Alex Faickney Osborn
Encyclopedia
Alex Faickney Osborn was an advertising executive and the author of the creativity technique
named brainstorming
.
where he played football and was a member of the Omega Gamma Delta fraternity. He was a graduate of Hamilton College, where he had worked for the school newspaper.
Upon graduation, Osborn attempted a career in journalism
in Buffalo, New York
, and worked at the Buffalo Times and the Buffalo Express, though he was fired from the latter due to a supposed lack of aptitude. Osborn then worked a variety of jobs, which included working for a milling company as a statistician
, doing publicity for the Buffalo Chamber of Commerce
and working as a sales
man for the Hard Manufacturing Company.
He then joined the E. P. Remington agency in Buffalo, an in-house advertising agency for a patent
medicine maker, where he was appointed as new business manager
. While working there, he did teaching jobs on the side, including lecturing on psychology
for Ford Motor Company
, and on advertising
at the YMCA
.
and Roy Sarles Durstine to form the BDO advertising agency. Osborn acted as manager of BDO's Buffalo branch.
He was largely responsible for the 1928 merger of BDO (Barton, Durstine & Osborn) with the George Batten Company to create BBDO
.
After years of success and having survived the Great Depression
, BBDO underwent a crisis in 1938, losing many of its clients and key personnel. Osborn commuted to New York City
and eventually saved the company by securing the Goodrich tire
account. In 1939, he became BBDO's executive vice president after Durstine resigned. Osborn was crucial in recruiting many top employees, including Ben Duffy, who eventually became the president of BBDO.
, which had been used at BBDO. Eventually, Osborn's writing career overtook his work in advertising, and in 1960, after more than forty years, he resigned from BBDO’s board of directors
.
In 1954, Osborn created the Creative Education Foundation
, which was sustained by the royalties
earned from his books. Along with Sidney Parnes
, Osborn developed the Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem Solving Process
(commonly referred to as CPS). He co-founded the Creative Education Foundation's Creative Problem Solving Institute, the world's longest-running international creativity conference, and CPS has been taught at that conference as well as year-round in other venues for more than 50 years.
Osborn also contributed frequently to trade publications such as Printer’s Ink.
. They had five children: Katharine, Joan, Marion, Russell, and Elinor. He died of a blood deficiency in Buffalo on 13 May 1966.
Creativity techniques
Creativity techniques are methods that encourage creative actions, whether in the arts or sciences. They focus on a variety of aspects of creativity, including techniques for idea generation and divergent thinking, methods of re-framing problems, changes in the affective environment and so on. They...
named brainstorming
Brainstorming
Brainstorming is a group creativity technique by which a group tries to find a solution for a specific problem by gathering a list of ideas spontaneously contributed by its members...
.
Early life
Osborn was born in the Bronx and spent his childhood in New York, attending Morris High School (Bronx, New York)Morris High School (Bronx, New York)
Morris High School was a high school in the borough of the Bronx in New York City. It was built in 1897. It was the first high school built in the Bronx...
where he played football and was a member of the Omega Gamma Delta fraternity. He was a graduate of Hamilton College, where he had worked for the school newspaper.
Upon graduation, Osborn attempted a career in journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, and worked at the Buffalo Times and the Buffalo Express, though he was fired from the latter due to a supposed lack of aptitude. Osborn then worked a variety of jobs, which included working for a milling company as a statistician
Statistician
A statistician is someone who works with theoretical or applied statistics. The profession exists in both the private and public sectors. The core of that work is to measure, interpret, and describe the world and human activity patterns within it...
, doing publicity for the Buffalo Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
and working as a sales
Sales
A sale is the act of selling a product or service in return for money or other compensation. It is an act of completion of a commercial activity....
man for the Hard Manufacturing Company.
He then joined the E. P. Remington agency in Buffalo, an in-house advertising agency for a patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
medicine maker, where he was appointed as new business manager
Business manager
In a general context, a business manager is a person who manages the work of others in order to run a business efficiently and make a large profit...
. While working there, he did teaching jobs on the side, including lecturing on psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
for Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
, and on advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
at the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
.
