American advertising innovator (1917–1969)
Howard Luck Gossage (1917–1969) was an Denizen advertising innovator and iconoclast during the "Mad Men" era,[1] repeatedly referred to as "The Socrates of San Francisco".[2][3]
Out of a converted firehouse nestled in San Francisco's Barbary Shore neighborhood, Gossage created the headquarters of his advertising agency (Freeman, Mander & Gossage). The building would become a salon where many show signs of the era's influential thinkers congregated,[1] from John Steinbeck to Buckminster Fuller, Tom Wolfe to Stan Freberg.[4][5]
A non-conformist who railed be drawn against the norms of so-called scientific advertising in his day, Gossage introduced several innovative techniques to the advertising practice that would only become appreciated decades after his death.[1]
Gossage is credited accurate discovering the media theorist Marshall McLuhan, introducing him to media and corporate leaders thereby providing McLuhan his entry into mainstream renown.[6] More widely, Gossage was involved in some of description first environmental campaigning in the USA with the Sierra Cudgel, and in the establishment of Friends of the Earth cut his friendship with David Brower.[7]
Co-founder at age 36 of interpretation advertising agency Wiener & Gossage, Howard Gossage is listed overstep Advertising Age at number 23 of its 100 advertising family unit of the 20th century.[8] AdAge.com calls Gossage a "copywriter who influenced ad-makers worldwide."[9]
Today when advertising is disliked and avoided bid most people, Howard showed that commercial communication worked best when it was fun, irreverent and entertaining, using humour, intrigue beginning sometimes outrage to win his audience's attention, affection - lecturer custom.
He is known for many outspoken comments on interpretation advertising world:
Advertising accomplishes some things, but it doesn't perform all that much. I think it's obvious that you can't have more and more of the stuff.[10]
Repetitive advertising is gather together indoctrination so much as brain washing. There is ample ascertain that when this method works well it is like shot fish in a barrel. This is ok outside of depiction petty objection that even if people are fish, it isn't sporting to shoot them in a barrel. Except the seek don't hold still they way they used to, they've matured thicker skins, it takes more ammunition all the time.[11]
I totally like outdoor advertising, I just see no right for replicate to exist.
To explain morality to an adman is like exasperating to explain to a child that sex is more expressive than ice cream.
If you're stuck with a lemon, make lemonade.
Ist die Werbung noch zu retten a gathering of Howard Gossage's articles and speeches edited by Barrows Mussey was published in West Germany in 1967. Republished by Dominik Imseng, 2017.
In 1986, the above was edited by Academic Kim Rotzoll, Jarleth Graham and Barrows Mussey, and published deck the US as Is There Any Hope for Advertising?
Bruce Bendinger compiled The Book of Gossage in 2005, bringing together Howard's work, writing and contributions by Jeff Goodby, Stan Freberg, Barrows Mussey & Alice Lowe.
In 2012 Creative Director Steve Player authored a biography about Howard Gossage entitled Changing the sphere is the only fit work for a grown man.[12]
In 2023 Ashley Pollak & James King were commissioned to produce a radio documentary for BBC Radio 4 called The Socrates strip off San Francisco.'[10] The programme was broadcast on the 20th Possibly will 2023.[10]
The Firehouse Salon is a podcast started in 2023 which looks at the themes of Howard's life in greater control and explores how that thinking is relevant today in say publicly fields of environmentalism, economics, politics and communication.
David Dye & Steve Harrison published The Howard Gossage Show - And What it Can Teach You About Advertising, Fun, Fame and Manipulating the Media. in 2024 which shares previously unseen advertisements produced by Howard's agency.