The top campaigns of advertising's Golden Age

I’m a fan of all those Best and Greatest Lists. Like when Rolling Stone does the 200 Greatest Vocalists or 500 Greatest Albums of all time. I’m all over those. (I also love how passionate people get when their favs get slighted. Like when RS ranks the 200 greatest vocalists of all time, people shriek “How DARE YOU leave Celine Dion off the list!!”)

Lately, there’s been a lot of love for the ads from the golden age of advertising. There’s a renewed respect for the craft and intelligence of the work that first set the ad business on its creative course.?

So I decided to take a shot at the top campaigns of the Golden Age of advertising, which I’m considering as roughly spanning 1960 to the mid ‘70s.?

It’s interesting doing this list today, because I think time is a great divider. Some campaigns get even better over time, while others fade. So this list might leave off some expected campaigns or rank them in a way that seems odd, but I stand by it. (Keep in mind, when Rolling Stone does their lists, they have a long list of qualified writers and music experts. But for this list, it’s me. Hi, I’m the judge. It’s me.)

Because ten just wasn't enough, I settled on eleven outstanding campaigns. Check them out below. (Note that these are?campaigns, not individual ads. If you feel compelled to point out an ad I left off the list, you might be right—for a different list.) Feel free to agree, disagree, or suggest others. The debate could be as interesting as the list. And now, [DRUMROLL SFX]...?

11. Levy’s Jewish Rye —Doyle Dane Bernbach

There is something so charming and innocent about this campaign. It’s not the most brilliant one on the list, but it’s visually arresting and makes you smile. It’s worth noting that it featured people that didn’t get a lot of visibility in those days, so it was fairly progressive in its own subtle way. Judy Protas wrote the “You don’t have to be Jewish” slogan, and that’s pretty much all you need. Well, that and some photogenic subjects.?

10. Clairol — Doyle Dane Bernbach

This is about empowerment as much as it’s about hair color. From the headline to the photos, it gives off a confidence that this sister was doing it for herself. The great Bob Gage was the art director and Phyliss Robinson was the writer. Phyliss is the OG—one of the first creatives hired at DDB, who also just happened to be a woman. If you watch Peggy on MadMen, Phyliss is one of the prototypes. (I was lucky enough to meet her a couple of times, but that’s a story for another post.) Here’s how Phyliss talked about It lets me be me: “That approach – the personal tone, style, feeling of freedom, spontaneity has been copied so often that it’s normal today. That was a case in which we took into account changes in society and used them in our ads.”

9. Mobil — Doyle Dane Bernbach

Mobil hired DDB specifically to create a campaign celebrating Mobil’s 100th?anniversary. They even had a special logo designed and ready to go. DDB basically said nah, let’s do something less self-serving. Instead, they created something much more powerful. In an era where there weren’t many safety features on cars, and manufacturers were actually fighting new-fangled ones like seat belts, Bob Levenson and Len Sirowitz came up with “We want you to live.” This campaign encouraged people to be alert and drive more carefully. Mobil even acknowledged that this would benefit them too, which was somehow obvious and yet charming.?

8. Hertz — Carl Ally Inc.

Avis (which is also on this list) had come out with a breakthrough campaign, directly comparing themselves with Hertz, the biggest name in the rental car business. Avis turned their weakness (being No. 2) into a strength (we try harder). Finally, Hertz decided to return fire and turn Avis’ weakness back into a weakness. Hertz spelled out the many ways Avis was number two, and the benefits of going with No. 1.??This might be the first response campaign. It’s like the classic fencing move: attack, parry, counterattack.

7. Free Hurricane Carter — George Lois

In the early 70’s, many people became convinced that Rubin “Hurricane” Carter had been wrongly imprisoned for a murder he didn’t commit. One of them was legendary adman George Lois. So George started a campaign to free Hurricane. Of course, he did some powerful ads, because that’s what he did. But he did more, starting what might be the first guerilla campaign. To get PR for the cause, he staged rallies and got people like Muhammed Ali involved. He even talked Bob Dylan into writing a song about it. Bob Fricking Dylan. “Here comes the story of the Hurricane.” This campaign ultimately led to Hurricane gaining his freedom. Today, it would make the ultimate EFFIE case study, “Campaign result: the man was freed.”?

