A little-known fact about the history of advertising.

Remember that Bernbach ad? 'Lemon'?



It's a turning point in advertising history.

It's the first to use a 'concept' as opposed to just 'design.'

It's the first to take a risk on an unflattering message and its inherent interest value.

But it's also a turning point in the history of agency practice.

When agencies starting making ads, like 1,000,000 years ago (or the late 1800s, whichever came first), the copywriter did it all.

He (and it was a he) strategized.

He wrote.

He designed.

He presented.

As ads got more ornate, agencies hired design specialists to lay out copy.

The writer wrote. That writer sent their copy downstairs. The designer downstairs laid it out. And sent it back upstairs. Never the two met.

Bill Bernbach thought, "Why don't these two fine employees actually work together? Maybe the visual can work with the copy instead of merely facilitating it?"

And he did it. He locked them in a room. Together. The first creative team was invented. And what did we get? The best advertising in history.

Don't separate your copy from your design. It's a wasted opportunity. And it's advertising from 1,000,000 years ago.