Julian Koenig
Encyclopedia
Julian Koenig is an award winning copywriter and widely considered one of the greatest in the history of advertising. He was inducted into The One Club
in 1966.
family of lawyers and judges. He studied at Dartmouth College
and briefly at Columbia Law School
. Before finishing law school he dropped out to write a novel and later found his way into the advertising industry. Koenig served four years in the army air-force from 1942-1946. In 1946, Julian became half owner of a semi-pro baseball team, the Yonkers Indians, with his friend, writer Eliot Asinof
. The team went bankrupt during its second season under their ownership, in part because there were no women's bathrooms at the Indians' ball park. Julian Koenig's older brother was Lester Koenig, a screenwriter and film producer, who, after he became a victim of the Hollywood blacklist, was principally known for heading the jazz record label, Contemporary Records
.
He has four children: Pim, an artist; John, a businessman and horseracing enthusiast; Antonia, a law student; and Sarah, a producer for the national public radio program This American Life
. He also has seven grandchildren.
torture test commercials which featured the tagline
"Timex: It takes a licking and keeps on ticking". At the firm DDB
, he and Helmut Krone
created the legendary "Think Small
" and "Lemon" ads for Volkswagen
under the supervision of William Bernbach
. The "Think Small" ad was voted the No. 1 campaign of all time in Advertising Age’s 1999 “The Century of Advertising."
In 1960 Fred Papert, an account manager from Kenyon & Eckhardt, persuaded Koenig and George Lois
to start up their own creative hot shop, PKL. In 1962, they broke an industry taboo by doing an IPO. Within years several other agencies followed their lead.
Koenig was on Senator Gaylord Nelson
's 1969 committee that established Earth Day
on April 22. Koenig coined the name "Earth Day", basing it off of the fact that it occurred on his birthday.
Here is how Denis Hayes, the environmental activist who coordinated the first Earth Day, remembers Koenig's involvement:
"Weirdly, there have been a handful of other people who have also claimed credit for coming up with "Earth Day" -- and Gaylord Nelson, who wasn't actually involved in the decision, tossed out a couple cockamamie stories about Wisconsin people over the years, which I think I got corrected in his mind before his death.
The author was definitely Julian.
At the time, my staff and I had a problem with the name Gaylord had originally placed on our effort to launch a modern environmental movement: "Environmental Teach-In." "Teach-In" was proving to be a serious turn-off to a lot of people who wanted to protest and change things, not debate them. Plus, it was boring.
Julian called us at about that time, volunteering to help us if we ever wanted to do some ads. I knew of PKL as the hottest shop on Madison Ave, so I candidly described the problem to him and said we really needed a new name. Something that could comfortably include moderates and political newbees while not alienating the seasoned activists we needed to enlist across the country to actually build the events. He said, "Gimme a few days."
A few days later, we received a set of tear sheets for a full-page newspaper ad to announce the campaign. He offered a bunch of possible names -- Earth Day, Ecology Day, Environment Day, E Day -- but he made it quite clear that we would be idiots if we didn't choose Earth Day. Over beer and pizza the following evening, my 20-something staff and I concurred, and quickly placed the ad in the NOTWIR section of the Sunday NYT.
Thus was born what remains the strongest "brand" in the environmental field. Earth Day has now been observed in more than 175 nations. "Earth Day" is transparent and resonant in essentially every language in the world."
over who actually created many of their firm's ad campaigns. Koenig, corroborated by several former colleagues, has pointed out that Lois did not in fact work on many of the projects for which he is claiming credit.
The One Club
Founded in New York City as The One Club for Art & Copy, The One Club produces three annual award competitions: One Show, One Show Design, and One Show Interactive...
in 1966.
Background and family
Koenig was born into a New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
family of lawyers and judges. He studied at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
and briefly at Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
. Before finishing law school he dropped out to write a novel and later found his way into the advertising industry. Koenig served four years in the army air-force from 1942-1946. In 1946, Julian became half owner of a semi-pro baseball team, the Yonkers Indians, with his friend, writer Eliot Asinof
Eliot Asinof
Eliot Asinof was an American writer of fiction and nonfiction best known for his writing about baseball. His most famous book was Eight Men Out, a nonfiction reconstruction of the 1919 Black Sox scandal.-Biography:...
. The team went bankrupt during its second season under their ownership, in part because there were no women's bathrooms at the Indians' ball park. Julian Koenig's older brother was Lester Koenig, a screenwriter and film producer, who, after he became a victim of the Hollywood blacklist, was principally known for heading the jazz record label, Contemporary Records
Contemporary Records
Contemporary Records was a jazz record label founded by Lester Koenig in 1951 in Los Angeles. Contemporary was known for seminal recordings embodying the West Coast sound, but also released recordings based in New York...
.
