Lester Wunderman
Encyclopedia
Lester Wunderman is an advertising executive widely considered the creator of modern-day direct marketing
. His innovations include the magazine subscription card, the toll-free 1-800 number, loyalty rewards programs, and many more. He identified, named and defined the term "direct marketing" in a 1967 speech at MIT, and was inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame in 1998.
Wunderman was born in the Bronx and educated at New York City
public schools. He attended classes at each of New York City’s colleges and universities so he could create his own “degree.” Though highly educated, he still does not hold a formal college degree.
In 1947, he was hired as a copywriter at Maxwell Sackheim & Co. While there, he noted that their "mail order" accounts had the potential to be built into a broader line of business. He introduced a "direct marketing" approach to service them, using the medium of clients’ mailboxes as a way to develop a more personal connection with potential customers than general advertising had previously found possible.
To expand the direct marketing approach, Wunderman and his brother Irving, along with two colleagues, Ed Ricotta and Harry Kline, met on August 20, 1958 in Lester's new "office" - a $30-a-night room at the Hotel Winslow in New York City - and with combined assets of $60,000 founded their own agency, Wunderman, Ricotta & Kline
. In 1958, Wunderman, Ricotta & Kline opened its doors in New York City with a staff of seven. There were no clients. Nevertheless, WR&K attracted more than $2 million in billings during its first year. WR&K (later acquired by Young & Rubicam
and eventually called Wunderman
) was responsible for developing and/or promoting the Columbia Record Club, the 1-800 toll-free number for businesses (developed for a Toyota campaign), the magazine subscription card, and the postal ZIP code
system. A long-time relationship with American Express
also led to the first customer rewards program—a breakthrough means of keeping customers loyal to a brand that has since transformed the travel and retail industries as well.
Wunderman was elected to the Direct Marketing Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Advertising Hall of Fame in 1998. He was named one of twenty “Advertising Legends and Leaders” by AdWeek
Magazine in 1998. In the July 23, 2001 issue of Time Magazine, Mr. Wunderman (along with David Ogilvy and Sergio Zyman) were heralded as “Great Pitchmen Over the Years.”
Mirroring his eclectic college education, Wunderman has lectured at a host of schools, including Columbia University
, Fordham University
, Boston University
, and M.I.T. His book Being Direct: Making Advertising Pay was published in January 1997 and republished with new material in 2004. An avid art collector, he has donated nearly 300 works of Dogon
artifacts to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the balance of his Dogon collection to the Musée de l'Homme in Paris, France. He has been an exhibited photographer for many years. He studied photography at the New School for Social Research and then with private instructors. Fifty of his photographs of his Dogon
art are part of the permanent collection of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art
and thirteen other museums. His work has been represented by galleries in New York and the village of Mougins, France. He, Jacqueline Kennedy, Carl Katz, and Cornell Capa
helped found the International Center of Photography
in New York. His book of photographs, named "Wunderman", has been published and distributed in 2008 by the global advertising agency that bears his name.
Wunderman brought engineers to Mali
to help the Dogon people
build water catchments and instruct them in water purification. For this, he was inducted as a tribal chief ("Amma Sagou" or Beloved of God). His wife Suzanne was also given a Dogon name ("Ya Domio" or Beloved of the Beloved of God).
He currently serves as Chairman Emeritus of Wunderman. He lives in New York City and the South of France with his wife, who was Director of Editorials for WCBS-TV, New York, for many years (under professional/maiden name Sue Cott). Wunderman remains an active speaker, author and photographer.
Direct marketing
Direct marketing is a channel-agnostic form of advertising that allows businesses and nonprofits to communicate straight to the customer, with advertising techniques such as mobile messaging, email, interactive consumer websites, online display ads, fliers, catalog distribution, promotional...
. His innovations include the magazine subscription card, the toll-free 1-800 number, loyalty rewards programs, and many more. He identified, named and defined the term "direct marketing" in a 1967 speech at MIT, and was inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame in 1998.
Biography
New 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...
public schools. He attended classes at each of New York City’s colleges and universities so he could create his own “degree.” Though highly educated, he still does not hold a formal college degree.
In 1947, he was hired as a copywriter at Maxwell Sackheim & Co. While there, he noted that their "mail order" accounts had the potential to be built into a broader line of business. He introduced a "direct marketing" approach to service them, using the medium of clients’ mailboxes as a way to develop a more personal connection with potential customers than general advertising had previously found possible.
