J. WALTER THOMPSON COMPANY

NEWS —

FOR STAFF MEMBERS ONLY

New York News October 6, 1967

How "Facts of Life" was created Last week (JWT NEWS, Sept. 29 1967)

Thompsonites had a chance to preview one of the largest print advertisements ever to come out of the NYO—the "Facts of Life" booklet created for Institute of Life In­surance.

The story behind that story follows:

When the unique 16-page "facts of life" advertisement created for Institute of Life Insurance makes its debut in mid-October, three of the most interested observers of the reactions the booklet provokes will be its major architects—John Carter, Dick Hanley and Marty Scofield.

For the three—group head, copywriter and art director—the booklet is the cul­mination of a project that began way back last March and involved many late nights and weekend hours.

If the 90 million Americans who see the final results react the way they hope, the team will have succeeded in helping to change the public's concept of an industry.

Talk to group head John Carter about it and he becomes so intense his native Texas twang takes over. "We had a prob­lem with an exciting two-pronged solution. We had to sell information rather than a product. If we succeeded we could change public attitude and in turn affect the life insurance industry itself."

Research showed that the life insurance business lacked a clear-cut image. "Most people pay their premiums, know about the benefits of life insurance but have a very vague idea where all the money goes or what the insurance companies do with it."

Like so many other advertising prob­lems, both the teaser and the solution were found in research. "After thorough in­vestigation," explains John, "we found we had a solid story to tell the public. We dis­covered that insurance companies had enormous long-run economic influence and are^ involved in everything that's 'happen-, ng' in twentieth-century American life."

Dick Hanley came up with the idea of telling "the facts of life." and the project was launched. "This concept took away the hfe and death tone of voice that is usually associated with any discussion of insur­ance," notes Dick, "and we were able to start talking about what insurance does tor life and the living."

Long hours of research and discussion at the Institute offices affirmed the fact that the insurance companies were far removed trom the picture of austere investors; they were deeply involved in solving people's Problems.

From that point the gigantic advertise­ment began to take shape and the team zeroed in on specific areas in which life insurance companies have invested for a better future.

'So, when we talked about life insur­

ance investments in atomic energy," points out John, "we talked about air pollution, not power." Dick found it exciting to dis­cover and write about life insurance's in­volvement in the conversion of planes from props to jets. And so it went, until suddenly there were 16 fact-filled pages.

The problem of telling the visual story

The team of Hanley, Scofield and Carter (I. to r.) at work.

fell to art director Marty Scofield, who kept the human tone but gave it a con­temporary look.

For Marty, the job involved location trips anywhere from a midwest farm to the city of St. Louis. There, for example, he captured on film the soaring Gateway Arch as a symbol of the city's urban re­newal, a project financed with a $31 mil­lion life insurance loan.

Each vignette, story and picture became part of the total advertisement's message to 90 million adult readers—life insurance companies are improving the quality of American life and the way Americans live.

All three creators of the message are members of the Procter-Owett group to which the Institute of Life Insurance is assigned.

John Carter joined JWT in 1960 after serving in the Far East with the Navy and earning his B.F.T. degree from the Ameri­can Institute of Foreign Trade. Except for a two-year stint in JWT-Montreal, he has always'worked in the NYO (and has man­aged to work on almost every account in the shop). His present assignments as group head include ILI. A.G.A., Blue Cross Blue Shield and First National City-Bank.

Born and raised on a ranch in LBJ country, John also received a degree in iournalism with a major in advertising from the University of Texas. He and his wife Cindy have one son. Jonathan, and live in Manhattan.

Dick Hanley has three sons and com­mutes from Amityville, Long Island. He

studied at Queens College and began his advertising career as a department store copywriter. Since joining JWT in 1964 he has written for Singer, Lark cigarettes and Congoleum-Nairn.

Now he writes for Blue Cross/Blue Shield as well as ILI.

Marty Scofield studied at Cooper Union and New York University, then set out to fulfill an ambition he had had since the age of thirteen—to become an art director.

He worked at four other agencies be­fore coming to JWT in 1965 to work on Blue Cross/Blue Shield and Lady Scott. He still works on BC/BS and has added First National City Bank and ILI to his list of accounts.

Forum As you've discovered by now, those

posters asking JWTers to circle October 4 on their calendars were really announce­ments of the resumption of Thompson's Professional Forum for 1967-68.

As outlined in the booklets distributed on Wednesday, the Forum's programs will give JWTers every opportunity to intro­duce, exchange, and develop new ideas on virtually every phase of advertising. Look for further announcements as the various programs develop.

Coordinating this season's Professional Forum is Steve Darland, assisted by Bill Lane and Tom Marchin who are in charge of communications and publicity. Phil Winters will be responsible for the "Eyes on Thompson" division, which offers the first of many programs on the new agenda.

• Eyes on Thompson — The opening line of Dick Jones' talk scheduled for Oc­tober 10 says, "Today we're going to talk about money." That's a topic which should interest everyone; so if you want to hear more, grab a seat in screening room A for the hour between 1 and 2 next Tuesday.

Director of the Media Department since 1960, Dick Jones is recognized as one of

Richard P. Jones

the leading media executives in advertising. Chairman of the Board of the Traffic Audit Bureau of the Outdoor Advertising Industrv for 1966-67 and President of the Media Directors Council in 1966, Dick is also a member of the Outdoor Committee and former Chairman of the Magazine Committee of the 4-A's.