He has four children: Pim, an artist; John, a businessman and horseracing enthusiast; Antonia, a law student; and Sarah, a producer for the national public radio program This American Life
This American Life
This American Life is a weekly hour-long radio program produced by WBEZ and hosted by Ira Glass. It is distributed by Public Radio International on PRI affiliate stations and is also available as a free weekly podcast. Primarily a journalistic non-fiction program, it has also featured essays,...
. He also has seven grandchildren.
Career
Koenig originated many famous advertising campaigns. While working at the advertising firm Hirshon Garfield he designed the TimexTimex Group
Timex Group B.V., or Timex Group, is a Dutch holding company headquartered in Hoofddorp, the Netherlands, and the corporate parent of several watchmaking companies around the globe including Timex Group USA, Inc., TMX Philippines, Inc., and Timex Group India Ltd...
torture test commercials which featured the tagline
Tagline
A tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of a brand or product , or to reinforce the audience's memory of a product...
"Timex: It takes a licking and keeps on ticking". At the firm DDB
DDB Worldwide
DDB Worldwide Communications Group Inc., known internationally as DDB, is a worldwide marketing communications network. It is owned by Omnicom Group Inc, one of the world's largest advertising holding companies...
, he and Helmut Krone
Helmut Krone
Helmut Krone was an art director and is considered to be a pioneer of modern advertising. Krone spent over 30 years at the advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach...
created the legendary "Think Small
Think Small
Think Small was an advertising campaign for the Volkswagen Beetle, created by Julian Koenig at the Doyle Dane Bernbach agency in the 1950s. It was ranked as the best advertising campaign of the twentieth century by Ad Age, in a survey of North American advertisements...
" and "Lemon" ads for Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
under the supervision of William Bernbach
William Bernbach
William Bernbach was an American advertising creative director. He was one of the three founders in 1949 of the international advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach...
. The "Think Small" ad was voted the No. 1 campaign of all time in Advertising Age’s 1999 “The Century of Advertising."
In 1960 Fred Papert, an account manager from Kenyon & Eckhardt, persuaded Koenig and George Lois
George Lois
George Lois is a controversial American art director, designer, and author. Lois is best known for over 92 covers he designed for Esquire Magazine...
to start up their own creative hot shop, PKL. In 1962, they broke an industry taboo by doing an IPO. Within years several other agencies followed their lead.
Koenig was on Senator Gaylord Nelson
Gaylord Nelson
Gaylord Anton Nelson was an American politician from Wisconsin who served as a United States Senator and governor. A Democrat, he was the principal founder of Earth Day.-Public service and leadership:...
's 1969 committee that established Earth Day
Earth Day
Earth Day is a day that is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural environment. The name and concept of Earth Day was allegedly pioneered by John McConnell in 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco. The first Proclamation of Earth Day was by San Francisco, the...
on April 22. Koenig coined the name "Earth Day", basing it off of the fact that it occurred on his birthday.
Here is how Denis Hayes, the environmental activist who coordinated the first Earth Day, remembers Koenig's involvement:
"Weirdly, there have been a handful of other people who have also claimed credit for coming up with "Earth Day" -- and Gaylord Nelson, who wasn't actually involved in the decision, tossed out a couple cockamamie stories about Wisconsin people over the years, which I think I got corrected in his mind before his death.
The author was definitely Julian.
At the time, my staff and I had a problem with the name Gaylord had originally placed on our effort to launch a modern environmental movement: "Environmental Teach-In." "Teach-In" was proving to be a serious turn-off to a lot of people who wanted to protest and change things, not debate them. Plus, it was boring.
Julian called us at about that time, volunteering to help us if we ever wanted to do some ads. I knew of PKL as the hottest shop on Madison Ave, so I candidly described the problem to him and said we really needed a new name. Something that could comfortably include moderates and political newbees while not alienating the seasoned activists we needed to enlist across the country to actually build the events. He said, "Gimme a few days."
A few days later, we received a set of tear sheets for a full-page newspaper ad to announce the campaign. He offered a bunch of possible names -- Earth Day, Ecology Day, Environment Day, E Day -- but he made it quite clear that we would be idiots if we didn't choose Earth Day. Over beer and pizza the following evening, my 20-something staff and I concurred, and quickly placed the ad in the NOTWIR section of the Sunday NYT.
Thus was born what remains the strongest "brand" in the environmental field. Earth Day has now been observed in more than 175 nations. "Earth Day" is transparent and resonant in essentially every language in the world."
Controversy
Koenig has been engaged in an ongoing struggle against George LoisGeorge Lois
George Lois is a controversial American art director, designer, and author. Lois is best known for over 92 covers he designed for Esquire Magazine...
over who actually created many of their firm's ad campaigns. Koenig, corroborated by several former colleagues, has pointed out that Lois did not in fact work on many of the projects for which he is claiming credit.
External links
- Interview with Koenig on YouTube
- A speech by Koenig at the Advertising Writers Club (November 9, 1961)