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"But let me tell you when I might demand that you take my name off the door: That will be the day when you focus more on making money than on making advertising – our kind of advertising."
Leo Burnett
This excerpt from Leo Burnett's retirement speech has long served as a guiding beacon for the agency, enshrined into the core principles that continue to inspire employees to uphold the agency's high standards and deliver work that reflects its values.
On January 14, Leo Burnett announced its merger with Publicis Worldwide to form a new entity called 'Leo.' This move is part of Publicis Groupe’s strategy to solidify its position in an advertising landscape increasingly shaped by technology and artificial intelligence. This marks the culmination of a legacy that has revolutionised the advertising world, leaving a signature that will be remembered for generations. Let’s explore the journey of Leo Burnett and how it has evolved into Leo.
The Beginning
Leo Noble Burnett was born on October 21, 1891, in St. Johns, Michigan, the first of four children to Rose and Noble Burnett. His name came about by chance when hospital officials misread an abbreviation of his intended name, George, on the birth certificate, leading to the world knowing him as Leo.
Growing up, Burnett was inspired by his father, who designed ads to promote his business, sparking his early interest in advertising. During high school, he worked as a reporter for a local rural newspaper in the summers. He enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1910 and graduated in 1914 with a degree in journalism, funding his education by working as a night editor for the Michigan Daily and lettering show cards for a department store.
After college, Burnett worked as a reporter for the Peoria Journal, earning $18 a week. He stayed there for a year, but advice from a former classmate, Owen B. 'Obie' Winters, who would later become a major figure in advertising, encouraged him to pursue the burgeoning automobile industry. Motivated by the prospects in advertising, Burnett made a career shift, moving to Detroit in 1917. He secured a copywriting role at Cadillac Motor Company, and by 1919, he had advanced to the position of advertising manager.
During World War I, he joined the Navy for six months. After the war ended, he moved his family to Indianapolis, Indiana. Leo's postwar tenure with Cadillac came to an end when several employees branched out to establish LaFayette Motors, touted as the 'American Rolls-Royce.' Burnett followed them to Indianapolis as advertising manager, but when LaFayette faced financial struggles and relocated to Wisconsin, he joined the Homer McKee advertising agency in Indianapolis as its creative head. There, he crafted ads for a decade while raising two sons and a daughter with Naomi.
After the 1929 stock market crash, Homer McKee lost a significant automobile account, prompting Leo to seek a more stable future. He moved his family to Chicago in 1930, where he took on the role of Creative Vice President at Erwin Wasey, which briefly held the title of the world's largest advertising agency.
Building Rome
In 1934, three key clients were pressuring Leo Burnett to open his own agency, but he was initially reluctant to leave Erwin Wasey. However, when Art Kudner, another Wasey executive, left to start his own agency with clients like Buick, Goodyear, and General Motors, Burnett was finally convinced to take the leap.
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With $50,000, Burnett opened his own agency on August 5, 1935, at the age of 44, determined to make his mark in New York's advertising scene. He quickly became known for writing many of the agency's ads, though his role gradually shifted to editing. Each day, he would visit art directors' offices, keeping a close eye on the agency's creative output.
Despite being based in Chicago, a city far from the advertising epicentre of Madison Avenue in New York, Burnett’s agency gradually made a name for itself. The early years were tough, with clients like The Hoover Company, Minnesota Valley Canning Company, and Realsilk Hosiery Mills, and the company billed less than $1 million in its first year. However, Burnett’s determination paid off, as he worked tirelessly, except on Christmas Day, to build the agency's reputation.
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Rejecting misleading tactics like contests and premiums, Burnett focused on delivering real information and enhancing products with good artwork, recipes, and humour. His unconventional approach to advertising set him apart. For example, in the 1940s, when it was considered taboo to show raw meat in ads, Burnett famously showcased raw, red meat with an intense red background in a campaign for the American Meat Institute.
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This bold move immediately caught consumers' attention and encouraged Burnett to continue pushing creative boundaries.
In numbers and names
In its first decade, the Leo Burnett Company billed around $10 million. After World War II, the company saw significant growth, with billings doubling to $22 million in 1950 and again to $55 million in 1954. This surge was largely due to the acquisition of major clients such as Kellogg, Pillsbury, Procter & Gamble, and Campbell Soup.
The 1950s marked a transformative era for advertising, with television emerging as a dominant force. Leo Burnett’s agency capitalised on this shift, expanding its influence by emphasising visual storytelling. During this decade, the company created iconic advertising figures that would remain beloved for decades. These included Charlie the Tuna for Starkist, Tony the Tiger for Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes and the Jolly Green Giant.
