Origins & Early Life

William Bernbach (August 13, 1911 – October 2, 1982) was an American advertising creative director. He was one of the three founders in 1949 of the international advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB). He directed many of the firm's breakthrough ad campaigns and had a lasting impact on the creative team structures now commonly used by ad agencies. Bill Bernbach was born to a Jewish family in The Bronx, New York City to Rebecca and Jacob Bernbach.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He attended New York City public schools and in 1932 earned a bachelor's degree from New York University. He had majored in English but also studied business administration, philosophy and music, playing the piano. In 1933, Bernbach took a job running the Schenley Distillers mailroom. This was during the Depression and a family connection got him the job. He pro-actively wrote an ad for Schenley's American Cream Whiskey, which he got into the right hands and the ad ran.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

He was promoted to the advertising department. He left Schenley in 1939 to ghostwrite for Grover Whalen, the head of the 1939 World's Fair and the following year he entered the advertising industry at the William Weintraub agency. He saw...

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