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Leo Burnett

{{short description|American advertising executive}}

{{About|the founder of Leo Burnett Company|US Army colonel and founder of Student Doctor Network|Lee Burnett}}

{{Use American English|date=December 2022}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2012}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Leo Burnett

| image = Leo Burnett.jpg

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1891|10|21}}

| birth_place = St. Johns, Michigan U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1971|6|7|1891|10|21}}

| death_place = Hawthorn Woods, Illinois U.S.

| burial_place = Rosehill Cemetery

| spouse = {{marriage|Naomi Geddes
|1918}}

| children = Peter Burnett
Joseph Burnett
Phoebe Snetsinger

| nationality = American

| other_names =

| known_for = Founder of Leo Burnett Worldwide

| alma_mater = University of Michigan (B.S., 1914)

| occupation = Advertising executive

}}

Leo Burnett (October 21, 1891 – June 7, 1971) was an American advertising executive and the founder of Leo Burnett Company, Inc. He was responsible for creating some of advertising's most well-known characters and campaigns of the 20th century, including Tony the Tiger, the Marlboro Man, the Maytag Repairman, United's "Fly the Friendly Skies", and Allstate's "Good Hands", and for garnering relationships with multinational clients such as McDonald's, Hallmark and Coca-Cola.{{cite web|title=CNBC Titans: Leo Burnett|url=http://www.leoburnett.com/|website=Hulu|publisher=CNBC|access-date=July 21, 2014}} In 1999, Burnett was named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.{{cite news|access-date=March 11, 2012 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,991227,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070510101237/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,991227,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 10, 2007 |title= Time Magazine |work= Times 100 Persons of the Century |date=June 14, 1999}}

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.{{cite book|title=Star Reacher|date=1995|publisher=Leo Burnett Company, Inc.|location=Chicago, IL|page=7|edition=1}}{{cite web|title=CNBC Titans: Leo Burnett|url=http://www.hulu.com/watch/296814|website=Hulu|publisher=CNBC|access-date=July 21, 2014}} After high school, Burnett went on to study journalism at the University of Michigan and received his bachelor's degree in 1914.{{cite book |title=The Advertising Age Encyclopedia of Advertising |editor=McDonough, John |editor2=Egolf, Karen |date=18 June 2015 |page=231 |publisher=Routledge |article=Burnett, Leo |isbn=9781135949068}}

Burnett's first job after college was as a reporter for the Peoria Journal Star in Peoria, Illinois.{{cite book|title=Leo Burnett: Advertising|date=1993|publisher=Art Director's Club}} 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.{{cite web|title=Leo Burnett|url=http://www.top-biography.com/9129-Leo%20Burnett|website=Top Biography|access-date=March 8, 2012}} 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.{{cite book|author1=Joan Kufrin|title=Star Reacher|date=1995|publisher=Leo Burnett Company, Inc.|location=Chicago, IL|page=15}}

In 1918, Burnett married Naomi Geddes. The couple met at a restaurant near the Cadillac offices, where Naomi was a cashier.{{cite book|author1=Joan Kufrin|title=Star Reacher|date=1995|publisher=Leo Burnett Company, Inc.|location=Chicago, IL|page=16}} 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.{{cite book|author1=Joan Kufrin|title=Star Reacher|publisher=Leo Burnett Company, Inc.|location=Chicago, IL|page=17}} 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.{{cite web|title=Leo Burnett|url=http://www.top-biography.com/9129-Leo%20Burnett|website=Top Biography|access-date=July 21, 2014}} 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".{{cite book|author1=Joan Kufrin|title=Star Reacher|date=1995|publisher=Leo Burnett Company, Inc.|location=Chicago, IL|page=24}} This was his first agency job.{{cite book|author1=Denis Higgins|title=The Art of Writing Advertising: Conversations with Masters of the Craft|date=1987|location=Illinois}}

File:Grave of Leo Burnett (1891–1971) at Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago.jpg

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.{{cite book|author1=Joan Kufrin|title=Star Reacher|date=1995|publisher=Leo Burnett Company, Inc|location=Chicago, IL|page=26}}

In 1935, Burnett founded the Leo Burnett Company, Inc.{{cite web|title=CNBC Titans: Leo Burnett|url=http://www.hulu.com/watch/296814|website=Hulu|publisher=CNBC|access-date=21 July 2014}} Later, the operation moved to the 18th floor of the London Guarantee Building.{{cite book|author1=Joan Kufrin|title=Star Reacher|date=1995|publisher=Leo Burnett Company, Inc.|location=Chicago, IL|page=47}} Today, the agency has 9,000+ employees in over 85 offices globally.{{citation needed|date=November 2017}}

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.{{cite web|title=When To Take My Name Off The Door|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WUxb8YB88o |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/7WUxb8YB88o |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|website=YouTube|access-date=21 July 2014}}{{cbignore}}

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 heart attack at his family farm in Hawthorn Woods, Illinois.{{cite book|author1=Joan Kufrin|title=Star Reacher|date=1995|publisher=Leo Burnett Company, Inc.|location=Chicago, IL|page=243}}{{cite web|title=CNBC Titans|url=http://www.hulu.com/watch/296814|website=Hulu|publisher=CNBC|access-date=21 July 2014}} He is buried at Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago.

