Phil Dusenberry of BBDO
He Was Inducted into the AAF Ad Hall of Fame as a Creative Legend
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 Award
With his constant emphasis on "The work, the work, the work," which BBDO eventually recognized as the agency's mantra, Dusenberry:
- Was inducted into the American Advertising Federation (AAF) Hall of Fame in 2003 and The One Club Creative Hall of Fame in 2007.
- Won practically every advertising award available to him, including the Gold Lion at Cannes, ADDYs, Clios, and the One Show Pencil.
- Elevated celebrities like Madonna, Michael Jackson and Michael J. Fox beyond just TV pitch people, actually associating them in consumers’ minds with the companies they were representing.
- Helped re-elect President Ronald Reagan in 1984 as part of the "Tuesday Team" and later produced an 18-minute documentary ("Final Journey") which has been added to the Reagan Presidential Library.
- Helped New York Mayor Rudy Giulani rebuild the city’s spirits after 9/11 with the "New York Miracle" television campaign that featured humorous performances by Woody Allen, Yogi Berra, Billy Crystal, Henry Kissinger, Robert DeNiro, Barbara Walters and others.
- Co-authored the screenplay for Robert Redford’s movie, "The Natural."
- Summarized his advertising philosophy in a 2005 book titled "One Great Insight Is Worth A Thousand Good Ideas."
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 Legend
In 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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