Doyle Dane Bernbach

With thirteen employees and a top floor office off Madison Avenue, DDB generated $775,000 in billings during their first year in business (Millman, 1988). Success with the Orbach's account brought Whitey Ruben, owner of Levy's Jewish Rye bread to DDB's doorstep. While Levy's annual advertising budget was less thank $50,000, the agency viewed the account as its opportunity to gain attention in the Manhattan advertising community by introducing ethnicity into a marketing campaign. DDB's Levy's campaign ("You don't have to be Jewish to love Levy's") elevated the bread maker to the largest seller of rye bread in New York and helped Bernbach and his partners acquire the first of many national and international clients.

In 1954, Bernbach was contacted by Dr. Edwin Land, the developer of Polaroid's instant photography breakthrough. Dr. Land was concerned by the fact that Polaroid's early advertising conveyed poor product quality while the camera itself was expensive when compared to other types of cameras. DDB decided that the uniqueness of the product could best be demonstrated on live television, so they hired a number of the era's most popular celebrities (Steve Allen, Jack Parr, Johnny Carson and later Mariette Hartley and James Garner) to demonstrate the unique, immediate benefits of the Polaroid instant camera (Millman, 1988). The relationship between Polaroid and DDB lasted almost 30 years and the campaign became on of DDB's most widely recognized.

Soon to follow was El Al Israel Airlines' introduction of its Trans-Atlantic service from Europe to the US. While most airlines would have never shown an image of the ocean in its advertising, for fear of reminding readers of the possibility of a crash, Bernbach chose to face this fear head on. El Al was the only airline at the time that could offer non-stop service between the two continents. All others had to stop for refueling in either Labrador or Newfoundland. This advantage proved to be El Al's USP and in order to convey it in a dramatic way, DDB created the "torn ocean" ad with the headline, "Starting Dec. 23 the Atlantic Ocean will be 20% smaller" (Levenson, 1987). The ad was so powerful that it ran only once, but the impression made was unforgettable. Within one year, El Al's sales tripled (Fox, 1997).

The 1950's was a decade of vast prosperity and the automobile came to symbolize the fantasies of Americans. Auto ads during this period tended to feature the beauty and engineering strength of the vehicle. Unfortunately, Volkswagen was known neither for its looks or its technology. It was this challenge that DDB faced when the auto maker brought their advertising to them in 1959. Rather than joining them (the rest of the auto industry), Bernbach decided to beat them by creating ads based upon the same principles that drew drives to Volkswagens in the first place, simplicity, honesty, uniqueness and humor (Rothenberg, 1994). The campaign proved to be DDB's most successful yet and drew the attention of another underdog company in a related industry which involved automobiles.

Like Volkswagen, Avis car rental was looking for a way to make it big in an industry where they did not play a leading role. Avis was falling further behind Hertz, the nation's leading car rental agency and needed to draw attention to themselves in order to survive. Reflecting upon their success with Volkswagen, Bernbach and his staff decided to address the company's situation directly with headlines like, "Avis is only No. 2 in rent a cars. So why go with us? We try harder," and "Avis can't afford television commercials. Aren't you glad? But business is getting better. Maybe soon, you won't be so lucky," (Fox, 1997). Avis not only took this message to the people, they took it to heart in their daily operations, resulting in a 28% increase in market share in two years.

Avis and Volkswagen propelled DDB from the small-account category into the constellation of advertising stars. Clients flocked to the agency to capture a piece of the creative magic spun by Bernbach and his team. American Airlines, Seagram, Heinz, Sony, Lever, Bristol-Meyers and Mobil along with many others joined the DDB client roster throughout the 1960's. By 1965, the agency reached the top ten in billings ($130 million) and regularly won industry awards for their creative work.

Growing Pains

By the latter part of the 1960's, DDB decided to join the growing number of advertising agencies who decided to go public (Millman, 1988). While the three partners owned the majority of the shares, the agency did become beholden to others outside the organization as well, making the profit motive even greater. It was also during this period that DDB expanded its operations internationally, opening locations in Europe and throughout North America. The loss of DDB's nuclear family feel and increased financial pressure drove many of its original stars to other agencies as the agency approached the 1970's.

DDB entered the 1970's with a shocking blow, the first departure of a major client, Alka-Seltzer (Fox, 1997). The agency's $20 million loss placed greater pressures on Bernbach, who was beginning to delegate his creative control to younger staff, who found himself surrounded by a "we must not lose this business" mentality (Millman, 1988). The economy fell into a recession in 1971 which left most large agencies scrambling for dollars. By the end of 1972, Whirlpool, Lever, Sara Lee, Quaker Oats and Cracker Jack had also left DDB for new agencies. DDB tried to offset these losses by going and after and acquiring seven Proctor & Gamble brands. P&G's authoritarian management style made it difficult for Bernbach to produce advertising in his trademark way, compromising the agency's creative independence (Stabiner, 1993). Amidst the turmoil of clients' comings and goings, Bernbach moved away from the president's position and made way for new management. These new managers attempted to reposition the agency as one that was as disciplined as it was creative by promoting account managers to more powerful positions. This effort failed miserably as five presidents came and left in as many years. Meanwhile, DDB gobbled up a number of small agencies in its efforts to further its growth and profit centers.

Bill Bernbach and the identity he created for DDB got lost in the shuffle. What was left of his staff knew it and so did his clients. By the early 1980's, many of Bernbach's earliest clients including Levy's bread, Avis, and American Airlines left DDB for competing agencies.