A Big Life (In Advertising)

By Richard Stengel

I can't believe I ate the whole thing. Flick your Bic. I love New York. It's not Shakespeare, but advertising in the '60s seemed to fuel the Zeitgeist as much as movies or music. The slogans above were the work of Mary Wells Lawrence, the original girl in the gray flannel skirt, the first woman president of a big Madison Avenue firm. Wells was the godmother of a style of advertising that was witty, irreverent and anti-authority. Her memoir, A Big Life, tells the tale of her agency, Wells Rich Greene; her ardent wooing of clients; her even more ardent love match with Harding Lawrence, the impresario of Braniff Airways; and her battle with cancer. It's as engaging, effervescent and brave as the ads she created. --By Richard Stengel