The Resume

(October 21, 1891-June 7, 1971)
Born in St. Johns, Michigan
Advertising executive
Founded Leo Burnett Worldwide
Created the ad icons Tony the Tiger, the Marlboro Man, and the Maytag Repairman
Coined the slogans 'Fly the friendly skies' for United and 'You're in good hands' for All-State

Why he might be annoying:

He started as a journalist with the dream of becoming publisher of the New York Times, until he learned how much money could be made in advertising.
A workaholic with no interests outside of work, he took off only one day a year: Christmas.
He died of a heart attack the day that he told company executives that due to declining health, he would be cutting back work to three days a week.

Why he might not be annoying:

He was a modest man described by 'Time' as 'the antithesis of the popular conception of the slick, cynical advertising man.'
He said, 'I always figured that I was less smart than some people, but that if I worked hard enough, maybe I would average out alright.'
Due to his emphasis on visuals over text, his company's revenues took off as TV increasingly became the dominant advertising medium.
He was one of the four inaugural inductees into the Copywriters Hall of Fame (1961).

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 82]
• I Attended University of Michigan
• I Died in 1971 (Ranked: 79)
• My Name, My Company
• Profiles 51501-51750 (Ranked: 51625)
• Time Magazine's 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century [1998]

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 5 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 7 Votes: 57.14% Annoying