A Big Life In Advertising Mary Wells Lawrence,
Publisher: Touchstone
ISBN: 0743245865
DDC: 920
Edition: Paperback; 2003-04-29
Summary:
A colorful mix of historical narrative, revealing personal memoir,
and sassy industry tell-all, A Big Life in Advertising offers up Mary
Wells Lawrence's bubbling take on life, love, and plugging products.
Well, spills it into your lap, actually. Spanning four decades in the
world of advertising and the life of one of its star players, A Big
Life oozes with juicy details and insider revelations. After an
inspiring stint as one of the infamous Bill Bernbach's protégés,
Lawrence really began her career at Jack Tinker & Partners,
revolutionizing the images of such brands as Alka-Seltzer and Braniff
Airways. But when denied the title of president, Lawrence "let loose
the bear," as she puts it, and with the creative team of Stewart
Greene and Dick Rich, set up shop as Wells Rich Greene. Over the
course of the next quarter century, Lawrence and her cast of
characters "made theatre out of the advertising business," giving
brands like Benson & Hedges, American Motors, TWA, Midas, and Procter
& Gamble's Gleem toothpaste their turn on the stage of stardom. While
Lawrence's story is less about her agency's creative work and more
about her impressions of and interactions with virtually everyone who
was anyone in the advertising world of the '70s and '80s, she does
include glimpses into her own childhood, life as a mother, and
battles with cancer, adding a touch of reality to an otherwise
glittering world. Some readers may feel Lawrence's opinion of her own
beauty and charm plays too prominent a role in her reminiscing, but
she was, after all, an adventurous queen bee in a glamorous world.
Her chatty style of writing, and her ebullient enthusiasm for all she
has experienced and accomplished, make this book read more like a
novel than a memoir. It's an entertaining, fast-paced tale of a big
star's big life. --S. Ketchum
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