Thursday, August 5, 2010

BOC Week 4: Jerry Della Femina, The Big Idea

Jerry Della Femina was a “street kid from Brooklyn” at an early age but soon grew into an advertising tycoon. Della Femina was one of the first advertisers to understand that if you deviated from the norm in the advertising industry you could get mounds of attention and so that’s exactly what he did. He constantly took on clients and made iconic themes for their brand, making not only the client very successful but also making a name for himself. By the time he published one of his most notable book, “From Those Wonderful Folks Who Gave You Pearl Harbor” he already was known in the industry. But this publication raised him to celebrity status.
“in 1967 I started my own agency and became, as my assistant told me, a publicity slut. I became far better known than I should have been. I was the first advertising person who people could identify with.”
http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/features/2439/



Jerry Della Femina constantly talks about how the way the advertising world has changed since he was at large in the early 60’s. He says that a normal day would include the scent of cannabis filling the office, three martinis for lunch along with half a bottle of liquor. Sex was a big part of the office in his day; even though it wasn’t widely talked about… it definitely was happening, even during office hours.

“If I were truly dedicated to my research and had consumed three martinis over lunch, I’m pretty sure the room would be spinning… But would life be more fun, more spontaneous, more joyful, more creative in certain crucial ways?”
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/145766a2-8fb1-11df-8df0-00144feab49a.html


Della Femina owns a restaurant now in New York and has also picked back up a few accounts for advertising such as Newsweek. He says that the industry is a whole new game these days, it’s immature, but he still loves it.

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