6. Chivas Regal — Doyle Dane Bernbach

One of the classic examples of the ol’ headline/visual play. This campaign started with a bang with the breakthrough “What idiot” ad, making fun of themselves for daring to change the bottle. From there, they did a series of ads that positioned Chivas as a special, higher-end whiskey. But in classic DDB style, they did it cleverly, not boastfully, with just enough humble in that brag.?

5. Horn and Hardart — Carl Ally Inc.?

This campaign for the legendary cafeteria in NYC was typically blunt Carl Ally. It was also typically blunt Ed McCabe, a gifted creative who was writing his way into the creative hall of fame at the ripe young age of 34. I remember Diane Rothschild talking about this campaign and how impactful it was—the directness of the writing. Like so many breakthroughs, it’s impossible to have it hit you in the same way now. But in its time, its bluntness was a shock. Helpful hint: it’s been said that anytime you read an Ed McCabe headline, you can add “you schmuck” to the end and it always fits.

4. Alka Seltzer —DDB and Wells Rich Greene

This is the only client on the list that features work from two different agencies. DDB did a lot of great work for Alka Seltzer, including Newlyweds’ First Meal, and the hilarious Spicy Meatball. But along the way, the clients changed and they did what new clients do: changed agencies. Fortunately, Mary Wells was standing by. She had left DDB years earlier and created the first female-founded and -led ad agency, Wells Rich Greene. They picked up the account and continued doing iconic work, such as “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing.”

3. Volvo – Carl Ally Inc.

Two auto campaigns have made the Top 3. Carl Ally was a different agency than DDB—less clever, more blunt, and equally smart. These ads don’t have the charm of the Volkswagen campaign, but they hit harder. They’re no-nonsense, and have a distinctly direct way of looking at things. When my old boss Roy Grace went to work at Ally briefly in the early ‘70s, he showed some Fiat ideas to Carl, and Carl said “You’re from DDB. You do cute. We don’t do cute.” And that’s aptly demonstrated in the Volvo campaign.

2. Avis – Doyle Dane Bernbach

This might not be the “best” campaign, but I think it’s the smartest. Hertz was the king of the rental car business, and Avis was back in the pack with all the rest. But by positioning themselves as No. 2, suddenly it was a two-horse race between Avis and Hertz. More importantly, they turned being number two into an advantage. Being second meant they had to try harder. It was so damn smart. Created by Paula Green and Helmut Krone, the only person with two campaigns on this list, it’s a masterpiece. (And if it had great TV spots too, it might’ve taken the top prize.)

1. Volkswagen – Doyle Dane Bernbach

No surprise here. Just like how Stairway to Heaven always wins best rock song, Volkswagen wins best campaign. Yes, it’s expected, and maybe a little played out, but you can’t deny the work. Julian Koenig and Helmut Krone first created the groundbreaking campaign, then it was carried on by many talented people, including Len Sirowitz, John Noble, and Roy Grace. In an effort to give a fresh take on the campaign, I’ve picked some ads that are less expected. (And honestly, if you haven’t seen Think Small or Lemon a million times by now, you’re in the wrong place.)

The VW campaign also had some of the best TV spots ever. Watch and learn how the man who drives the snow plow gets to the snow plow, the promises kept from the “1949 Auto Show”, and how it sure pays to own a Volkswagen in “Funeral”. It remains one of the most admired and inspiring ad campaigns ever.?

Well, that’s my list of the best campaigns of the Golden Era. And a special shout out to Dave Dye. In looking for quality versions of the work, his amazing archive was crucial for this.

Feel free to comment with thoughts, suggestions, rebuttals. It’s amazing how well this work that is 50-60 years old still holds up. And might be better than a lot of what’s being done today.

Speaking of today, maybe for my next list, I’ll tackle Best Email Subject Lines.?