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.{{cite news |newspaper=Advertising Age

|title=Leo Burnett, still reaching for the stars after 60 years

|date=July 31, 1995}}1935: Initial clients Realsilk Hosiery, Hoover, Minnesota Valley Canning Co. 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.publicisgroupe.com/#/en/videos/brand-videos/brand/Bartle+Bogle+Hegarty+%28BBH%29

|website=Publicis Groupe |title=Publicis Groupe Showcase |access-date=July 17, 2014}}{{cite web

|title=Company Overview of Leo Burnett Company, Inc.

|url=http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=427231

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080417060823/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=427231

|url-status=dead

|archive-date=April 17, 2008

|website=Bloomberg BusinessWeek |publisher=Bloomberg |access-date=July 17, 2014}}{{cite book

|last1=Kufrin |first1=Joan |title=Leo Burnett: Star Reacher |publisher=Leo Burnett Company, Inc.}}

For the first several years, Burnett billed about $1 million annually.{{Cite book

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HrBHohLC56AC&q=Burnett+billed+about+%241+million+annually&pg=PA39

|title=Life List: A Woman's Quest for the World's Most Amazing Birds

|last=Gentile |first=Olivia |date=2009-07-01 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA

|isbn=9781608191468 |page=39}} 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.{{cite web

|access-date=March 12, 2012 |url=http://www.top-biography.com/9129-Leo%20Burnett

|title=Leo Burnett |work=Top Biography}}

Companies Burnett worked with

|title=Leo Burnett: Advertising |work=Art Directors Club |year=1993}}

Notable creations

File:Jolly green giant.jpg

Advertising techniques

Burnett used dramatic realism in his advertising, the soft sell approach to build brand equity.{{cite book|last=Hackley|first=Chris|title=Advertising & Promotion An Integrated Market Communications Approach|year=2010|publisher=Sage Publications Ltd|location=London|isbn=978-1-84920-145-2|pages=36|edition=2nd}} Burnett believed in finding the "inherent drama" of products and presenting it in advertising through warmth, shared emotions and experiences.{{cite web|title=Ad Age Advertising Century: People: Leo Burnett|url=http://adage.com/century/people003.html| work=Advertising Age |access-date=March 12, 2012}} His advertising drew from heartland-rooted values using simple, strong and instinctive imagery that talked to people.{{cite book |editor1-first=Gerrard |editor1-last=Tellis |editor2-first=Tim |editor2-last=Ambler |title=The SAGE Handbook of Advertising |publisher=SAGE Publications |date=January 16, 2006 |pages=17–35 |chapter=1.2: A Brief History of Advertising |isbn=978-1-4129-1886-2}} He was also known for using "cultural archetypes" in his copy, by creating mythical creatures that represented American values. This is evident on such campaigns as Jolly Green Giant, Pillsbury Doughboy, Tony the Tiger and more famously the Marlboro Man.{{cite book|last1=Sandra|first1=Moriarty|last2=Mitchell|first2=Nancy|last3=Wells|first3=William|title=Advertising & IMC Principles and Practice|year=2012|publisher=Pearson Education Limited|location=Harlow|isbn=978-0-27-37-5292-9|pages=44|edition=9th}} Indeed, these campaigns played on the 1950s attitudes towards masculinity that pervaded his campaigns.{{cite magazine|last1=Ewen|first1=Stuart|title=Leo Burnett: The Sultan of Sell| url= http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,989783-2,00.html|magazine=Time|date=December 7, 1998|publisher=Time Inc.|access-date=9 March 2017}}

=Corny language=

Burnett was known for keeping a folder in the lower left-hand corner of his desk called "Corny Language".{{cite web|access-date=March 15, 2012 |url= http://www.longlostmarketingsecrets.com/mastermarketers/leoburnett.html |title= Leo Burnett |work=longlostmarketingsecrets.com| publisher= Peter Woodhead }} He collected words, phrases, and analogies that struck him as being particularly apt in expressing an idea.{{cite book|last=Ogilvy|first=David|title=Ogilvy on Advertising|year=1983|publisher=Carlton Publishing Group|location=London|isbn=978-1-85375-615-3}}

Social advertising

In 1947, Burnett wrote The Good Citizen, a booklet concerning the duties and privileges of being a U.S. citizen. This was done as a public service for The Advertising Council and The American Heritage Foundation.{{citation needed|date=November 2017}}

See also

References

{{Reflist|colwidth=25em}}

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.

External links

{{wikiquote}}

  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20000818002318/http://www.time.com/time/time100/builder/profile/burnett.html Time 100 profile – Leo Burnett]
  • [https://leoburnett.com/articles/culture/burnett-breakfast-2012-when-to-take-my-name-off-the-door/ When to Take My Name Off the Door Speech, Text]
  • [http://www.leoburnett.com/ Leo Burnett Worldwide]

{{Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burnett, Leo}}

Category:1891 births

Category:1971 deaths

Category:University of Michigan alumni

Category:Burials at Rosehill Cemetery

Category:Businesspeople from Chicago

Category:American copywriters

Category:American advertising executives

Category:People from St. Johns, Michigan

Category:20th-century American businesspeople