Leo Burnett

Leo Burnett was a man who made ads.

He made many famous characters. He made the Jolly Green Giant. He also made Tony the Tiger. He made the Pillsbury Doughboy too. These characters help people know about things.

He started his own company in 1935. It was a very big business. Many people work for it now. He was a very important man.

Leo Burnett was a famous man in advertising.

Advertising is the way companies tell people about their products. He started his own company in 1935. At first, it had only eight workers. Now, his company has over 9,000 employees.

Burnett was good at making famous characters. These characters help people remember a brand. He made the Jolly Green Giant. He also made Tony the Tiger. Other famous characters include the Pillsbury Doughboy and the Keebler Elves. He used a method called the "soft sell." This means he used warmth and shared feelings to sell things. He liked to find the drama in every product.

Burnett was born in Michigan in 1891. He studied journalism at the University of Michigan. He worked as a reporter before he started making ads. He also served in the Navy during World War I. He lived in Chicago for much of his life. Burnett died in 1971 at age 79. He is buried at Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago.

Leo Burnett was a very famous man in the world of advertising.

Advertising is how companies tell people about what they sell. Burnett was known for making characters that people loved and remembered. He created famous figures like Tony the Tiger for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes. He also made the Pillsbury Doughboy and the Jolly Green Giant.

These characters helped people connect with different brands. Because of his great work, Time named him one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.

Burnett had a special way of working called the "soft sell." Instead of being loud or pushy, he used warmth and shared feelings. He believed every product had its own "inherent drama." This means he looked for the special story inside an object. He used simple images that felt real to people. He even created mythical creatures to represent American values.

These characters acted as symbols that people could easily understand and trust.

Burnett's journey began in St. Johns, Michigan, on October 21, 1891. His father, Noble, ran a dry goods store. As a young man, Leo watched his father design ads for the shop. After high school, he studied journalism at the University of Michigan. He earned his degree there in 1914. His first job was working as a reporter in Peoria, Illinois.

Later, he served in the United States Navy for six months during World War I.

In 1935, Burnett started his own business called the Leo Burnett Company, Inc. He began with only eight employees and $50,000 in starting money. His first clients were companies like Green Giant and Hoover. The company grew very quickly over the years. By 1954, the company was billing $55 million annually. By the end of the 1950s, that number reached $100 million.

Today, his agency has over 9,000 employees in more than 85 offices around the world.

Many things you see in stores today might come from his ideas. He worked with huge names like McDonald's, Coca-Cola, and Hallmark. He created the "Good Hands" ads for Allstate and the "Fly the Friendly Skies" ads for United Airlines. Even his personal habits were unique. He kept a folder on his desk called "Corny Language." In it, he saved words and phrases that were perfect for telling stories.

He died in 1971 at the age of 79 and is buried in Chicago.

Leo Burnett was a highly influential American advertising executive. He founded the Leo Burnett Company, Inc. during the 1930s. Burnett is credited with creating many of the most famous advertising characters of the 20th century. These characters helped people connect with brands on an emotional level. Because of his massive impact on culture, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. His work changed how companies communicate with the public.

Burnett developed a specific method for advertising known as the "soft sell." This approach focused on building brand equity, which is the value and reputation of a brand. Instead of using a "hard sell" that might feel pushy, he used dramatic realism. He believed that every product possessed an "inherent drama." This means he looked for the natural story or excitement within a product. He used warmth, shared emotions, and shared experiences to present these stories. By using simple and instinctive imagery, he made advertisements feel relatable to everyday people.

One of his most famous techniques involved using "cultural archetypes." An archetype is a very typical example of a certain person or thing. In advertising, Burnett created mythical creatures to represent American values. These characters became symbols that people recognized instantly. Notable examples include the Jolly Green Giant for Green Giant, the Pillsbury Doughboy for Pillsbury, and Tony the Tiger for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes. He also created the Marlboro Man for Philip Morris Co. and the Maytag Repairman. These characters often leveraged concepts of masculinity to connect with audiences.

Burnett's professional journey began in St. Johns, Michigan, where he was born on October 21, 1891. His father, Noble, ran a dry goods store. As a young man, Leo watched his father design advertisements for the family business. After high school, he studied journalism at the University of Michigan. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1914. His first job was serving as a reporter for the Peoria Journal Star in Illinois. During World War I, he served in the United States Navy for six months. He spent most of that time building a breakwater at Great Lakes.

After his military service, Burnett worked for Cadillac Motor Car Company. There, he met his mentor, Theodore F. MacManus. MacManus was an advertising director who taught Burnett much about the industry. Burnett later moved to Indianapolis to work for the LaFayette Motors Company. He then joined a firm owned by Homer McKee. It was at McKee's agency that Burnett first experienced the "warm sell." He spent a decade working with McKee before moving to Chicago in 1930. He worked at Erwin, Wasey & Company for five years before starting his own firm.

In 1935, Burnett founded the Leo Burnett Company, Inc. with $50,000 in working capital. He started with only eight employees and three clients: Realsilk Hosiery, Hoover, and Minnesota Valley Canning Co. The company grew at an incredible rate. In the first few years, the agency billed about $1 million annually. By 1950, billings rose to $22 million. By 1954, the company reached $55 million in annual billings. By the end of the 1950s, the agency was billing $100 million every year. Today, the agency is part of Publicis Groupe and employs over 9,000 people in 85 offices across 69 countries.

Burnett worked with many massive multinational clients throughout his career. He created the "Fly the Friendly Skies" campaign for United Airlines in 1965. He also developed the "Good Hands" campaign for Allstate in 1957. His client list included major names like McDonald's, Coca-Cola, and Hallmark. He worked with Kellogg's, Nestlé, and Procter & Gamble. Even his personal habits reflected his love for language. He kept a folder on his desk labeled "Corny Language." This folder contained words, phrases, and analogies that he found perfect for expressing ideas.

Leo Burnett passed away on June 7, 1971, at the age of 79. He died of a heart attack at his family farm in Hawthorn Woods, Illinois. Earlier that year, he had pledged to his colleagues that he would only work three days per week due to health issues. He is buried at Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago.

Beyond commercial work, Burnett contributed to social causes. In 1947, he wrote a booklet titled "The Good Citizen." This was a public service for The Advertising Council and The American Heritage Foundation. The booklet discussed the duties and privileges of being a citizen of the United States. This showed that his influence extended beyond just selling products to the public.