What we admired about the creative spirit was the searing honesty it brought, and the ruthless reduction of everything in our hopeful, over-freighted briefs to the essentials. That, and the dramatisation – whether emotional, humorous, rational or irresistibly charming – of the single, unique role the brand could claim in people’s lives, distinct fr

Ad legend Bill Bernbach letter on creativity, written in 1947:

Dear ________:

Our agency is getting big. That’s something to be happy about. But it’s something to worry about, too, and I don’t mind telling you I’m damned worried. I’m worried that we’re going to fall into the trap of bigness, that we’re going to worship techniques instead of substance