Phil Dusenberry of BBDOHe Was Inducted into the AAF Ad Hall of Fame as a Creative Legend
Dusenberry developed GE's "bring good things to life" campaign, Pepsi's "new generation" slogan, the "New York Miracle" spots and Reagan's "Final Journey" documentary.
Even before his death in 2007, Phil Dusenberry won recognition as an advertising creative legend. He was known as the guy who elevated celebrities into more than just TV pitchmen, who branded GE as the company that "brings good things to life" and Pepsi as "the choice of a new generation." Dusenberry retired in 2002 as chairman of BBDO North America, one of the world’s most successful advertising agencies. The company grew rapidly under his guidance, but he was best known for his creative work over several decades at BBDO. Dusenberry Won Practically Every Advertising AwardWith his constant emphasis on "The work, the work, the work," which BBDO eventually recognized as the agency's mantra, Dusenberry:
The BBDO Executive Said "A Good Insight Can Fuel a Thousand Ideas"In his book, Dusenberry said "a good idea can inspire a great commercial. But a good insight can fuel a thousand ideas, a thousand commercials." Such insights, he wrote, are built by first distilling what an organization stands for. He credited the insight process for branding GE as the company that "brings good things to life" and Pepsi as "the choice of a new generation." In a review of the book for Amazon, Peter Han said Dusenberry relied mostly on "gut instinct and the all-important insights that drove his clients’ success." Dusenberry "was a lifelong advocate of advertising that featured beautifully-filmed images, inspiring music, and poignant themes that created emotional attachments between consumers and clients' brands," BBDO said in a news release announcing his death. Industry Publications Referred to Him as an Advertising LegendIn AdWeek his death story was headlined "Ad legend Phil Dusenberry". In AdAge, Steve Hayden called Dusenberry "the sun king of the golden age of TV advertising. "He made commercials more entertaining than the shows they sponsored and transformed brands into pop icons with global reach," Hayden added. Dusenberry grew up in Brooklyn, the son of a New York cab driver. BBDO said he attended Virginia’s Emory & Henry College on an athletic scholarship but left after the athletic program was canceled. He worked as a disk jockey at a radio station and got into advertising when the station's only copywriter got sick.
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