Jerry Della Femina
Encyclopedia
Jerry Della Femina is an American
advertising
executive and restaurateur. Starting from a poor Italian background in Brooklyn, he eventually became chairman of Della Femina Travisano & Partners, an agency which he founded with Ron Travisano in the 1960s. Over the next two decades they grew the company into a major advertising house that was billing $250 million per year, had 300 employees, and offices in both New York and Los Angeles. Della Femina is known for his larger than life personality and colorful language, and was referred to as a "'Madman' of Madison Avenue". In 1970, he wrote a book about the advertising industry, humorously titled, From Those Wonderful Folks Who Gave You Pearl Harbor: Front-Line Dispatches from the Advertising War. It became a cult bestseller, described by The Guardian
as "one of the defining books about advertising", and eventually inspired the television series Mad Men
.
, Brooklyn
. His father, Michael, was a composing room employee for The New York Times
. Della Femina graduated from Lafayette High School
and attended one year of night school at Brooklyn College
. In 1952, at the age of 16, he worked as a delivery boy for the advertising agency of Ruthruff and Ryan. He also worked at The New York Times as a messenger boy, dropping off proofs at advertising agencies. He tried unsuccessfully in 1954 to get into advertising himself, being repeatedly rejected until in 1961, when he landed a job as a copyeditor at Daniel & Charles, then working through multiple other agencies. He worked for two and a half years at Delehanty, Kurnit & Geller, and then became a creative supervisor at Ted Bates Advertising.
, and came up with a campaign that used the talents of comics Jerry Stiller
and Anne Meara
.
The agency was also known for its work on Isuzu
(creating the fictional spokesman Joe Isuzu
), Beck's Beer, Chemical Bank, Dow Brands (Fingerman) and Pan Am. Their most famous campaign was the Meow Mix Theme, conceived by Ron Travisano and composed by David Lucas
of Lucas/McFaul, which featured an apparent singing cat. In 1981, they won the account for the New York Mets
, marking the first time that a Major League Baseball
team had hired an ad agency. By 1985, when Travisano sold his shares and left the agency, they had around 300 employees in New York and Los Angeles, were still privately held, and were billing approximately $250 million annually.
. Della Femina was not happy with the loss of control, and left in June 1992, starting a new agency, Jerry, Inc., in December of that year. Accounts included the New York Mets
, Newsweek
, Marvel Comics
, and Financial Security Assurance. He merged it in May 1994 with the New York office of Ketchum Advertising, forming Jerry & Ketchum, with new clients including North Shore University Hospital
. The name later changed to Della Femina/Jeary and Partners.
proposed for the client Panasonic
during a brainstorming session. USA Today
described him as, "the most colorful creative guy in an industry full of colorful creative guys."
, until he sold it in early 2011, because, "I’m just not ready to have my wealth redistributed. I’m not ready to pay more tax money than the next guy because I provide jobs and because I work a 60-hour week and I earn more than $250,000 a year. So why am I dropping out? Read a brilliant book by Ayn Rand
called Atlas Shrugged
, and you’ll know."
in 1983 and from Long Island University
in 1989. He has been named one of the "100 most influential advertising people of the century" by Advertising Age
.
since 1983. They met in 1981 when she interviewed him for Channel 5. They have two children, now adults. Della Femina also has three grown children by a previous marriage: Donna, Michael, and Jodi.
Della Femina and his wife reside in New York City, East Hampton
, and West Palm Beach, Florida
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
executive and restaurateur. Starting from a poor Italian background in Brooklyn, he eventually became chairman of Della Femina Travisano & Partners, an agency which he founded with Ron Travisano in the 1960s. Over the next two decades they grew the company into a major advertising house that was billing $250 million per year, had 300 employees, and offices in both New York and Los Angeles. Della Femina is known for his larger than life personality and colorful language, and was referred to as a "'Madman' of Madison Avenue". In 1970, he wrote a book about the advertising industry, humorously titled, From Those Wonderful Folks Who Gave You Pearl Harbor: Front-Line Dispatches from the Advertising War. It became a cult bestseller, described by The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
as "one of the defining books about advertising", and eventually inspired the television series Mad Men
Mad Men
Mad Men is an American dramatic television series created and produced by Matthew Weiner. The series premiered on Sunday evenings on the American cable network AMC and are produced by Lionsgate Television. It premiered on July 19, 2007, and completed its fourth season on October 17, 2010. Each...
