Week 4 EOC: Jerry Della Femina

Who is Jerry Della Femina? "In 1970, Della Femina, the then 34-year-old chairman of his own ad agency, wrote one of the defining books about advertising, the cult bestseller From Those Wonderful Folks Who Gave You Pearl Harbor. Taking its title from a suggestion Jerry made to colleagues about how they could sell Panasonic TVs, its anecdotes about 60s ad land made it a key source for Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner when building the world of Sterling Cooper." https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2010/jul/17/jerry-della-femina-mad-men But where did Della Femina get is start? He began as a teenager, chasing that American dream. In his early years, discrimination hindered him from getting a chance, however once he made his mark he was unstoppable. He is dubbed the "Mad Man of Madison Avenue" http://celebritynetworths.org/net-worth/jerry-della-femina-net-worth-2/ and was a legendary presence in 1960's advertising. To this day, his impact is still felt throughout the advertising world. From his company website, "50 years ago a messenger walked in to an advertising agency. He never left. That messenger went on to create advertising that jumped off the page, the screen and the radio. That messenger built four successful agencies, and filled them with like-minded people. People who wanted to grab attention, to wake you up, to challenge, push, to break through. That messenger was Jerry Della Femina. We challenge the status quo and push the boundaries of creativity. We search for new ways to solve problems by not limiting ourselves to traditional marketing methods. At the end of every day, we work towards one goal: find new ways to make your business successful." http://www.dellanyc.com/about Successful business is built on successful advertising. Jerry Della Femina truly got it. His boisterous personality and colorful sense of humor allowed him to connect with businesses and audiences. One admirable concept that I see a lot in advertising today is witty humor. I feel that Jerry Della Femina developed that concept to make it applicable in one of the most intolerant market eras during the 60's and its success has continued on.