Leo Burnett
Leo Burnett | |
---|---|
Born | St. Johns, Michigan U.S. | October 21, 1891
Died | June 7, 1971 | (aged 79)
Burial place | Rosehill Cemetery |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | University of Michigan (B.S., 1914) |
Occupation | Advertising executive |
Known for | Founder of Leo Burnett Worldwide |
Spouse |
Naomi Geddes
(m. 1918) |
Children | Peter Burnett Joseph Burnett Phoebe Snetsinger |
Leo Burnett (October 21, 1891 – June 7, 1971) was an
Biography
Leo Burnett was born in St. Johns, Michigan, on October 21, 1891, to Noble and Rose Clark Burnett. Noble ran a dry goods store and as a young man, Burnett worked with his father, watching Noble as he designed ads for the business.[3][4] After high school, Burnett went on to study journalism at the University of Michigan and received his bachelor's degree in 1914.[5]
Burnett's first job after college was as a reporter for the Peoria Journal Star in Peoria, Illinois.[6] In 1917 he moved to Detroit and was hired to edit an in-house publication for Cadillac Motor Car Company, Cadillac Clearing House, later becoming an advertising director for that institution.[7] At Cadillac, Burnett met his advertising mentor, Theodore F. MacManus, whom Burnett called "one of the great advertising men of all time". MacManus ran the agency that handled Cadillac's advertising.[8]
In 1918, Burnett married Naomi Geddes. The couple met at a restaurant near the Cadillac offices, where Naomi was a cashier.[9] They went on to have three children: Peter, Joseph and Phoebe.
During World War I, Burnett joined the Navy for six months. His service was mostly at Great Lakes building a breakwater.[10] After the USN, Burnett returned to Cadillac. A few employees at Cadillac formed the LaFayette Motors Company – triggering Burnett to move to Indianapolis to work for the new firm.[11] Soon he was offered a position with Homer McKee. He then left LaFayette and joined McKee, where Burnett said of the founder, "(He) gave me my first feel of what I have come to regard as the "warm sell" as contrasted to the "hard sell" and "soft sell".[12] This was his first agency job.[13]
After spending a decade at McKee's, and working through the stock market crash of 1929, Burnett left the company. In 1930, he moved to Chicago and was hired by Erwin, Wasey & Company, where he was employed for five years.[14]
In 1935, Burnett founded the Leo Burnett Company, Inc.[15] Later, the operation moved to the 18th floor of the London Guarantee Building.[16] Today, the agency has 9,000+ employees in over 85 offices globally.[citation needed]
In December 1967, nearing the end of his career, Burnett delivered his "When To Take My Name Off The Door" speech at the agency's holiday gathering.[15][17]
On June 7, 1971, Burnett went to his agency, pledging to colleagues to work three days per week due to health problems. That evening, at age 79, he died of a
Leo Burnett Company
A private company formed in 1935 and officially running under the name of "Leo Burnett Company, Inc.", the agency started with working capital of $50,000, eight employees and three clients.[20][21] Now a part of Publicis Groupe, Leo Burnett is one of the largest agency networks with 85 offices in 69 countries and 9,000+ employees.[22][23][24]
For the first several years, Burnett billed about $1 million annually.[25] By 1950, billings had increased to $22 million, and by 1954 the company was at $55 million annually. By the end of the 1950s, the Leo Burnett Company was billing $100 million annually.[26]
Companies Burnett worked with
- Allstate (1957)
- Commonwealth Edison (1954)
- First Brands (1961)
- General Motors Oldsmobile (1967)
- Green Giant (1935)
- HeinzPet Products (1958)
- Keebler Co. (1968)
- Kellogg's (1949)
- Kraft Foods (1984)[27]
- Mattel (1970)
- Maytag (1955)
- Memorex (1968)
- Nestlé (1967)
- Philip Morris Co.(1954)
- Pillsbury(1944)
- Procter & Gamble (1952)
- Schlitz Brewing Company(1961)
- Starkist (1958)
- United Airlines (1965)
Notable creations
- Hubert The Lion [Harris Bank]
- Jolly Green Giant[Green Giant]
- Keebler Elves[Keebler]
- The Marlboro Man[Phillip Morris Co.]
