Blood, Sweat And Tears, The Doyle Dane Bernbach Reunion
They say you can’t go home again. They’re wrong.
On June 1st, an exclusive reunion was held in New York City for all the writers and art directors who worked at Doyle Dane Bernbach in the 1960s.
Think about it. 120 of the people who helped launch the creative revolution were about to get together in one place for the first time in over 40 years.
I couldn’t wait. I actually began my career as a 22-year old copy trainee at Doyle Dane Bernbach working on the legendary VW Beetle account. In a real sense, I would be returning to the place of my birth – in advertising.
I flew in from LA with my good friend Gary Geyer, who I met at DDB in the ’60s, and we stayed over at my brother’s place on Park Avenue.
On the big day, I dressed to impress in black jeans with a black polo shirt (very slimming) a light corduroy sports jacket and a pair of Doc Marten shoes, which people told me were very comfortable. They, too, were wrong!
The trouble began when Gary and I decided to walk to the reunion. New York City was a hot and sticky 84 degrees and I started to feel discomfort after just 4 blocks (only 28 to go!)
My jacket was too heavy, and when I took it off, I noticed blotches of sweat all over my shirt. Damn! I didn’t want to show up at this glorious event looking like an old, sweaty, balding Jewish guy.
At the same time, my Doc Martens were chafing me. We stopped for lunch with Jackie End, dear friend from the good old days. She made me laugh so hard, I temporarily forgot my “issues.”
But by the time we got to the reunion, the discomfort had escalated into a throbbing pain, and I was shvitzing so badly, my nipples looked like they were leaking.
It all seemed to fade away, though, the moment we walked into the room. There, before me, were all the greats.
Over there was Bob Levenson, the genius writer and creative director who gave Volkswagen its voice and set the standard for cleverness at DDB. He’s also the guy who approved the first ad I ever got produced (for Volkswagen) after only my 9th try.
Over there was the legendary George Lois, looking a little older and balder, but still full of it — energy, that is.
Standing in the corner was Charlie Moss, or “Boss Moss”, as we used to call him. A DDB alumnus, he went on to become creative director of Wells, Rich, Greene. I worked for Charlie for many years at Wells in New York and LA, and considered him a great mentor.
In fact, Charlie was the guy who assigned Bob Pasqualina and me to the Alka Seltzer account (albeit as the third backup team) and who gave the nod to “Try it, you’ll like it” and “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing”, Clio Hall of Famers that changed our lives. We shared funny memories.
Standing next to Charlie was George Gomes, a former DDB art director who made the switch to become a top commercial director. He was our director on the Alka Seltzer campaign, and we always appreciated his special gift for getting humorous performances out of actors — after only 64 takes.
And all over the room were the people I used to rub shoulders with in the halls of DDB: Len Sirowitz, Sid Meyers, Bob Reitzfeld, Mike Mangano, Mike Lawlor, Bob Matsumoto, Bob Kuperman — great creatives who helped change the look and the language of advertising.
We talked, we drank, we schmoozed. And then the lights went down and a special video came up.
It began with a scene from Mad Men. The guys from Sterling Cooper are sitting around looking at an issue of Life Magazine and discussing a full page ad for Volkswagen with the irreverent headline, “Lemon.” They question it, they mock it, they trash it.
“Why would anyone pay money to say something negative about their own car?”
Someone offers up, “Wasn’t that done by that guy Bernbach?” To which someone adds, “He’s a Jew, isn’t he?” Big laugh from our crowd.
The scene ends with Don Draper saying, “I don’t know if it’s good or bad, but we’ve been talking about it for 45 minutes.” It was the perfect exclamation point, and a tribute to the riveting work that defined Doyle Dane Bernbach.
Then came the emotional part. Appearing on the screen, one-by-one, were the young, wide-eyed faces of us — the people who made it to the reunion, as well as the greats who are no longer with us.
A rich orchestral score gave poignancy to the images. And when the final face faded out, a simple two word super came up: “Welcome home.”
That’s when the tears flowed. I know I wasn’t the only one.
The people in that room were responsible for changing advertising forever. Volkswagen “Think small”, Avis “We Try Harder”, Levy’s Rye Bread “You don’t have to be Jewish to Love Levy’s”, Mobil “We want you to live” and Ohrbach’s and Polaroid and Alka Seltzer…I could go on.
The amazing thing was, the brilliant minds behind these campaigns didn’t have a creative road map. No creative history to build on. No awards books to steal from. They were making it up out of their heads. That’s the definition of “breakthrough.” Never been done. Never seen or heard of before. Just true original genius.
