Leo Burnett, a legendary American adman, revolutionized the advertising industry. His agency was the creative force behind some of the most iconic advertising characters and campaigns, including the Marlboro Man, Tony the Tiger, and the Keebler Elves.
Leo was long gone when I joined Leo Burnett as an art director. Still, you couldn’t work at Burnett without knowing what Leo thought about continuity. For Leo, new ads should fit seamlessly into the brand’s identity that you created in every previous ad. Beyond the particular objective of your new ad, your job was to reinforce and grow the client’s brand. The Keebler elves shouldn’t suddenly start baking cookies in caves because the chocolate didn’t melt down there. He knew how important it was to keep things consistent in order to build the brand’s overall value. It was a big selling point, and it made clients happy to keep spending lavishly on their brands.
As Leo said, “The secret of effective advertising isn’t to create new and complicated words and images, but to place familiar words and images in new relationships.” – John Schmidt – Creative Director, Brand Smart Design