Bernice Bowles "Fitz" Fitz-Gibbon (September 6, 1894 – February 22, 1982) was an American

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

executive and a pioneer in

retail Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and t ...

advertising, working at

Marshall Field's Marshall Field & Company (commonly known as Marshall Field's) was an upscale department store in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in the 19th century, it grew to become a large chain before Macy's, Inc acquired it in 2005. Its eponymous founder, Mar ...

Macy's Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...

Gimbels Gimbel Brothers (known simply as Gimbels) was an American department store corporation that operated for over a century, from 1842 until 1987. Gimbel patriarch Adam Gimbel opened his first store in Vincennes, Indiana, in 1842. In 1887, the compa ...

and

Wanamaker's John Wanamaker Department Store was one of the first department stores in the United States. Founded by John Wanamaker in Philadelphia, it was influential in the development of the retail industry including as the first store to use price tags. ...

. She was inducted into the

Advertising Hall of Fame The Advertising Hall of Fame, operated by the American Advertising Federation (AAF), began in 1948 as a result of a proposal by the New York Ad Club and its president, Andrew Haire, to the Advertising Federation of America, the predecessor organiza ...

in 1982.Dougherty, Philip H. (January 4, 1982
Advertising: Ad Writer To Be Honored.
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' She was named #62 on the 100 people of the 20th century by ''

Advertising Age ''Ad Age'' (known as ''Advertising Age'' until 2017) is a global media brand that publishes news, analysis, and data on marketing and media. Its namesake magazine was started as a broadsheet newspaper in Chicago in 1930. ''Ad Age'' appears in mul ...

''. She was also honored by Retail Advertising Confederation and the Copywriters Club of New York. Fitz-Gibbon was born in

Waunakee, Wisconsin Waunakee () is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 14,879 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. Waunakee bills itself as "The Only Waunakee in the World". History When th ...

and grew up on a farm. She earned a degree from

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

, then worked at small newspapers before taking a position at Marshall Field's. She moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1926 to work on the Macy's account, where she penned the

tagline In entertainment, a tagline (alternatively spelled tag line) is a short text which serves to clarify a thought for, or is designed with a form of, dramatic effect. Many tagline slogans are reiterated phrases associated with an individual, so ...

"It's smart to be thrifty." While working at Gimbel's from 1940 to 1954, she wrote "Nobody, but nobody, undersells Gimbels." At Gimbels, Fitz-Gibbon was known for her "Fitzkreigs," described as "a blitz of words springing from the rapier-sharp and highly imaginative brain of Miss Fitz-Gibbon." She married Herman Block in 1925; he died in 1951. She continued her ascendancy and got into a notable feud with author Sloan Wilson over women in the workplace.Fitz-Gibbon, Bernice (January 29, 1956). Woman in the Gay Flannel Suit; A career woman says her sex can best achieve happiness with homes, children—and jobs. ''The New York Times'' After receiving numerous industry awards and starting her own firm, Fitz-Gibbon retired to

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

in 1976. She died in

Onalaska, Wisconsin Onalaska is a city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 18,803 at the 2020 census. It borders the larger La Crosse, Wisconsin, and is a part of the La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN Metropolitan Area. Onalaska is built on a ...

.Staff report (February 25, 1982)
Bernice Fitz-Gibbon, 87, Dies; Retail Advertising Specialist.
''The New York Times''

Selected bibliography

*''Alice in Lark Land.'' Studebaker Corporation (1962) ASIN B0007HL9HO *''Girl meets Lark.'' Studebaker Corporation (1963) ASIN B0007HL9HY *''Macy's, Gimbels, and Me: How to Earn $90,000 a Year in Retail Advertising.'' Simon and Schuster (1967) ASIN B000J0NEYU

References

External links

Bernice Fitz-Gibbon profile
via ''Advertising Age'', 95797558 1894 births 1982 deaths American advertising executives 20th-century American businesswomen People from Waunakee, Wisconsin People from Madison, Wisconsin Women in advertising {{1890s-US-business-bio-stub