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.

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.

Burnett's first job after college was as a reporter for the Peoria Journal Star in Peoria, Illinois.

In 1918, Burnett married Naomi Geddes. The couple met at a restaurant near the Cadillac offices, where Naomi was a cashier. 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".

thumb|right|150px|Burnett's grave at Rosehill Cemetery

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. Later, the operation moved to the 18th floor of the London Guarantee Building.

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. 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. 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.

  • 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

thumb|Jolly Green Giant – one of Burnett's creations

  • Cornelius Rooster [Kellogg's Corn Flakes]
  • Hubert The Lion [<nowiki/>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 soft sell approach to build brand equity. Burnett believed in finding the "inherent drama" of products and presenting it in advertising through "warmth, shared emotions and experiences". His advertising drew from heartland-rooted values using simple, strong and instinctive imagery that talked to people. He was also known for using "cultural archetypes" in his copy, by creating mythical creatures that represented American values. The Jolly Green Giant, Pillsbury Doughboy, Tony the Tiger and the Marlboro Man are all examples of this technique. The aforementioned examples also demonstrate Burnett's tendency to leverage the concept of masculinity in his campaigns.

Corny language

Burnett was known for keeping a folder in the lower left-hand corner of his desk called "Corny Language". He collected words, phrases, and analogies that struck him as being particularly apt in expressing an idea.

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.

See also

  • History of advertising

References

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.
  • Time 100 profile – Leo Burnett
  • When to Take My Name Off the Door Speech, Text
  • Leo Burnett Worldwide