The party had begun at 3 in the afternoon and by 6:45 it was winding down. Gary and I needed to leave to meet my brother and sister-in-law for dinner. We said our last good-byes and hugged our last hugs.
My foot was killing me, but I toughed it out until we got back to my brother’s place where, mercifully, I pulled off my shoe.
There was blood on my sock and my heel was oozing. My sister-in-law helped patch it up and my brother poured us a double Grey Goose on the rocks.
Gary and I kicked back and reflected on the day. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
A chance to be close, once more (and maybe for the last time) with the people we grew up with in advertising. The very people who changed the creative landscape and helped make the golden era golden.
For me, it was literally a day of blood, sweat and tears. And I treasured every minute of it.
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Like my stories? Please comment here or send questions to howie@madmensch.com. And if you like it, spread it.
© 2011 Howard Cohen, All Rights Reserved
Posted: June 15th, 2011 under Advertising.
Comments
Comment from Curvin O’Rielly
Time June 15, 2011 at 1:30 pm
What a fantastic piece, Howie! Thanks for sharing it! Y&R has an annual luncheon at Christmas. Creative people from the good old days at the place – the last 50′s, the 60′s and the early 70′s – get together and talk. The reunion this past year was awful. Some interlopers from the 80′s, 90′s and 00′s showed up, including some account types. They weren’t members of a good, relatively exclusive club and they shouldn’t been there, much less invited. (You walked 32 blocks? You forgot how to hail a taxi?)
Comment from Curvin O’Rielly
Time June 15, 2011 at 1:32 pm
“Welcome Home”! Inspired!
Comment from andrea
Time June 15, 2011 at 2:24 pm
Thank you for letting us into that room, into those memories. To be part of advertising then was inspiration squared! Phenomenal work – and we all wanted to be that good. You inspired legions of creatives on both coasts. Thrilling that you got to go home again.
Comment from Tom Kostro
Time June 15, 2011 at 5:13 pm
Makes me wish I started my career at DDB. I guess I had the next best thing… Cohen Pasqualina-
Thanks for the memories. DDB’s and CP.
Comment from Tom Kostro
Time June 15, 2011 at 5:15 pm
ps: Did Bob fly out for this???
Comment from tony zamora
Time June 15, 2011 at 6:02 pm
Wonderful story, it must have been a lovely experience. Thanks for sharing.
Comment from Jackie End
Time June 15, 2011 at 7:47 pm
Wow, Howie. I had no idea I made you forget your foot. Maybe I should enter it in an awards
show…
love, Jackie
Comment from Jerry
Time June 16, 2011 at 4:16 am
Love the story, and it is all true!!
Your brother
Comment from linda Chandler
Time June 16, 2011 at 6:52 am
Hi Howie,
I’m a friend of Bob Matsumoto and worked in the L.A. office when I was very young as a production secretary, and boy was I lucky. I quickly put together a portfolio at Art Center and became a copywriter. Bob and Mas Yamashita changed the art direction in my book continuously. It was magical to be there as I spliced together the greatest commercials of the times.
Question: I write a column called “The Brief” which runs Wednesdays in Canada and your blog with youtube video would be a great piece to run. May I reprint it with your permission?
I hope your feet are better. As a New Yorker, I felt your pain–yours and Anthony Weiner’s! Thanks in advance and all my best, Linda Chandler
Comment from Robert Reitzfeld
Time June 16, 2011 at 8:20 am
It was a night, Oh what a night it was, really was. Such a night.-Clyde McPhatter
Comment from Jim Helin
Time June 16, 2011 at 11:44 am
Nice piece, Howie. As usual.
Comment from Ron Becker
Time June 16, 2011 at 3:52 pm
It was the greatest reunion ever. It reminded me that I once worked in an agency that was college for advertising. i was 24 years old and worked with the best. They were elderly and young. I thought that I would be working in advertising till I got old like Bill Taubin Bob Gage Leon Meadow Dave Reider. Not told by headhunters that I can’t send your portfolio because your too old. DDB was the best of times. If you worked there you went on to work at other great agencies that came after. It made me feel good about my work that i had forgotten.
Comment from Bill Vogel
Time June 17, 2011 at 10:55 am
Howie,
I ran into Bob Matsumoto, Alan Pando and Mel Sant yesterday at a lunch of ole FCB/LA folks. Bob told us about the reunion and your piece…which I have just read, with a tear in my eye and a big smile on my face….. As you know, I was there too, in those mad wonderful days. It was my first job and I started in the Traffic Department, which gave me access to all departments within the agency….I found myself sitting on the floor, in the corner of Bob Gage’s office, or Phyliss Robinson’s, after hours, and watching and listening and taking in all in. I learned by osmosis and got to go on shoots and recording sessions and had to sneak out of the Traffic Department to go to client meetings. Everyone was willing to teach me and to give me opportunities to learn and grow…I became an account guy and all I learned at DDB helped me have a wonderful career. It certainly was the best of times…and I ate the whole thing. Howie, you are still a fabulous writer…See you soon….All the best…Billy
Comment from Ross Jarvis
Time June 17, 2011 at 12:29 pm
Is the Tehran still there?
