This is the first in what will become a continuing series sharing my admiration for the genius of Leo Burnett, who after years of studying is in my estimation the most creative ad man of the past century.
“Curiosity about life in all of its aspects, I think, is still the secret of great creative people.”
Can you imagine the heights of effective advertising Mr. Burnett would have achieved in this day of infinite market research, much less Google? For me, ‘curiosity’ is the blended balance of questions and answers.
We’ve all heard ‘the only dumb question is the one you don’t ask.’ And when an answer is needed, the relentless pursuit of current and accurate information is the heart of curiosity. Mr. Burnett would probably appreciate this assessment: “Curiosity killed the cat, satisfaction brought it back to life.” I was curious about who made that statement, it was Stephen King – yes indeed Mr. Burnett would have enjoyed Google!
– John Paul Strong
Leo Burnett (October 21, 1891 – June 7, 1971) was an advertising executive who created the Jolly Green Giant, the Marlboro Man, Toucan Sam, Charlie the Tuna, Morris the Cat, the Pillsbury Doughboy, the 7up “Spot”, and Tony the Tiger.
He was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.
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John Paul Strong
John Paul Strong combines his two decades of automotive marketing experience with a team of more than 150 professionals as owner and CEO of Strong Automotive.
