Mr.Jack Dillon
I picked this as my favorite ad because it seems to me to be one of the best solutions to a problem that ever popped into my head.
A few years ago, ANNY ran a front-page article saying that several major agencies were preparing big presentations for the American Airlines account.
American was embarrassed by this and asked us to do an ad for ANNY to say they liked Doyle Dane Bernbach and had no intention of changing.
This was an embarrassing assignment. How do you write about yourself and sign your client's name to it?
(Also, what do you do with an opportunity to show what sets DDB apart from other agencies?)
This is the ad we did.
I've heard that the day it ran, an absolutely wonderful shock wa've went through the enemy camps.
We couldn't another
advertising agency.
We can barely stand the one we have.
American Airlines
A/D: Marvin Fireman
Art: Saxon
Mr.Leon Meadow
You're asking a tough question. Because you're asking, in essence, "Which is your favorite child?"
Some, I guess, are more favorite than others.
But no ad I can recall ever brought me greater satisfaction, both in the doing and in the results, than this one.
The doing, apart from creative considerations, involved getting the parents' consent, since Anne Flynn is a real child named Anne Flynn.
It took some doing, Anne's parents were understandably afraid the publicity (Life Magazine) might cause their child serious embarrassment at the hands of her friends.
But, in the end, the Flynns saw that the good this ad could accomplish far outweighed their personal misgivings.
They were right. The ad elicited a great deal of heart-warming reader response. From parents who were encouraged to go ahead with operations similar to Anne's. And from parents who were immediately otivated to make appointments for their children with ophthalmologists or optometrists.
More reward than this a writer can't ask of an ad. Or a client, for that matter.
Why did Anne Fiynn's parents allow us to use this picture?
There are two reasons.
First---because Anne has now had proper treatment, and everything is fine.
Second---because the Flynns are deeply concerned (and you can understand why) with the seeing problems of all children.
They want parents to know about trouble signs that aren't as obvious as Anne's. That go undetected. Or may be overlooked because they don't seen very important.
Play it safe. See that your child gets a professional eye examination before age three. Certainly, before first starting school. And once a year thereafter.
Above all, remember this. Most vision problem begin without any waring. But there are some sign, such as the following that call for your immediate action.
1. Persistent tilting of head.
2. Excessive frowning or squinting.
3. Excessive rubbing of eyes.
4. Shutting or covering one eye.
5. Holds books too close to eyes.
6. Headaches after reading.
7. More blinking than usual.
8. Unusual repeated eye movements.
A/D Len Sirowitz
