was also put into the Copywriters Hall of Fame in 1964. Even the TV show Mad Men mentions his innovative style.

William Bernbach was a highly influential American advertising creative director. He is best known for changing how advertisements are designed and written. In 1949, he helped found the international agency Doyle Dane Bernbach, also known as DDB. His work helped lead the Creative Revolution during the 1960s and 1970s. Bernbach believed that the way a message is presented is just as vital as the message itself. This philosophy changed the entire advertising industry forever.

Bernbach's journey into advertising began with a proactive approach to his work. In 1933, he held a job in the mailroom of Schenley Distillers. During the Great Depression, he wrote an original advertisement for American Cream Whiskey. He managed to get this ad into the correct hands at the company. The ad was actually used, which led to his promotion into the advertising department. He later worked at the William Weintraub agency and held roles at Coty and Grey Advertising. By 1947, he had risen to the position of creative director at Grey.

While at Grey Advertising, Bernbach became frustrated with the repetitive nature of the industry. He felt that most advertisements lacked originality and looked too similar to one another. He wrote a letter to his management expressing his desire for more creativity. This desire led him to co-found DDB in Manhattan in 1949. He partnered with James Edwin Doyle and Maxwell Dane. Within this new agency, Bernbach focused on the creative execution of ideas. He left the administrative and promotional tasks to Maxwell Dane.

Bernbach introduced a new way of organizing work within agencies. Before his influence, copywriters and art directors worked in separate departments. Bernbach was the first to combine them into two-person teams. This model allowed the person writing the words to work closely with the person designing the visuals. This collaborative structure is still the standard model used in advertising agencies today. This teamwork helped his agency produce highly cohesive and impactful campaigns.

One of Bernbach's most famous successes was for the Avis Rent a Car System. In 1962, Avis was losing market share to its main rival, Hertz. Bernbach's team created the "We Try Harder" campaign, which pioneered what is called "underdog advertising." This strategy focused on the idea that being second could be an advantage. The campaign was an instant hit and turned the company's financial situation around. Avis moved from a loss to a profit in just one single year. The tagline was so successful that it remained unchanged for 50 years.

Bernbach's agency also produced many other legendary campaigns. His team created the "Think Small" and "Lemon" advertisements for Volkswagen. They also developed the "Juan Valdez" campaign and the "Mikey for Life" ads for Cereal. Other notable works included campaigns for Levy's Rye Bread and Polaroid. Under his leadership, the agency's billings grew from approximately US$1 million to more than US$40 million. By 1976, DDB had grown to become the 11th largest advertising agency in the United States.

Throughout his career, Bernbach received numerous prestigious awards and honors. He was inducted into the Copywriters Hall of Fame in 1964. He also won the Man of the Year of Advertising Award in both 1964 and 1965. In 1976, he was inducted into the American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame. He even designed the "Golden Ladder" trophy for the Advertising Hall of Fame. His impact was so significant that the television program Mad Men makes several references to his innovative techniques.

Bernbach's personal life was also marked by significant milestones. He married Evelyn Carbone in 1938, a woman he met while working at Schenley Distillers. Although his family initially opposed the marriage for religious reasons, they had two sons named John L. and Paul. Bernbach remained a major force in the industry until his retirement. He stepped down as chief executive officer in 1976 to serve as chairman of the executive committee. He passed away on October 2, 1982, leaving behind a transformed industry.