Founding of BBDO
In 1919, Osborn joined with Bruce Fairchild BartonBruce Fairchild Barton
Bruce Fairchild Barton was an American author, advertising executive, and politician. He served in the U.S. Congress from 1937 to 1940 as a Republican from New York.-Biography:...
and Roy Sarles Durstine to form the BDO advertising agency. Osborn acted as manager of BDO's Buffalo branch.
He was largely responsible for the 1928 merger of BDO (Barton, Durstine & Osborn) with the George Batten Company to create BBDO
BBDO
BBDO is a worldwide advertising agency network, with its headquarters in New York City. The agency began in 1891 with George Batten's Batten Company, and later in 1928, through a merger of BDO and Batten Co. the agency became BBDO...
.
After years of success and having survived the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, BBDO underwent a crisis in 1938, losing many of its clients and key personnel. Osborn commuted to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and eventually saved the company by securing the Goodrich tire
Tire
A tire or tyre is a ring-shaped covering that fits around a wheel rim to protect it and enable better vehicle performance by providing a flexible cushion that absorbs shock while keeping the wheel in close contact with the ground...
account. In 1939, he became BBDO's executive vice president after Durstine resigned. Osborn was crucial in recruiting many top employees, including Ben Duffy, who eventually became the president of BBDO.
Creativity Theorist
Osborn became increasingly active as an author, and published several books on creative thinking. In 1942, How To Think Up was published, in which Osborn presented the technique of BrainstormingBrainstorming
Brainstorming is a group creativity technique by which a group tries to find a solution for a specific problem by gathering a list of ideas spontaneously contributed by its members...
, which had been used at BBDO. Eventually, Osborn's writing career overtook his work in advertising, and in 1960, after more than forty years, he resigned from BBDO’s board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
.
In 1954, Osborn created the Creative Education Foundation
Creative Education Foundation
The Creative Education Foundation is an independent, nonprofit membership organization of leaders in the field of creativity theory and practice...
, which was sustained by the royalties
Royalties
Royalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for the right to ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property...
earned from his books. Along with Sidney Parnes
Sid Parnes
Dr. Sidney J. Parnes is a retired professor at Buffalo State College and the co-founder of the International Center for Studies in Creativity. The Center is housed within Dr. Sidney J...
, Osborn developed the Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem Solving Process
Creative Problem Solving Process
The Creative Problem Solving Process , also known as the Osborn-Parnes CPS process, was developed by Alex Osborn and Dr. Sidney J. Parnes in the 1950s. CPS is a structured method for generating novel and useful solutions to problems...
(commonly referred to as CPS). He co-founded the Creative Education Foundation's Creative Problem Solving Institute, the world's longest-running international creativity conference, and CPS has been taught at that conference as well as year-round in other venues for more than 50 years.
Notable advertising work
- General ElectricGeneral ElectricGeneral Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
- Armstrong CorkArmstrong World IndustriesArmstrong World Industries, Inc. is an international designer and manufacturer of floors, ceilings and cabinets. Based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Armstrong operates 40 plants in 10 countries and has approximately 12,300 employees worldwide. In 2006, Armstrong’s net sales were $3.42 billion, with...
- ChryslerChryslerChrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
- General Baking
- Royal Crown Cola
- American Tobacco
- BF GoodrichGoodrich CorporationThe Goodrich Corporation , formerly the B.F. Goodrich Company, is an American aerospace manufacturing company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Founded in Akron, Ohio in 1870 as Goodrich, Tew & Co. by Dr. Benjamin Franklin Goodrich. The company name was changed to the "B.F...
- Du Pont
- Wildroot Hair Tonic
Books
- 1921 A Short Course in Advertising, C. Scribner’s sons.
- 1942 How to "Think Up", McGraw-Hill.
- 1948 Your Creative Power, C. Scribner’s sons.
- 1952 Wake Up Your Mind, C. Scribner’s sons.
- 1955 The Goldmine Between Your Ears, C. Scribner’s sons.
Osborn also contributed frequently to trade publications such as Printer’s Ink.
Family life
On September 15, 1916 he married Helen Coatsworth, the daughter of a wealthy Buffalo lawyerLawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
. They had five children: Katharine, Joan, Marion, Russell, and Elinor. He died of a blood deficiency in Buffalo on 13 May 1966.