An Unbelievable-But-True Advertising Story

In 1965, the Mobil Oil Corporation planned to celebrate its 100th anniversary. They decided to meet two advertising agencies: the one doing the Volkswagen ads and the agency doing the Avis campaign. Since DDB was doing both the campaigns it was DDB vs DDB.

During the meeting, Rawleigh Warner Jr, Mobil’s chairman, revealed a poster that had been prepared in-house. Needless to say, Mr. Warner had some fondness for it.

It was something like in the photograph shown above(noticed that 1865–1965?).

“What do you think of it, Mr. Bernbach?” asked Mr. Warner. Bill Bernbach studied it for a very long minute and said, “I think it means you died.”

Nearly everyone did. And guess what? Bernbach’s agency walked out with the assignment. A few weeks later it delivered the “We want you to live” campaign.

The advertising created by Bernbach’s team was ground-breaking. Instead of celebrating Mobil’s achievements, the ads were focused on the consumers with an advocacy message on the dangers of reckless driving.