Norman B. Norman (1914–1991) was an American advertising executive who co-founded the Norman, Craig & Kummel advertising agency.
Biography
Norman B. Norman was born to a
Jewish family
[Jewish Virtual Library: "Modern Jewish History: Advertising"]
retrieved May 4, 2017 in
New York City. In 1934, he graduated from
Columbia University.
After school, he worked as an unpaid assistant at the Biow Agency founded by
Milton H. Biow
Milton Harry Biow (July 24, 1892 – February 1, 1976) was an American advertising executive who founded the Biow Company. Biow is recognized as one of the pioneers of the modern school of advertising.
Biography
In 1917, Biow started a one-man a ...
.
After six months, he was given a salary of $5 a week, and after two years, he was making $25 per week.
While at the Biow Agency, he worked in all areas of the business including research, new business, and account management.
In 1942, he joined the
United States Navy where he served during
World War II on a
minesweeper as a
lieutenant; he was awarded a
Bronze Star.
After the war, he worked for the Norman A. Mack & Company as an executive vice president and then in 1948, he accepted a position with the William H. Weintraub & Company.
In 1955, he along with fellow Weintraub co-workers,
Eugene H. Kummel and Walter Craig, bought the William H. Weintraub agency and renamed it Norman, Craig & Kummel.
In 1957, he was elected president of the agency
and pioneered the concept of what he called "emotional advertising" aimed at having the reader find himself inside the advertisement.
The tenets were summed up in one word: P-E-O-P-L-E: Put people in the sell; Excitingly different look and sound; Open the way through the heart-not the head; Put in an important reason why; Living visuals people will talk about; Eliminate any non-preemptive selling proposition.
The firm won many major clients including
Colgate-Palmolive
Colgate-Palmolive Company is an American multinational consumer products company headquartered on Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The company specializes in the production, distribution, and provision of household, health car ...
,
Revlon,
Ronson Ronson may refer to:
People
* Barbara Ronson (1942–2018), British Liberal Democrat politician
* Billy Ronson (1957–2015), English footballer
* Charlotte Ronson (born 1977), English fashion designer in New York
* Gail Ronson (born 1946), British ...
,
Chanel
Chanel ( , ) is a French high-end luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. Chanel specializes in women's ready-to-wear, luxury goods, and accessories and licenses its name and branding to Luxottica for eyewear. Chanel is ...
,
Liggett & Myers, and
Olin Corporation.
In 1956, the firm won the U.S.
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well a ...
account and its presidential candidate
Adlai Stevenson, going head-to-head with its rival
Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn
BBDO is a worldwide advertising agency network, with its headquarters in New York City. The agency originated in 1891 with the George Batten Company, and in 1928, through a merger with Barton, Durstine & Osborn (BDO), the agency became Batten, B ...
.
In 1961, the firm was renamed the NCK Organization.
In 1979, he retired as president and chairman of the board; he served as honorary chairman until 1985.
By 1982, the NCK Organization had 1,184 employees in 32 offices worldwide with $433 million in sales and $70 million in income.
In 1983, the firm merged with Foote, Cone & Belding Communications and ceased to exist under its own name.
Norman served as the director of the Association for a Better New York and as a trustee of the
New York Police Foundation
The New York City Police Foundation was established in 1971 by business and civic leaders as a nonprofit tax-exempt charity that could raise money to spend on projects supporting NYPD reform and modernization efforts as well as helping improve its ...
.
Personal life
Norman was married to Gail Snyder; they had two children: Peter Norman and Susan Norman Blumenthal.
They had homes in
Woodstock, Vermont
Woodstock is the shire town (county seat) of Windsor County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 3,005. It includes the villages of Woodstock, South Woodstock, Taftsville, and West Woodstock.
History
Chart ...
, in
Fairfield, Connecticut
Fairfield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It borders the city of Bridgeport and towns of Trumbull, Easton, Weston, and Westport along the Gold Coast of Connecticut. Located within the New York metropolitan area ...
, in the
Cotswolds
The Cotswolds (, ) is a region in central-southwest England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale.
The area is defined by the bedrock of Jur ...
of England, and in
Key Largo,
Florida.
Norman died in
Miami at the age of 77.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norman, Norman B.
American advertising executives
1914 births
1991 deaths
20th-century American Jews
Columbia University alumni