.
Biography
Della Femina was born into a working class family in Coney IslandConey Island
Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
, Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. His father, Michael, was a composing room employee for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. Della Femina graduated from Lafayette High School
Lafayette High School (New York City)
Lafayette High School is a large secondary school located in the Bath Beach section of Brooklyn, New York City, New York . It is currently one of the low performing high schools of the city and is operated by the New York City Department of Education.-History:...
and attended one year of night school at Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College is a senior college of the City University of New York, located in Brooklyn, New York, United States.Established in 1930 by the New York City Board of Higher Education, the College had its beginnings as the Downtown Brooklyn branches of Hunter College and the City College of New...
. In 1952, at the age of 16, he worked as a delivery boy for the advertising agency of Ruthruff and Ryan. He also worked at The New York Times as a messenger boy, dropping off proofs at advertising agencies. He tried unsuccessfully in 1954 to get into advertising himself, being repeatedly rejected until in 1961, when he landed a job as a copyeditor at Daniel & Charles, then working through multiple other agencies. He worked for two and a half years at Delehanty, Kurnit & Geller, and then became a creative supervisor at Ted Bates Advertising.
Della Femina Travisano & Partners
In 1967, he started his own agency, Della Femina Travisano & Partners, founding it with Ron Travisano, an advertising supervisor he had met while working as a copyeditor at Delehanty Kurnit & Geller. Della Femina owned one third, Travisano owned third, and the rest was distributed among two other partners who they had known from DKG, and followed them to Ted Bates Advertising. Della Femina was chairman, and Travisano was vice-chairman and co-director of creative services. Their first account was for Squire, a company that made hairpieces, and they came up with an ad, "Are you still combing your memories?". In 1970, they won their first major account, for Blue Nun WineBlue Nun
Blue Nun is a German wine brand launched by the company H. Sichel Söhne in 1923 with the 1921 vintage, and which between the 1950s and 1980s was probably the largest international wine brand. For most of its existence, Blue Nun was a single German wine, which until late 1990s was classified as a...
, and came up with a campaign that used the talents of comics Jerry Stiller
Jerry Stiller
Gerald Isaac "Jerry" Stiller is an American comedian and actor.He spent many years in the comedy team Stiller and Meara with his wife Anne Meara...
and Anne Meara
Anne Meara
Anne Meara is an American actress and comedian. She and Jerry Stiller were a prominent 1960s comedy team, appearing as Stiller and Meara, and are the parents of actor/comedian Ben and actress Amy Stiller.- Personal life :...
.
The agency was also known for its work on Isuzu
Isuzu
, is a Japanese car, commercial vehicle and heavy truck manufacturing company, headquartered in Tokyo. In 2005, Isuzu became the world's largest manufacturer of medium to heavy duty trucks. It has assembly and manufacturing plants in the Japanese city of Fujisawa, as well as in the prefectures...
(creating the fictional spokesman Joe Isuzu
Joe Isuzu
Joe Isuzu was a fictional spokesman used in a series of television advertisements for Isuzu cars and trucks. Created by the ad agency Della Femina, Travisano, and Partners, the segments aired on American television in 1986-90, reaching their zenith in 1987 after the character was featured during...
), Beck's Beer, Chemical Bank, Dow Brands (Fingerman) and Pan Am. Their most famous campaign was the Meow Mix Theme, conceived by Ron Travisano and composed by David Lucas
David Lucas (composer)
David Lucas is an American rock and roll composer, singer, and music producer. He has written a number of well-known commercial jingles, such as AT&T's "Reach out and touch someone". In 1981, he received a Clio Award for composing the music to Pepsi's "Catch that Pepsi spirit"...
of Lucas/McFaul, which featured an apparent singing cat. In 1981, they won the account for the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
, marking the first time that a Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
team had hired an ad agency. By 1985, when Travisano sold his shares and left the agency, they had around 300 employees in New York and Los Angeles, were still privately held, and were billing approximately $250 million annually.
