Who is Bill Bernbach? "William Bernbach was a creative leader who revolutionized the way that advertising was approached. Above all he valued innovation and intuition over science and rules." http://advertisinghall.org/members/member_bio.php?memid=540 "As the single most influential creative force in advertising's history, Bernbach served as an inspiring father figure to some of advertising's most brilliant talents. His copywriters and art directors lived for his approval, competed to make his blue eyes sparkle, to produce work that would earn a Bernbachian smile. 'What did Bill think?' was the question his Doyle Dane Bernbach people and clients would ask when new work was shown. Bernbach ruled." http://adage.com/article/special-report-the-advertising-century/william-bernbach/140180/ "Bernbach insisted on first learning how his client's products related to their users, what human qualities and emotions came into play. Then the challenge turned to deciding how best to communicate those elements, in TV and print, and capture the consumer's understanding and support." http://adage.com/article/special-report-the-advertising-century/william-bernbach/140180/ He essentially created what is now modern day advertising. He wanted to understand the consumers' point of view and target them in such a way they felt like he was personalizing his product for them. In today's world, advertising works by doing just that. People will not be as responsive to a flashy, in your face type of ad. They want to connect to the product and feel coddled by the company. My parents are perfect examples of this. They will not buy a product unless they know the jingle by heart, and they will not try a new product, regardless if it is healthier for them, unless they can attest to its credibility with a jingle! As cultish as it seems, the audience favors catchy advertising and this is all thanks to Bill Bernbach. Even if the ad isn't a catchy jingle, if the audience can relate to it in any way, it's bound to be successful!
"Mikey" for Life Cereal was one of Bill's projects to target kids who were picky eaters. Kids did not want to eat healthy, bland cereal. However, by depicting "Mikey" the little boy who "won’t eat anything" blissfully enjoying Life Cereal, this created the image that all kids will love Life. I vividly remember eating Life AND watching those "Mikey" commercials. Although it probably isn’t the healthiest option for kids, my parents were avid believers in Life Cereal because of its convincing advertising.
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