Back in the 1980s, International Paper ran what remains one of my favorite advertising campaigns of all time: The Power of the Printed Word. It was, at once, informative, interesting, and featured input by celebrity-status experts at the top of their game.
You’ll not only find it interesting reading (the copywriting is exquisite), you’ll doubtlessly find some excellent ideas for structuring and presenting your own information.
The Power of the Printed Word series:
How to make a speech by George Plimpton
How to write a resume by Jerrold G. Simpson, Ed.D.
How to spell by John Irving
How to enjoy poetry by James Dickey
How to read an annual report by Jane Bryant Quinn
How to enjoy the classics by Steve Allen
How to use a library by James A. Michener
How to write with style by Kurt Vonnegut
How to write clearly by Edward T. Thompson
How to improve your vocabulary by Tony Randall
How to write a business letter by Malcolm Forbes
How to read faster by Bill Cosby
I do remember this campaign when I was in art school in the early 80s. Especially the John Irving.
Thank you for preserving them as I will be using them in my Visual Thinking class showing the power of not only the content but the layout I which this information is presented.
My father, Herb Jager, was the art director for this campaign.
Very cool Eric. What can you tell us about him?
Chuck, he did a lot of work with Bill Feuss (who was the copywriter for this ad) while at Ogilvy. This campaign won the Kelly Award for best print advertising – i think in the second year it had been awarded. I remember him telling me that it required a bit of diplomacy to work with some of the talent in these ads,
After art school at Parsons, he worked in print and later also on TV ads, drawing storyboards with the piles of magic markers that he kept in his office and at home.
Haha… I can only imagine what it must have taken to negotiate wording that such high-profile, internationally recognized celebrities were willing to put their names on.
Makes you wonder about how many were contacted who turned it down or who agreed to participate that the writer(s) ultimately couldn’t come to terms with.
Thanks for sharing this. I’ve heard plenty of personal anecdotes from folks in the advertising business (I’ve got a few of my own), but they are less frequently shared in public.