From desk drawers filled with liquor bottles to daily sexual harassment,
a Madison avenue office of the 1960s was an HR rep’s living nightmare. Still, the era known as
the “golden age” of advertising produced some of the most revolutionary and remembered ads of
all time. Today on Nutty History, we’re looking at what it was like to work in
advertising in its heyday - the 1960’s. But before we get down to the fine print,
be sure to subscribe to our channel for more historical madness.
Why do admen of the ’60s get all the attention? The era was known as the “golden age of
advertising” due to a shift from the formulaic and straightforward adverts of the 1950s
to fresh-thinking campaigns utilizing shock and awe, humor, and irony. This changing trend in
advertising represented the youth counterculture of the time that rejected the materialism
and consumerism of their parent’s generation. They didn’t call it a Baby Boom for nothing.
The sheer volume of young people alone couldn’t be ignored, especially from a marketing perspective.
In the 1960s, half of the population was under 25. Some Madison avenue firms were able to capitalize
on this cultural moment with youth-oriented campaigns like it’s Pepsi: “For those who think
young.” Ok, Boomer.* The revolutionary attitude of the 1960’s allowed the creatives of Madison
Avenue to revolutionize their ads as well. Several of the earliest and most famous examples are DDB’s
Volkswagen print ads from 1959 and 1960. The subversive campaigns, “Think Small” and “Lemon”
used self-deprecating humor, drawing attention to the car’s flaws and shortcomings at a time where
every other auto company was emphasizing their cars as bigger, flashier, and sleeker. By changing
the narrative, Volkswagen made the typical car ad look like, well, a sleazy car salesman.
While the Volkswagen campaign didn’t change advertising overnight, it opened the door
for other ad campaigns to break the mold and connect with the consumer in new ways.
This also increased the status and respect paid to the creatives, i/e the Don Drapers of agencies.
Every client wanted an ad that was the next talked about thing, and Creatives could now claim the
power and expertise to argue against or disagree outright with a client. The ’60s also saw the
formation of the typical advertising creative team still seen today - copywriter and art director
working together as a pair. Of course, this reverence towards Creatives probably contributed
to the god-like mentality some admen of the time seemed to adopt. Many from the industry recall the
notorious ego and temper that went along with success for the top performers at the firm.
And big personalities could often clash. George Lois, a former DDB art director, recounts being
mid-fist-fight with an account manager when a client entered his office. In another instance,
he recalls that while DDB art directors weren’t supposed to talk to the client directly,
he interrupted a meeting to scream at a client who didn’t like his poster idea.
Somehow, this worked. Apparently, the customer isn’t always right.
Of course, who hasn’t looked at the three-martini lunch of Madison avers in the ’60s
with a twinge of jealousy? The constant barrage of booze and cigarette smoke was enough to
send any 60’s adman to an early grave if the late nights and stress didn’t do the job on their own.
The ill-effects of Madison avenue’s work-hard, play-hard mentality even earned it the
nickname “ulcer gulch.” Healthy living wasn’t exactly top of mind to a 60’s admen’s mind.
It wasn’t until 1964 that the Surgeon General gave the official word on the dangers of cigarettes.
The advertising solution? The rise of the Marlboro Man campaign, which used literal cowboys
to portray smoking as masculine and rugged. As for the rampant alcohol use, drinking your body
weight was seen as a skill more than a problem. Being able to consume vast amounts of hard liquor
during the workday was seen as “macho” rather than “alcoholism.” If you worked in accounts,
the boozing was an all too regular part of schmoozing important clients. Adman Alen York
recalled, “We always knew that after lunch, you may as well forget about doing anything...Clients,
customers, three-martini lunches. They were finished for the afternoon." I’m exhausted
just thinking about it. Another possible reason for the high alcohol content? It loosened up both
the clients and creatives. For some, creating new and outlandish ideas, and successfully selling
them was innately linked to free-flowing liquor. It not only got those creative juices flowing,
it helped clients to swallow the bolder ideas. Or...it impaired their judgment to
the point of accepting less than desirable work? We’ll just leave that as a gray area.
If you had a successful career in advertising in the 1960s, you were probably a white man.
Prominent ad-man Tom Burrell of Leo Burnett first started in the mailroom at Wade Advertising Agency
in 1961. He was not only the only black man at the firm but in all of Chicago. And while doors
began to open for women and “ethnic whites” such as Italian-Americans and Jews, in 1968 African
Americans made up just 2.5% of white-collar advertising employment. While “adwoman” doesn’t
have quite the same ring to it, there were women in the 1960’s Madison avenue offices,
and they weren’t always secretaries. Just most of the time. The sixties saw the start of women’s
liberation, and more and more women began to enter the workforce in post-war America. Pamphlets
selling an advertising career to women emphasized the opportunity for growth in the industry,
though most would start off as secretaries. Even for the rare Peggy Olson that managed to break
through the glass ceiling, there were campaigns for women, and campaigns for men. While men could
work on pretty much any brand under the sun, women were limited to campaigns directed to other women,
such as household products, cosmetics, and soaps. Uh, wait, are men not using soap?
The 1960’s workplace might have been cutting edge in some ways,
but it was still a long ways away from the Me Too era. As seen on TV,
much of the workplace dynamic would make even the most seasoned HR department cringe. Some Madison
Avenue women of the time recall a great number of admen who were treated like rockstars and
acted accordingly. As Rose Mendicino, a former ad agency secretary describes, “Definitely predators.
Married or not.” Old school ad-exec Jerry Della Femina recalls one agency holding a vote for both
the men and the women to determine which of their coworkers they would most like to sleep with.
If that’s not insane enough, the winning couple received a weekend together at the plaza hotel.
I’m sorry, is this a professional workplace or a middle school game of truth or dare? Inter-office
relationships were also commonplace, as many people looked to their coworkers for romance.
For a young woman, marrying a wealthy and powerful ad man was a much more economically
feasible option than trying to work your way into a creative or account role. A 1967 poll of Ketchum
employees found that three-quarters of secretaries would marry an adman if the opportunity arose.
Important question - is Jon Hamm in the mix? While the 1960s brought many creative
accomplishments in the advertising world, we’re not quite ready to hop in a time machine. But
let us know in the comments what you think of the mayhem of Madison Avenue,
and how you’d fare in the “wild west” of workplaces. Thanks for watching.