There's not much he can't tell you about media and money.

i lULLJiaium

Tew Arrivals

Stephen Darland

has joined Thompson as general administra­tor of the JWT pro­fessional forum. His responsibilities will include the luncheon, speaker and professional workshop pro­grams. A native of Seattle, he's a '67 grad­uate of the University of Washington where he earned his B.A. in advertising and journalism. During his first three years at college, he sold advertising space for local newspapers and by his junior year had become advertising manager for a group of newspapers in .Kent, Washington. From his senior year until he joined JWT, Steve was assistant to the account execu­tive on the Carling Brewing Co. account at Frederick E. Baker Advertising Inc. Steve also was vice president of Alpha Delta Sigma honorary advertising frater­nity and was selected by Esquire magazine as one of the ten best dressed undergradu­ate men in the country. He is a member of the Advertising Association of the West and the Junior Advertising Association Club in Seattle. On occasion he's had a case of wanderlust and has traveled to Mexico, Central America, Europe and most of the U.S.A. He likes handball (al­though he can't find a place to play in Manhattan), water sports, mountain climb­ing, hunting and fishing.

John Stevens

has joined JWT as ac­count representative assigned to Eli Lilly. For the past six years he has been with the Roerig Division of Chas. Pfizer Co.. Inc. Starting as a detail man in Cincinnati, he became assistant product manager and later product man­ager for a tranquilizer, a multi-vitamin and a broncho-dilator. His previous drug ex­perience also includes production work at iMcKesson & Robbins. Professionally. Jack also has done special promotions for Columbia Records and for six years was a surety representative at Aetna Casualty & Surety. A 1956 graduate of Fairfield Uni­versity, he received his law degree last year from Chase College in Cincinnati and is a member of the Ohio and Connecticut Bar Associations. Active civically. he was a council member in Terrace Park. Ohio in 1959 and two years later became president of the village council and vice mayor of that citv. He now makes his home in Westport. Conn, with his wife Marybeth and their two children. Hallie. 6. and Christopher, 2. X2733.

Diplomatic coup(e) of the year

...new'68 Cougar

It is not often that writers get a chance to use a pun to such good effect as the one in this ad ­vertisement created by Jeremy Raikes and Stu Kerner, due to run in the October issue of the Foreign Service Journal.

Art Galleries This week JWT welcomes three promi­

nent photographers. The work of George Ehrlich and Phoebe Dunn will be shown through October 16 in the galleries on the 10th floor. On the 9th floor Corridor Gal­lery the photographs of Henri Dauman will appear through October 13.

Photographer George Ehrlich has a B.S. in photographic engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology and is currently working for the Coca-Cola Co., Volkswagen, Seagram's. Yardley, and Revlon.

Phoebe Dunn, a photographer specializ­ing in human interest, is best known for her sensitive pictures of babies, children, young people and families. Assignments from advertising clients now represent a maior part of her output.

Henri Dauman. a native of Paris, brings with him a unique ability to present ab­stract ideas visually. His work has ap­peared in Life as well as several other American and European publications. Re­cently Mr. Dauman has applied his talent for editorial photography to the advertis­ing field.

Also welcome to:

Madeline Wilde (Data Processing): David Brunner (Print Estimating); Joseph Zawid-ski (Reception); Gloria Beardslee (Re­search).

Marriages & Births

Married: Patricia Moriarty, Production Billing. to Charles Murphy . . . Kathleen Morris, Rep­resentative, to Daniel Curtayne . . . Ingrid Valladeres, Representative, to Nestor Hernan­dez.

Classified SUBLET—2 years. 5'A-Toom terraced apartm

in luxury building. Stunning skyline view1? 1 bedrooms, 2 baths, dishwasher. All utili'c 1 paid. Available immediately. 235 East 87 Si 1 two blocks from Lexington Ave. Express tviT" ! month. X2650 or 831-6066. J J 3 5 /

GROOVY CAT—(That's her name) seeks lovi foster parent(s). She's bright, playful, houi* broken, healthy (vaccinated), ginger-colors ''" three months old, a kitten. Present owner alizes he can't give her the groovy tour of t i l or take her back to Switzerland with him r ii > X3394. v-aU

ADVANCE NOTICE—For sale in Novemk. •62 White VW with large sun roof, radio n . r

clutch, 50M miles. $550. X2443. ' n e *

WANTED—1-bedroom apartment in West Vi] lage (Perry, Charles, Jane Streets, Etc.). Max­imum rent X2845.

$1 Call Jill, X2624 lax-or Judv

1963 BUICK SKYLARK—Two-door, vinyl hard top. Sporty bucket seats. Automatic transmis­sion. Power steering. Radio with rear speaker" Heater and defroster. 38,000 miles—originai owner. Drives like a dream. It's just a night mare to find a parking spot. $850. X3241.

FOR SALE—55-gallon fish tank. Complete with stand, filtering system and motor. Added at­traction is the 25 lbs. of solid rock attached to back of tank. Yours for only $125. (Fish included, if you so desire). X2537.

FOR SALE—Black and silver German Shepherd puppies, must be seen to be appreciated. Heavy boned, A.K.C. registered. Male, $125. Female $100. Call UN 1-6735.

ROOMMATE WANTED—Three girls in mid-twenties would like to share apt. with another college graduate same age. Two-bedroom, two-bath luxury bldg. apt. on East 69 between Sec­ond and Third with foyer, dining area, etc. Nov. 1 occupancy. $82.50 per month. Cali X2108 or RE 9-6032 after 6:30 on weekdays or all morning weekends.

APT. WANTED—One bedroom apt. in $150-$175 range wanted for Nov. 1 or earlier for 3 to 6 months. Professional author on assigr-ment in United States. Call MO 2-2044 or 686-8710.

This is the first advertisement put out for JWT's newest PR client, the International Shrimp Council. It will appear in mass feeding magazines and was used by the Council for a direct moil piece to prospective new members. Frances Smith is the account supervisor; Hollis Cheverie did the mouth­watering art direction and Dave Barrager wrote the copy.