Later agencies
Della Femina sold the agency in 1986 to a British group, WCRS, for a reported $30 million USD, though he remained working at the company. WCRS was then sold to a French ad agency group, EurocomEurocom
Eurocom is a British video game developer founded specifically to develop games for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Since then Eurocom has expanded to several other platforms including handheld game systems and most major video game consoles.The company was once famous for its arcade to console...
. Della Femina was not happy with the loss of control, and left in June 1992, starting a new agency, Jerry, Inc., in December of that year. Accounts included the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
, and Financial Security Assurance. He merged it in May 1994 with the New York office of Ketchum Advertising, forming Jerry & Ketchum, with new clients including North Shore University Hospital
North Shore University Hospital
North Shore University Hospital is one of the cornerstones of the North Shore-LIJ Health System, as well as an academic campus for the New York University School of Medicine and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine....
. The name later changed to Della Femina/Jeary and Partners.
Personality
A self-styled "publicity slut," Della Femina made headlines for colorful comments throughout his career. His 1971 book From Those Wonderful Folks Who Gave You Pearl Harbor was a best-seller. The title refers to a tongue-in cheek sloganSlogan
A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a political, commercial, religious and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose. The word slogan is derived from slogorn which was an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic sluagh-ghairm . Slogans vary from the written and the...
proposed for the client Panasonic
Panasonic
Panasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation, which was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd...
during a brainstorming session. USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
described him as, "the most colorful creative guy in an industry full of colorful creative guys."
Restaurateur
He ran a restaurant, Della Femina, in East HamptonEast Hampton (village), New York
The Village of East Hampton is a village in Town of East Hampton, New York. It is located in Suffolk County, on the South Fork of eastern Long Island...
, until he sold it in early 2011, because, "I’m just not ready to have my wealth redistributed. I’m not ready to pay more tax money than the next guy because I provide jobs and because I work a 60-hour week and I earn more than $250,000 a year. So why am I dropping out? Read a brilliant book by Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand was a Russian-American novelist, philosopher, playwright, and screenwriter. She is known for her two best-selling novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged and for developing a philosophical system she called Objectivism....
called Atlas Shrugged
Atlas Shrugged
Atlas Shrugged is a novel by Ayn Rand, first published in 1957 in the United States. Rand's fourth and last novel, it was also her longest, and the one she considered to be her magnum opus in the realm of fiction writing...
, and you’ll know."
Current projects
He currently co-publishes the regional weekly newspaper The Independent based in East Hampton, New York.Accolades
He received honorary doctorates from the University of MissouriUniversity of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
in 1983 and from Long Island University
Long Island University
Long Island University is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian institution of higher education in the U.S. state of New York.-History:...
in 1989. He has been named one of the "100 most influential advertising people of the century" by Advertising Age
Advertising Age
Advertising Age is a magazine, delivering news, analysis and data on marketing and media. The magazine was started as a broadsheet newspaper in Chicago in 1930...
.
Personal life
Della Femina has been married to journalist and television host Judy LichtJudy Licht
Judy Licht is an American television and print journalist whose work often focuses on the entertainment and fashion worlds. Born to Bernard and Eleanor Licht of New York, Licht graduated from Connecticut College and received her master's degree in Broadcast Journalism from Syracuse University.For...
since 1983. They met in 1981 when she interviewed him for Channel 5. They have two children, now adults. Della Femina also has three grown children by a previous marriage: Donna, Michael, and Jodi.
Della Femina and his wife reside in New York City, East Hampton
East Hampton (village), New York
The Village of East Hampton is a village in Town of East Hampton, New York. It is located in Suffolk County, on the South Fork of eastern Long Island...
, and West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and is the most populous city in and county seat of Palm Beach County, the third most populous county in Florida with a 2010 population of 1,320,134. The city is also the oldest incorporated municipality in South Florida...
.
Books
- From Those Wonderful Folks Who Brought You Pearl Harbor
- An Italian Grows in Brooklyn