I have been asked why I love advertising so much, and where this love was rooted. Well, I remember the moments exactly, actually.
Quick back story: My mother’s side of the family lives in Milton, MA, which is roughly an hour and a half from our small town in NH. Every Catholic holiday of the majority of my childhood, you’d most likely find me sitting in the way, way back of a station wagon (wood panelling and all).
For those familiar with the drive, remember they might begin in NH on the Spaulding Turnpike. After a few miles of 3-4 Billboards and non-descriptive trees, you find that glorious entrance to 95S, then Route 1 through Danvers, Peabody, Lynn, Sagus, Revere, Chelsea, and then FINALLY the Boston skyline appears as you turn to pick up 93S.
You might remember how long this drive seemed – or can imagine how long it was to a kid.
Most kids take that time to sleep through it, but not this one. Every billboard, advertisement, building, road, and sign I passed along the way had it’s own story I could recite a million times.
I recall clear as day the plastic cows & giant cactus at the Hilltop Steakhouse, an orange dinosaur just at the highway splits at the edge of the mini golf place (that I swear use to be purple), and the giant (always seemingly empty) Chinese restaurant on the distant hill. Then, as you enter the city, just as the buildings begin, there was a giant inflated Pink Panther that sat on top of a building, but right before the the multi-colored water towers just as you pass the city behind was my favorite of all- a painted billboard on the side of a brick building.
The advertisement was simply a model wearing a pair of cuffed jeans, in a stance that mirrored the power of Superman. The sideways white and red ‘tag’ of LEVI displayed small along the side.
This perfect display of whitespace, copy, beauty, power, and simplicity changed my life forever.
According to Levi Strauss & Co.’s website, under a ‘Heritage‘ section:
The 1961 movie, The Misfits, is notable for its critical acclaim, its star-studded cast and its fame as the final film appearance for Marilyn Monroe and co-star Clark Gable. I retraced Marilyn Monroe’s experience filming The Misfits in Western Nevada in order to uncover some of the mystique surrounding the actress and the Levi’s® jeans she famously wore in the movie.
Directed by acclaimed film-maker John Huston, The Misfits features Monroe as a divorcée who falls for an over-the-hill cowboy (Gable). Gable plays a stubbornly independent cowboy who is known to occasionally drink too much. His rodeo-riding sidekick, Montgomery Clift, also appears in the film.
The black and white film showcases rugged Nevada landscapes near the Comstock — the site of one of the world’s richest ore discoveries that sparked a silver rush in the 1850s. Mining camps and commercial centers, like Virginia City and Gold Hill, flourished for decades around the Comstock Lode. Tailor Jacob Davis even operated a business in Virginia City before partnering with Levi Strauss & Co. on the patent for the first riveted pants, today’s blue jeans.
Fast forward to just before my 14th birthday. My mom, aunt and uncle took me to New York City. We did the whole “tourist” thing, and saw everything. From our waitress at Planet Hollywood telling us a story about how this guy who plays Opera man on SNL won’t stop calling/bugging her roommate, the famous FAO Schwartz Walking Piano still on display, the insane attention to detail inside the The Plaza hotel, the mystery of Central Park, getting my make-up done by the make-up artists of the stars (or so she claimed), and a very nervous Steven Spielberg inside Saks Fifth Avenue (with a woman trying on shoes, who was NOT Kate Capshaw). It was a trip rivaling Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
Side (sad) note: We also happened to be directly downtown when the World Trade Center wax bombed- the first time. The date was February 26, 1993. We were in the taxi at 12:18 PM when it happened- and we felt it. Little did we know the gravity of that shake until we were in the hotel later that afternoon.
We passed through the streets to make it directly towards the center of the tourist action when that feeling from my youth happened again. I forgot the power of it inside my stomach. This time it was a billboard in the center of Times Square. I was speechless, mouth gaped open staring at it. It mirrored the simplicity of my original back in Boston.
At the time, Calvin Klein was making it’s mark, once again, with a scantily clad model. You might remember this guy:
It was amazing and I was captivated.
Fast forward again to college. One of my favorite classes talked about the history of advertising. I learned about all things under the umbrella I planned to call home.
I was madly in love with every single element of advertising. I wanted to learn more.
Obviously, the class begun with the typical origin story, the greats, the icons, the moment makers. I loved every bit of it. I didn’t know what I loved most about it, so I made a point to have an internship in every angle of it. Television, radio, newspaper, media buying, creative, etc. I majored in it. I LOVED it. This will add a little more merit to the reference I made one post back, regarding me falling asleep in the front row of a lecture, by a major agency CEO. I tried writing a letter of apology, it was ignored. Life lesson? I have no idea, but it’s probably best not to have a narcolepsy phase in front of the CEO of the agency you recently applied to.
Outcome: despite that silly little sleepy moment, my resume was awesome upon graduation, and I had a broad knowledge of the ins and outs of the field. While most people focus on a specific thing- similar to a medical or legal profession- I wanted all of it.
Years later when I lived in Chicago, one of the most memorable moments of that time was riding in an elevator in River North section of the city. I was heading to a top floor for a meeting when the elevator suddenly stopped on a different floor.
When the door opened, I saw this:
It was the most beautiful and unexpected site I had seen in that stupid city.
Tears started streaming down my face like a girl at a One Direction concert. It was not only bad timing, as I was on my way to a meeting, but it was REALLY unexpected.
Quit crying like a baby, Katie! I
had the same experience upon looking at the Leo Burnett building for the first time. I can honestly say that aside from the view in my apartment on Lake Shore Drive, the thing I loved most about Chicago was the cluster of amazing advertising icons who walked it’s streets throughout history.
As of today, I have been in the “marketing” field for over 15 years. Yes, I count the time spent in college because I was working my ass off! I still love it. It’s certainly changed, and I can’t say the greats of today have hit the mark with every ad, I can say that the people making it should know there is a girl in Maine always appreciating the people who founded it for us to love.
A common question people ask is “if you could have (fill in the activity- drink, dinner, etc) with one person, living or dead, who would it be?” Well, I think you know my answer: Leo, of course.
I might have to bring some tissues though, for he doesn’t strike me as the type who appreciates a good cry.
