Thursday, March 9, 2017

Week Nine EOC: Art & Copy Key Person

Mary Wells Lawrence:

"Mary Wells Lawrence was born Mary Georgene Berg in Youngstown, Ohio, in 1928" http://adage.com/article/adage-encyclopedia/lawrence-mary-wells-1928/98743/. She moved to New York at 17 years old to Study acting at Neighborhood Playhouse School but then switched to Carnegie Institute of Technology. That is where she met her future husband Burt Wells. They were married on December 2, 1949. Wells worked in a few different department stores in New York before landing a job as Macy's advertising manager. Years later Wells moved to Lennon &  Newwell for a 20 person "brain Trust". But because of changes in management the trust fell through and the 20 person were paid a huge amount. With this money Wells decided to take a trip to Europe. After returning back from Europe she landed a job as a copywriter at Doyle Dane Bernbach. 1964 she was offered a major salary and more creative freedom over at Jack Tinker &a Partners. But in 1966 she left the agency and opened up her own one with others which was widely successful. "By the end of its first year, Wells Rich Greene had 100 employees and $39 million in billings. Later, it was responsible for helping resurrect the city’s deteriorating image with song, slogan and ethos: “I ♥ New York.” http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/10/fashion/mary-wells-lawrence-took-on-the-mad-men.html
 It was announced later she was taking the agency public but a few years later changed her mind and announced the plan was to change it to private ownership. "In 1969 Advertising Age named her one of the top 10 newsmakers of the 1960s. Quite an accomplishment 
considering she did not start her agency until 1966. She also was inducted into the Copywriter’s Hall of Fame" http://advertisinghall.org/members/member_bio.php?memid=834. 


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