To expand the direct marketing approach, Wunderman and his brother Irving, along with two colleagues, Ed Ricotta and Harry Kline, met on August 20, 1958 in Lester's new "office" - a $30-a-night room at the Hotel Winslow in New York City - and with combined assets of $60,000 founded their own agency, Wunderman, Ricotta & Kline
Wunderman
Wunderman is a network of advertising, marketing and consulting companies with offices in 55 countries. Headquartered in New York City, Wunderman is part of Young & Rubicam Brands and a member of WPP Group .- History :...
. In 1958, Wunderman, Ricotta & Kline opened its doors in New York City with a staff of seven. There were no clients. Nevertheless, WR&K attracted more than $2 million in billings during its first year. WR&K (later acquired by Young & Rubicam
Young & Rubicam
Y&R is a marketing and communications company specializing in advertising, digital and social media, sales promotion, direct marketing and brand identity consulting.-History:...
and eventually called Wunderman
Wunderman
Wunderman is a network of advertising, marketing and consulting companies with offices in 55 countries. Headquartered in New York City, Wunderman is part of Young & Rubicam Brands and a member of WPP Group .- History :...
) was responsible for developing and/or promoting the Columbia Record Club, the 1-800 toll-free number for businesses (developed for a Toyota campaign), the magazine subscription card, and the postal ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
system. A long-time relationship with American Express
American Express
American Express Company or AmEx, is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Three World Financial Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Founded in 1850, it is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is best...
also led to the first customer rewards program—a breakthrough means of keeping customers loyal to a brand that has since transformed the travel and retail industries as well.
Wunderman was elected to the Direct Marketing Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Advertising Hall of Fame in 1998. He was named one of twenty “Advertising Legends and Leaders” by AdWeek
Adweek
Adweek is a weekly American advertising trade publication that was first published in 1978....
Magazine in 1998. In the July 23, 2001 issue of Time Magazine, Mr. Wunderman (along with David Ogilvy and Sergio Zyman) were heralded as “Great Pitchmen Over the Years.”
Mirroring his eclectic college education, Wunderman has lectured at a host of schools, including Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
, Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
, and M.I.T. His book Being Direct: Making Advertising Pay was published in January 1997 and republished with new material in 2004. An avid art collector, he has donated nearly 300 works of Dogon
Dogon people
The Dogon are an ethnic group living in the central plateau region of Mali, south of the Niger bend near the city of Bandiagara in the Mopti region. The population numbers between 400,000 and 800,000 The Dogon are best known for their religious traditions, their mask dances, wooden sculpture and...
artifacts to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the balance of his Dogon collection to the Musée de l'Homme in Paris, France. He has been an exhibited photographer for many years. He studied photography at the New School for Social Research and then with private instructors. Fifty of his photographs of his Dogon
Dogon people
The Dogon are an ethnic group living in the central plateau region of Mali, south of the Niger bend near the city of Bandiagara in the Mopti region. The population numbers between 400,000 and 800,000 The Dogon are best known for their religious traditions, their mask dances, wooden sculpture and...
art are part of the permanent collection of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
and thirteen other museums. His work has been represented by galleries in New York and the village of Mougins, France. He, Jacqueline Kennedy, Carl Katz, and Cornell Capa
Cornell Capa
Cornell Capa was a Hungarian American photographer, member of Magnum Photos, and photo curator, and the younger brother of photo-journalist and war photographer Robert Capa. Graduating from Imre Madách Gymnasium in Budapest, he initially intended to study medicine, but instead joined his brother...
helped found the International Center of Photography
International Center of Photography
The International Center of Photography is a photography museum, school, and research center in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States...
in New York. His book of photographs, named "Wunderman", has been published and distributed in 2008 by the global advertising agency that bears his name.
Wunderman brought engineers to Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
to help the Dogon people
Dogon people
The Dogon are an ethnic group living in the central plateau region of Mali, south of the Niger bend near the city of Bandiagara in the Mopti region. The population numbers between 400,000 and 800,000 The Dogon are best known for their religious traditions, their mask dances, wooden sculpture and...
build water catchments and instruct them in water purification. For this, he was inducted as a tribal chief ("Amma Sagou" or Beloved of God). His wife Suzanne was also given a Dogon name ("Ya Domio" or Beloved of the Beloved of God).
He currently serves as Chairman Emeritus of Wunderman. He lives in New York City and the South of France with his wife, who was Director of Editorials for WCBS-TV, New York, for many years (under professional/maiden name Sue Cott). Wunderman remains an active speaker, author and photographer.