- Maytag Repairman[Maytag]
- Morris the Cat [9 Lives]
- Pillsbury Doughboy [Pillsbury]
- Tony The Tiger[Kellogg's Frosted Flakes]
- Toucan Sam [Kellogg's Froot Loops]
Advertising techniques
Burnett used dramatic realism in his advertising, the
Corny language
Burnett was known for keeping a folder in the lower left-hand corner of his desk called "Corny Language".[33] He collected words, phrases, and analogies that struck him as being particularly apt in expressing an idea.[34]
Social advertising
In 1947, Burnett wrote The Good Citizen, a booklet concerning the duties and privileges of being a
See also
References
- ^ "CNBC Titans: Leo Burnett". Hulu. CNBC. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
- ^ "Time Magazine". Times 100 Persons of the Century. June 14, 1999. Archived from the original on May 10, 2007. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
- ^ Star Reacher (1 ed.). Chicago, IL: Leo Burnett Company, Inc. 1995. p. 7.
- ^ "CNBC Titans: Leo Burnett". Hulu. CNBC. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
- ISBN 9781135949068.
- ^ Leo Burnett: Advertising. Art Director's Club. 1993.
- ^ "Leo Burnett". Top Biography. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
- ^ Joan Kufrin (1995). Star Reacher. Chicago, IL: Leo Burnett Company, Inc. p. 15.
- ^ Joan Kufrin (1995). Star Reacher. Chicago, IL: Leo Burnett Company, Inc. p. 16.
- ^ Joan Kufrin. Star Reacher. Chicago, IL: Leo Burnett Company, Inc. p. 17.
- ^ "Leo Burnett". Top Biography. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
- ^ Joan Kufrin (1995). Star Reacher. Chicago, IL: Leo Burnett Company, Inc. p. 24.
- ^ Denis Higgins (1987). The Art of Writing Advertising: Conversations with Masters of the Craft. Illinois.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Joan Kufrin (1995). Star Reacher. Chicago, IL: Leo Burnett Company, Inc. p. 26.
- ^ a b "CNBC Titans: Leo Burnett". Hulu. CNBC. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
- ^ Joan Kufrin (1995). Star Reacher. Chicago, IL: Leo Burnett Company, Inc. p. 47.
- ^ "When To Take My Name Off The Door". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
- ^ Joan Kufrin (1995). Star Reacher. Chicago, IL: Leo Burnett Company, Inc. p. 243.
- ^ "CNBC Titans". Hulu. CNBC. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
- Advertising Age. July 31, 1995.
- ^ 1935: Initial clients Realsilk Hosiery, Hoover, Minnesota Valley Canning Co.
- ^ "Publicis Groupe Showcase". Publicis Groupe. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
- ^ "Company Overview of Leo Burnett Company, Inc". Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Bloomberg. Archived from the original on April 17, 2008. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
- ^ Kufrin, Joan. Leo Burnett: Star Reacher. Leo Burnett Company, Inc.
- ISBN 9781608191468.
- ^ "Leo Burnett". Top Biography. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
- ^ "Leo Burnett: Advertising". Art Directors Club. 1993. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
- ISBN 978-1-84920-145-2.
- Advertising Age. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
- ISBN 978-1-4129-1886-2.
- ISBN 978-0-27-37-5292-9.
- ^ Ewen, Stuart (December 7, 1998). "Leo Burnett: The Sultan of Sell". Time. Time Inc. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
- ^ "Leo Burnett". longlostmarketingsecrets.com. Peter Woodhead. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
- ISBN 978-1-85375-615-3.
Further reading
- S. Broadbent, Leo Burnett Book of Advertising, Business Books: Indiana University, 1984.
- L. Burnett, "A Collection of Short Stories by Leo Burnett," Blurb.com, 2012.
- J. Kufrin, "Leo Burnett: Star Reacher," Leo Burnett Company, Inc., 1995.