FATHER OF MODERN

ADVERTISING: BILL
BERNBACH (1911- 1982)

By: Priyanka Rajoria

 PERSONAL LIFE

 William Bernbach, (born Aug. 13, 1911 , New York, N.Y., U.S.—
died Oct. 2, 1982, New York City )
 As a child he enjoyed reading and writing verse and grew up
with an appreciation of art.
 He attended New York City public schools and in 1932 earned
a B.A degree from New York University. He had majored in
English but also studied business administration, philosophy
and music, playing the piano.
 Barring a two year tour of duty during World War II, Bernbach
never strayed far from his roots in New York City.
 Bernbach married Evelyn Carbone on June 5, 1938.
Bernbach's family was against the marriage on religious
grounds, but they lived happily and had two sons: John L. and
Paul.
 ABOUT THE LEGEND

 William Bernbach was a creative leader who revolutionized

the way that advertising was approached.
 He valued innovation and intuition over science and rules .
 Before Bernbach, the high priests of advertising believed in
rules. They tried to turn advertising into a science
 Bernbach’s revolutionary ideas about creativity and his keen
insights into human nature gave birth to modern adver tising.
 During his stint with Grey he realized that ad-men were afraid
to say no to their client, was hopelessly mired in conformity
 He fulfilled his dream of his own agency with Ned Doyle and
Maxwell Dane - Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB) in 1949.
 QUOTE

“I warn you against believing

advertising is a science.”
Bill Bernbach (Levenson, Bob (1987) Bill
Bernbach’s Book, Villard Books, New York)
 CREATIVE REVOLUTION

 William Bernbach, the creative mind behind DDB, introduced a

dif ferent technique for creativity in the sixties that had not
been seen before. This is what was known as the Creative
Revolution (Dobrow, 1984).
 Previously Copywriters wrote copy (on a typewriter) and then handed
it off to their Art Director to “draw up
 He contributed to modern advertising by combining copywriters and
art director as an equal team.
 A fresh, provocative, reality -based creativity–that replaced the
fantasy-filled advertising.
 CREATIVE REVOLUTION

 Art Directors + Copywriters “concept” ideas

together
 Advertising ideas were “big,” yet simple
 Ideas were rooted in a “truth”
 He insisted on learning how his client's products
related to consumers + what human qualities and
emotions came into play.
 What’s the insight?
 What’s the human truth?
• He represented originality in advertising and valued intuition and
innovation over science and rules.
• The essence of the product: State the product’s essence in the simplest
terms of its basic advantage. And state this both tangibly and memorably
“The magic is in the product… No
matter how skillful you are, you
can’t invent a product advantage
that doesn’t exist. And if you do,
and it’s just a gimmick, it’s going
to fall apart anyway.”
 Bill Bernbach
FAMOUS AD
The Volkswagen ad that
defined the Bernbach style
 He managed to sell a Nazi car in
an American town.
 Ever ything about the ad screams
honesty and simplicity.
 As par t of a cultural shif t, the
Think Small ad marked a true
shif t in the adver tising
landscape.
 Honesty as a selling point had
never really been tried before.
 Stylistically the ad star ted a shif t
from illustrations toward a
greater use of photography.
 Copywriter s would not just
explain product features any
longer, suddenly tone of voice
became an impor tant par t of
their job.
 DIFFERENCE

Some typical automobile headlines

from the 1950s:
 Buick: “You can make your ‘someday’ come true now.”
 Cadillac: “Maybe this will be the year.”
 Oldsmobile: “You’ve got to drive it to believe it!”
 Chevrolet: “Filled with grace and great new things .”
Volkswagen ad Headline:
 Think Small

It’s the difference between complexity and simplicity. Between

artificiality and realism.
ANOTHER FAMOUS AD

 In 1960s, Her tz were the

market leader in rent a car
 Then CEO - Rober t Townsend
reached Bill Bernbach.
 He was given a car te blanche.
 Ever yone including Rober t
Townsend was skeptical about
the ad however, went with it
anyway.
 The “We Tr y Harder” ads were
an instant hit.
 Avis' share of the market
increased by as much as 28 %.
 ACHIEVEMENTS

Throughout his career, William Bernbach won many

awards and honors for his work within the advertising
industry
 Induction into the Copywriters Hall of Fame in 1964
 The Man of the Year of Advertising Award in 1964 and 1965
 Man of the Year Award in 1966.
 He was also named "Top Advertising Agency Executive" in
1969.
 received the
 American Academy of Achievement Award in 1976.
 Bernbach also designed the Advertising Hall of Fame "Golden
Ladder"
 LASTING INFLUENCE

 We still see Mr. Bernbach’s techniques in Ads. His techniques

are still influential and ef fective. For example - Idea Cellular –
Taxi-wala ad in India and Rajasthan tourism ad. Are few
examples of creative adver tising with simplicity over
complexity that Bernbach introduced.
 REFERENCES

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