Advertisers at Work

Introduction

In 1984, Bart Cummings published The Benevolent Dictators: Interviews with Advertising Greats (Crain Books). In that book, Cummings interviewed eighteen of the most influential people in the advertising industry. We see these icons of advertising—people like Bill Bernbach, David Ogilvy, and Emerson Foote—as heroes and luminaries. Indeed, they light our way to the future of advertising. Cummings called his book, The Benevolent Dictators. Why? He explained that for many of these leaders, their word was law. And as for the benevolent aspect? There is no shortage of talent in the advertising business. No shortage of brilliance. But some are not just brilliant. They are also good, kind, fair, understanding, empowering, and dedicated. ...