Ross Jarvis Toronto
Comment from Tom Messner
Time June 23, 2011 at 6:42 pm
The Tehran is gone, one of the victims of the fall of the Shah in the late 70s, which brought to an end the brief flirtation with Persian cuisine tempered by Beefeater Martinis.
I still thank Jack Piccolo, Mike Lawlor, Marvin Honig, Fred Stadelman, George Rike for picking up drinks for me so I could glom the free hors d’oeuvres and equally free career advice.
One night, I offered to drive a deeply inebriated George Rike home to Brooklyn rather than seeing him fall off the platform of the “F” train. He said, “I’ll go in your car only if you’ll let me drive.”
Comment from John Megery
Time June 25, 2011 at 7:16 am
“The Man”– as seen 51st from top in reunion pic. So hunky!
Comment from Tom Cordner
Time June 25, 2011 at 8:14 am
I started my career at Roenfeld.Sirowitz.Lawson in 1972. Stan Bloch and Adam Haft hired me as a junior art director. I remember meeting Ron and Len for the first time (David & Goliath size wise). I was scared. Ron was penetrating, Len was gracious. I felt I was amidst greatness though I could not fully comprehend it all. What I did believe was they were my ticket to a real portfolio. Before I went to NY I went to Art Center. While there, I heard about two instrutors that were the talk of the school. Bob Matsumoto and John Anarino. They were the best instructors there by far. Why? They were from DDB, enough said. Bob of the two, made the biggest difference in my future. He was crusty on the outside but soft inside. He prepared me for NY like a good Hollywood agent prepares his actor. I got a job within two weeks. I owe so much to Bob and those icons of the DDB revolution. Home for me, is where my inspiration came from. Thank you all for giving me such a great start in advertising. I miss the the ones I knew and wish I knew more of the ones I didn’t. Cheers!
Comment from deanna Cohen Drew
Time June 27, 2011 at 11:51 am
So those tears in your eyes were pain in your feet? And here I thought you were being sentimental like the rest of us.
It was great seeing you and being together, truly a once in a lifetime event.
You wrote a great piece. So you haven’t forgotten. xoxoxo Deanna
Comment from Rich Ferrante
Time June 27, 2011 at 12:19 pm
Howie, we never worked together, but we have talked together and it was really good to see you again. It was hard to really catch up as there was always someone else, by your side, to give an amazing hello. A great time for sure. I felt the DDB glow for weeks.
Comment from TONI PAGANO-ROSENFELD
Time June 27, 2011 at 1:04 pm
HI,
I LOVED YOUR STORY. IT WAS ALMOST AS PAINFUL AS MY WEARING MY BLAHNIKS AND STANDING FOR SEVERAL HOURS, HOWEVER, I DID NOT BLEED.
BUT LET’S GET ONE THING STRAIGHT, WHO DID THE ORIGINAL VW STUFF. NOT BOB, NOT LENNY, BUT HELMUT AND AN OLD GUY NAMED JULIAN KOENIG, MAY HE RIP…I THINK.
BOTH BOB AND LENNY ARE WONDERFUL TALENTS, BUT THE ORIGINALS NEED TO GET CREDIT FOR WHAT THEY CREATED.
I LOVED BEING THERE, EVEN THOUGH I DIDN’T SAY HELLO. HELLO!!!
TONI PAGANO ROSENFELD
Comment from Joan McArthur
Time June 28, 2011 at 1:19 pm
Fabulous Howie – there isn’t one of us who wouldn’t have given everything we own and all we could steal to have been at DDB in those days. But…where is the video? I really hope someone’s going to post it for the rest of us post-creative-revolution also-rans.
Sadly, can’t think of a way to steal any of this touching account for my blog. Any more than I could find a half-decent excuse to sneak in that night. That sucks, but thanks for the great account of what had to be a once in a lifetime event.
J
Comment from Tom Messner
Time June 30, 2011 at 12:46 pm
@TONI
Julian Koenig lives. Harder to kill copywriters than Persian restaurants. Even got into a recent verbal slugfest with his old (sparring) partner, Lois.
Comment from David Wells
Time July 14, 2011 at 7:35 pm
Thanks Howard for this blog. As we remember, we congratulate and commemorate alive in the minds of creative people.
