William Bernbach facts for kids

Quick facts for kids William Bernbach
Bernbach in 1964
Born	(1911-08-13)August 13, 1911 New York City, U.S.
Died	October 2, 1982(1982-10-02) (aged 71) New York City, U.S.
Other names	Bill
Alma mater	New York University (B.A., English, 1932)
Occupation	Advertising and Public Relations
Known for	Agency founder DDB
Spouse(s)	Evelyn Carbone
Children	2 sons

William Bernbach (born August 13, 1911 – died October 2, 1982) was a very important person in American advertising. He helped start a big international advertising company called Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB) in 1949. Bernbach was known for creating many new and exciting ad campaigns. He also changed how creative teams work in advertising agencies, a method still used today.

Early Life and Education

Bill Bernbach was born in The Bronx, New York City. His parents were Rebecca and Jacob Bernbach. He went to public schools in New York City. In 1932, he earned a bachelor's degree from New York University. He studied English, but also learned about business, philosophy, and music. He even played the piano!

Starting His Career

In 1933, during the Great Depression, Bernbach got a job in the mailroom at Schenley Industries, a company that made drinks. He was very proactive and wrote an advertisement for one of their products, American Cream Whiskey. He made sure the right people saw it, and the ad was actually used! Because of this, he was promoted to the advertising department.

In 1939, he left Schenley to write speeches for Grover Whalen, who was in charge of the 1939 New York World's Fair. The next year, he officially joined the advertising industry at the William Weintraub agency. He served in World War II for two years. After the war, he worked at Coty and then at Grey Advertising. He started at Grey as a copywriter (someone who writes ads) and was promoted to creative director (someone who guides the creative team) by 1947.

Founding DDB and New Ideas

Bernbach felt that many advertisements looked the same. He wrote a letter to his bosses, saying he was worried about this lack of new ideas.

In 1949, Bernbach started his own advertising agency in Manhattan. He teamed up with James Edwin Doyle, whom he met at Grey, and Maxwell Dane, who already had a small agency. They named it DDB after themselves. Bernbach believed that how an ad was made (the creative part) was just as important as what the ad said.

From the very beginning, Bernbach was deeply involved in writing the ads. He let Dane handle the business side of things. Bernbach was the creative heart of the agency. Under his guidance, the company's earnings grew from about $1 million to over $40 million by the time he retired.

By 1976, DDB had become the 11th largest advertising agency in the United States. That year, Bernbach stepped down as the main boss (chief executive officer) and became the chairman of the executive committee.

Famous Advertising Campaigns

Bernbach's team created many memorable ad campaigns. Some of his most famous work was for Volkswagen, including ads like Think Small and Lemon. Other well-known campaigns include:

• Juan Valdez for Colombian coffee
• We Try Harder for Avis Rent a Car System
• Mikey for Life Cereal
• You Don't Have to be Jewish to Love Levy's for Levy's Rye Bread
• It's so simple for Polaroid cameras

The campaign for Avis Rent-a-Car was especially groundbreaking. It was one of the first to use "underdog advertising," where a company admits it's not number one. This campaign started in 1962 when Avis was losing to its main competitor, Hertz. The ads helped Avis go from losing money to making a profit in just one year! The slogan stayed the same for 50 years, making it one of the longest-running ad campaigns ever.

Bernbach's Lasting Impact

Bernbach was known for his focus on creativity and unusual ideas. He is often called a major force behind the Creative Revolution in advertising during the 1960s and 1970s. His work was often simple yet powerful. He also gets credit for being the first to put copywriters and art directors together in two-person teams. Before him, these jobs were in separate departments. This team model is still used in advertising agencies today.

Bernbach received many awards for his work. He was inducted into the Copywriters Hall of Fame in 1964. He also won "Man of the Year of Advertising" in 1964 and 1965. In 1976, he received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement and was inducted into the American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame. He even designed the "Golden Ladder" trophy for the Advertising Hall of Fame.

The TV show Mad Men, which is about a made-up ad agency in the 1960s, often mentions Bernbach. His new ideas challenged the older ways of advertising shown in the show.

Family Life

In the 1930s, when Bernbach worked in the Schenley Distillers mailroom, one of his assistants was Evelyn Carbone. She was a college student at Hunter College.

As Bernbach moved up in the advertising department, Evelyn became a receptionist. They fell in love and got married in 1938. Bernbach's family was against the marriage because of religious differences, but Bill and Evelyn lived happily. They had two sons, John L. and Paul.

After Bill's death, Evelyn and Bob Levenson, a creative leader at DDB, published a book about him called "Bill Bernbach's Book: A History of Advertising that Changed the History of Advertising."

Bernbach's Wise Words

Here are some famous quotes from William Bernbach:

• "Let us prove to the world that good taste, good art, and good writing can be good selling."
• "All of us who professionally use the mass media are the shapers of society. We can vulgarize that society. We can brutalize it. Or we can help lift it onto a higher level."
• "The truth isn't the truth until people believe you, and they can't believe you if they don't know what you're saying, and they can't know what you're saying if they don't listen to you, and they won't listen to you if you're not interesting, and you won't be interesting unless you say things imaginatively, originally, freshly."
• "It may well be that creativity is the last unfair advantage we're legally allowed to take over our competitors."

See also

In Spanish: William Bernbach para niños

• Advertising management
• Creative brief
• Marketing communications
• Volkswagen advertising