Phyllis Robinson
Encyclopedia
Phyllis Kenner Robinson was an advertising executive - a copywriter who helped create numerous notable ad campaigns. She was a foundation employee of the US agency Doyle Dane Bernbach from 1949 and was instrumental in that agency's success and growth over the next twenty years.
; she wanted to be a writer. She worked for the US government as a statistician during World War II
.
After the war, she moved to Boston, and embarked on a career in advertising. After starting out at Bresnick & Solomont, she joined Grey Advertising in 1947 writing fashion promotion, where she first worked for William Bernbach
. When he and Ned Doyle left Grey in 1949 to start their eponymous agency with Mac Dane
their "little gold mine of people," included Robinson and the art director Bob Gage with whom she was teamed and would enjoy much creative success.
Robinson was Doyle Dane Bernbach's first chief copywriter. At DBB, she supervised a team that would produce a number of notable people in advertising, including Mary Wells Lawrence
and Paula Green
. Wells described Robinson's place at DDB when Wells arrived there in 1957 "By the time I arrived the gods were firmly ensconced, the pantheon was established, the rituals, the sacred writings were already beloved. The Dei Majores were the originals, Bill, Ned, Mac, Phyllis and Bob Gage; they spoke a secret language. There were talented others, the spirits and the elves, but the gods were the gods, everyone in the industry knew who was who". Years later Wells put it more simply, "I would buy a used car from Phyllis Robinson."
Robinson worked on memorable campaigns for numerous clients, including Ohrbach's
, Henry S. Levy and Sons
- "You don't have to be Jewish to love Levy's Real Jewish Rye", El Al Airlines, and Polaroid
with a long running campaign featuring actors James Garner
and Mariette Hartley
. On the occasion of her death Keith Reinhard, Chairman-Emeritus of DDB Worldwide
wrote "In presentations to students, I still use her campaigns for Levy's rye bread and Ohrbach's as timeless examples of how to make brands famous by writing in a conversational tone...... [The Ohrbach's ad] is great on its own merits, but the more important reason I singled it out was that, when Volkswagen decided to introduce the Beetle to the U.S. market, they did not conduct an agency search. Instead, they simply said, "We want the agency that does Ohrbach's" - and thus, thanks to Phyllis, the creative revolution was born."
Later, she also worked in theater, co-writing the lyrics for Cry for Us All
. She also wrote the books, lyrics, and music for a 1995 musical based on Bernard Malamud
's short story Angel Levine.
She was featured in the 2009 documentary film Art & Copy
.
Career
Born in New York City, in 1942 Robinson earned a bachelors degree in sociology in from Barnard CollegeBarnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
; she wanted to be a writer. She worked for the US government as a statistician during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
After the war, she moved to Boston, and embarked on a career in advertising. After starting out at Bresnick & Solomont, she joined Grey Advertising in 1947 writing fashion promotion, where she first worked for 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...
. When he and Ned Doyle left Grey in 1949 to start their eponymous agency with Mac Dane
Maxwell Dane
Maxwell "Mac" Dane was an American advertising executive and co-founder of the Doyle Dane Bernbach agency, known as DDB, that was established in Manhattan in 1949. For advertising against U.S...
their "little gold mine of people," included Robinson and the art director Bob Gage with whom she was teamed and would enjoy much creative success.
Robinson was Doyle Dane Bernbach's first chief copywriter. At DBB, she supervised a team that would produce a number of notable people in advertising, including Mary Wells Lawrence
Mary Wells Lawrence
Mary Wells Lawrence is a retired American advertising executive. She was the founding president of Wells Rich Greene, an advertising agency known for its creativity and innovative work, and the first woman CEO of a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.In the late 1940s, Mary Wells...
and Paula Green
Paula Green
Paula Green is an American advertising executive, best known for writing the lyrics to the "Look for the Union Label" song for ILGWU and the Avis motto, "We Try Harder"...
