15 Facts About Leo Burnett

In 1999, Burnett was named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.

Leo Burnett was born in St Johns, Michigan, on October 21,1891, to Noble and Rose Clark Burnett.

Noble ran a dry goods store and as a young man, Leo Burnett worked with his father, watching Noble as he designed ads for the business.

At Cadillac, Burnett met his advertising mentor, Theodore F MacManus, whom Burnett called "one of the great advertising men of all time".

Leo Burnett's service was mostly at Great Lakes building a breakwater.

In December 1967, nearing the end of his career, Leo Burnett delivered his "When To Take My Name Off The Door" speech at the agency's holiday gathering.

On June 7,1971, Leo Burnett went to his agency, pledging to colleagues to work three days per week due to health problems.

Now a part of Publicis Groupe, Leo Burnett is one of the largest agency networks with 85 offices in 69 countries and 9,000+ employees.

Leo Burnett used dramatic realism in his advertising, the Soft sell approach to build brand equity.

Leo Burnett believed in finding the "inherent drama" of products and presenting it in advertising through warmth, shared emotions and experiences.

Leo Burnett's advertising drew from heartland-rooted values using simple, strong and instinctive imagery that talked to people.

Leo Burnett was known for using "cultural archetypes" in his copy, by creating mythical creatures that represented American values.

Leo Burnett was known for keeping a folder in the lower left-hand corner of his desk called "Corny Language".

Leo Burnett collected words, phrases, and analogies that struck him as being particularly apt in expressing an idea.

In 1947, Leo Burnett wrote The Good Citizen, a booklet concerning the duties and privileges of being a US citizen.