Comment from Confidence Stimpson
Time July 20, 2011 at 10:21 am
I went to both the DDB reunion and the Y&R reunion. The DDB reunion was better. To paraphrase JFK, it was the greatest collection of creative talent gathered in one room since Bill Bernbach dined alone.
Comment from claudia teller
Time July 21, 2011 at 12:25 pm
greetings. i worked in the traffic department at ddb from 1976-79, leaving when the emphasis was clearly, and depressingly, turning from creative to account side. after hoofing up and down the halls by day honing my organizational skills, i took art direction classes at night at sva and parsons. how could i help but be inspired when i worked with those creatives who were lit on fire? i became a graphic designer because that’s where the passion led me (i fell in love with type, especially that of the masters such as herb lubalin), but the core of what i creatively ingested at ddb remains to this day. i will be ever grateful to those who paved the way and taught us how to have the most fun in the world with our clothes on!
Comment from Patrick King
Time July 22, 2011 at 6:45 pm
Thanks for a great blog and for documenting the reunion. We’re working with George Lois to bring his quips and quotes to the masses: http://bit.ly/abU8BL He’d mentioned the event to me and seemed quite nostalgic about attending.
Comment from Elise Hughes
Time August 28, 2011 at 8:09 am
My dad Evan H. Baker worked at Doyle Dane Bernbach during those campaigns! Buxton wallets had his pic with my mom in the center fold of Life or Look! Good memories. I won a contest in NY WNEW NY Giants Waterboy Contest sponsered by Cocoa Cola…Had my pic with my dad and Jimmy Patton and Henry Carr..and right dab in the middle was my dad holding the new Polaroid Land Camera for all to see. Ha Ha! Loved it.
Comment from Mad Mensch
Time August 29, 2011 at 9:46 am
Sounds like wonderful memories, thanks for sharing.
Comment from Kathryn Johnson
Time December 7, 2011 at 10:51 am
In the early 1970′s Ned Doyle lived above my parents in a condo on Key Biscayne, Fl. He fought like crazy with his wife at the time Maggie. he was super, she was a witch. Joe Daley flew in every weekend via Eastern Airlines to maintain his perfect tan. All those ad biggies were in Florida every weekend, back to Madison Ave. Sunday night. They were great, the best. Glad I saw it.
Comment from Mad Mensch
Time December 17, 2011 at 5:15 pm
They worked hard and, evidently, they played hard and fought hard. Thanks for sharing.
Comment from Larry Brown
Time December 22, 2011 at 9:20 am
Great memories,Howie.We both wrote for Boss Moss
at Wells ; I’d forgotten that you and Bob
Pasqualina did “Try it,you’ll like it.”(I’d left for
Ally and Scali long before–but I do remember
doing one ad with BobP–from idea to finished
proof felt like 10 seconds.)Nice to see Bob Levenson
was there;studying Bob’s ads on VW is WHY I went into
advertising and he’s given me some life-altering
insights when I see him in East Hampton occassionally.
A very special pleasure to see Jackie End’s name;Jackie
freelanced a Hills-Korvette ad for me at the little
I started when no agency would hire a high-school
drop out. The headline in the Daily News full-pager
said “How To Save Money At Any Supermarket”which
I’d written but had NO idea what to say next.Jackie’s
first body copy line was “Never send your husband.”
It doesn’t get any better than that.
Again,Howie–thanks for the memories!!!
Comment from Mad Mensch
Time January 10, 2012 at 1:00 pm
Thanks for the comment, it’s nice sharing with fellow creatives from the golden era.
Comment from Jim Ellerbrake
Time February 4, 2012 at 3:02 pm
Hi,
Loved your story about the DDB reunion. I was joined DDB in Oct. 1962, fresh out of graduate school at Michigan State. Worked in Traffic with Lloyd Highbloom, who went on to become an Exec VP at DDB. He and I interfaced with many of the great creative folk who worked at DDB at time. My favorite memory was the DDB Christmas party at the Plaza hotel in 1962. At the time I was making a fast and dirty $36 a week. So I ate and drank as much as I could to make up for the poor pay. Unfortuantely I was let go in the Spring of 1963, never found out why. But got into the Account Managemen t training program at Y & R, where I met Tony Doyle, Ned Doyle’s son. And we ended up rooming together in a dumpy apartment on West 58th Street behind the Plaza Hotel. I went on to build a successful career at BBDO and then to the West Coast at DFS in San Francisco for 20 years. But I always remember the great creative that came out of DDB in the early 60′s. Jim Ellerbrake
Comment from Jennifer
Time June 15, 2011 at 1:23 pm
where’s the part where you had dot email me your hello???
Love your stories. Every time.