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The Jolly Green Giant, inspired by folklore, resonated with consumers and became one of the company’s most successful campaigns. Created for the Minnesota Canning Company, the Jolly Green Giant campaign boosted the company’s sales so dramatically that it eventually rebranded itself as Green Giant.
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One of the most iconic and successful advertising campaigns created by Leo Burnett’s company was for Marlboro cigarettes. Before the campaign, filter cigarettes were seen as feminine. However, by introducing the rugged Marlboro Man, embodying a masculine cowboy image, the campaign transformed Marlboro into a symbol of masculinity, making it the best-selling cigarette brand in the world.
By 1959, the Leo Burnett Company was billing over $100 million annually. Despite the company’s rapid growth and expanding client base, Burnett remained deeply involved in every project. In 1961, his contributions to advertising were recognised when he became the original inductee into the Copywriters Hall of Fame.
As the years went by, Burnett’s agency continued to create memorable icons and slogans. In 1965, it introduced the Pillsbury Doughboy, followed by the Keebler Elves and Morris the Cat for 9-Lives cat food in 1968.
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Many of Burnett’s slogans endured for decades, such as the iconic “You’re in good hands with Allstate” for Allstate Insurance, and the famous “Fly the Friendly Skies of United” for United Airlines, which remained a staple for over three decades.
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Later that year, Leo Burnett suffered a mild heart attack, prompting him to adjust his work schedule. This led to the initiation of the famous "sessions at the farm." On Saturday mornings, or sometimes Friday nights or Sundays, a group of art directors, writers, account executives, and research people would gather at Leo’s office at the Lake Zurich farm. This tradition lasted for many years and birthed several iconic ideas, including the creation of the Marlboro cowboy.
Beyond advertising
Following the shock of the Pearl Harbor attack, Leo Burnett threw himself into work for The War Advertising Council. One of his first actions was offering the agency’s services to help collect scrap metal for the war effort. The campaign received an overwhelming response, prompting the Council to send a representative to a War Production Board meeting in Washington, where Burnett attended, bringing with him a portfolio filled with campaign ideas and plans.
In 1945, Burnett was honoured for his significant contributions to wartime advertising. Two years later, in 1947, he authored ‘Good Citizen,’ a book that outlined America’s rights and privileges, published by the Heritage Foundation.
By the time the Leo Burnett Company celebrated its 25th anniversary, it had grown into the sixth-largest advertising agency in the U.S.
Burnett’s photograph, alongside other advertising giants, appeared on the cover of Time on October 12, 1962, in an article titled 'Madison Avenue.; In 1966, he was named 'Marketing Man of the Year' by the Chicago Chapter of the American Marketing Association. However, Leo’s most cherished recognition came in 1963 when the University of Missouri awarded him its Honor Award for Distinguished Service in Journalism.
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Burnett was the embodiment of loyalty to his clients. He bought 100 shares of stock in every new client, making their success his personal stake. His pockets were perpetually filled with Philip Morris cigarette packages, and for years, he wore shoes exclusively from the Brown Shoe Company. Special K was his breakfast staple, right up until the day he passed.
The legacy left behind
Leo Burnett achieved his goal of creating superior advertising for his clients, leaving behind a legacy that birthed the Chicago School of Advertising. In a 1965 speech to the Chicago Ad Club, he proudly noted how many New York agencies were populated by talent from the Midwest, asserting that Chicago advertising had reached a point where it rivaled New York's prestige.
In 1967, he retired from active management, yet remained a constant presence at the agency, continuing to work tirelessly. His final day at the office was June 7, 1971. After spending hours at the office, he returned home to Lake Zurich, where he passed away quietly in his sleep from a heart attack at the age of 79.
Leo without Burnett
Leo Burnett’s legacy is now evolving, not disappearing. The recent merger with Publicis Groupe brings together 8,000 creative minds from Leo Burnett and 7,000 from Publicis Worldwide, forming a formidable global creative force, called Leo. Led by Marco Venturelli, Agathe Bousquet, and Gareth Goodall, the new constellation seeks to leverage strategic and creative excellence, delivering connected, human brand experiences at scale.
While the iconic name of Leo Burnett may no longer exist in its original form, the spirit of its founder lives on, ensuring the agency's legacy has been etched forever in the advertising world. Even if the name evolves, Burnett's influence will remain steadfast, leaving an indelible mark on the creative industry for years to come.