. Wells described Robinson's place at DDB when Wells arrived there in 1957 "By the time I arrived the gods were firmly ensconced, the pantheon was established, the rituals, the sacred writings were already beloved. The Dei Majores were the originals, Bill, Ned, Mac, Phyllis and Bob Gage; they spoke a secret language. There were talented others, the spirits and the elves, but the gods were the gods, everyone in the industry knew who was who". Years later Wells put it more simply, "I would buy a used car from Phyllis Robinson."
Robinson worked on memorable campaigns for numerous clients, including Ohrbach's
Ohrbach's
Ohrbach's was a moderate-priced department store with a merchandising focus primarily on apparel and accessories. From its modest start in 1923 until the chain's demise in 1987, Ohrbach's expanded dramatically after World War II, and opened numerous branch locations in the metro areas of New York,...
, Henry S. Levy and Sons
Henry S. Levy and Sons
Henry S. Levy and Sons, popularly known as Levy's, was a bakery based in Brooklyn, New York, USA and most famous for their rye bread. They are best known for their advertising campaign "You Don't Have to Be Jewish to Love Levy's", which columnist Walter Winchell referred to as "the commercial [sic]...
- "You don't have to be Jewish to love Levy's Real Jewish Rye", El Al Airlines, and Polaroid
Polaroid Corporation
Polaroid Corporation is an American-based international consumer electronics and eyewear company, originally founded in 1937 by Edwin H. Land. It is most famous for its instant film cameras, which reached the market in 1948, and continued to be the company's flagship product line until the February...
with a long running campaign featuring actors James Garner
James Garner
James Garner is an American film and television actor, one of the first Hollywood actors to excel in both media. He has starred in several television series spanning a career of more than five decades...
and Mariette Hartley
Mariette Hartley
Mary Loretta "Mariette" Hartley is an American character actress.-Personal life:Hartley was born in Weston, Connecticut, the daughter of Mary Ickes “Polly” , a manager and saleswoman, and Paul Hembree Hartley, an account executive. Her maternal grandfather was psychologist John B...
. On the occasion of her death Keith Reinhard, Chairman-Emeritus of DDB Worldwide
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...
wrote "In presentations to students, I still use her campaigns for Levy's rye bread and Ohrbach's as timeless examples of how to make brands famous by writing in a conversational tone...... [The Ohrbach's ad] is great on its own merits, but the more important reason I singled it out was that, when Volkswagen decided to introduce the Beetle to the U.S. market, they did not conduct an agency search. Instead, they simply said, "We want the agency that does Ohrbach's" - and thus, thanks to Phyllis, the creative revolution was born."
Later, she also worked in theater, co-writing the lyrics for Cry for Us All
Cry for Us All
Cry for Us All is a musical with a book by William Alfred and Albert Marre, lyrics by Alfred and Phyllis Robinson, and music by Mitch Leigh. In response to poor advance sales, the title was...
. She also wrote the books, lyrics, and music for a 1995 musical based on Bernard Malamud
Bernard Malamud
Bernard Malamud was an author of novels and short stories. Along with Saul Bellow and Philip Roth, he was one of the great American Jewish authors of the 20th century. His baseball novel, The Natural, was adapted into a 1984 film starring Robert Redford...
's short story Angel Levine.
Personal life
In 1944 she married Dr. Richard G. Robinson, who died in 2005. They had a daughter Nancy. Robinson quit full-time work at DDB in 1962 to raise her daughter, but continued to consult to the agency working three days a week through to 1968. She was 89 when she died in Manhattan.Accolades
Robinson was inducted into the Creative Hall of Fame in 1968. For a time she served as chairperson for the Creative Hall of Fame. In 1999, Advertising Age magazine named her one of the 100 most influential figures in the history of advertising.She was featured in the 2009 documentary film Art & Copy
Art & Copy
Art & Copy is a 2009 documentary film directed by Doug Pray about the advertising industry in the U.S. The film follows the careers of people from "advertising's creative revolution of the 1960s", including Hal Riney, George Lois, Mary Wells Lawrence, Dan Wieden, and Lee Clow...
.