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United Kingdom Mary Wells Lawrence was a pioneering advertising executive known for her creative campaigns and for being the first female CEO of a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Created the "The End of the Plain Plane" campaign, which revamped the airline's image by introducing brightly colored planes and Pucci-designed uniforms for flight attendants. She hired Alexander Girard as project designer and Emilio Pucci to create new uniforms.
Founding president of this advertising agency known for its creative work. The agency handled major clients and became significant for its innovative approach.
Developed iconic campaigns such as "Plop plop, fizz fizz" and "I Can't Believe I Ate the Whole Thing" (which won a Clio Award in 1971), and "Try it, you'll like it."
Responsible for the famous "I ♥ N Y" campaign.
Created the memorable slogan "Trust the Midas touch."
Developed the campaign "At Ford, Quality is Job 1."
Created the slogan "Flick your Bic."
Developed the campaign "Raise your hand if you're Sure."
Developed "The 'disadvantages' of a longer-than-King-size cigarette" campaign for Benson & Hedges 100's, which significantly increased sales from 1 billion to 14 billion cigarettes between 1966 and 1970.
Led "The Unfair Advantage" campaign (1968-1972) comparing AMC products side-by-side with more expensive autos, highlighting features like standard air conditioning in the 1968 AMC Ambassador against the Cadillac Sedan de Ville.
Developed the campaign “Don’t Just Book It, Thomas Cook It.”
Wells Rich Greene served as a client.
Wells Rich Greene served as a client.
Wells Rich Greene served as a client.
Wells Rich Greene served as a client.
Wells Rich Greene served as a client.
Wells Rich Greene served as a client.
Wells Rich Greene served as a client.
Wells Rich Greene served as a client.
Wells Rich Greene served as a client.
Born Mary Georgene Berg in Youngstown, Ohio, in 1928, Mary Wells Lawrence began her advertising career in 1951 as a copywriter for McKelvey’s department store. She moved to New York City, becoming Macy’s fashion advertising manager in 1952. She then worked at McCann Erickson in 1953 as a copywriter and copy group head, followed by a period at Lennen & Newell. From 1957 to 1964, she held a seven-year tenure at Doyle Dane Bernbach, where she attributed James Edwin Doyle, Maxwell Dane, and William Bernbach as significant influences on her career development in her 2002 book, “A Big Life in Advertising.” Her early experiences in retail advertising and major agencies formed the foundation for her later groundbreaking work.
After joining Jack Tinker and Partners, a new advertising group, Mary Wells Lawrence’s reputation grew. She collaborated with Jack Tinker, with whom she had previously worked at McCann-Erickson. Here, she developed the highly successful “The End of the Plain Plane” campaign for Braniff International Airways, which included hiring Alexander Girard for project design and Emilio Pucci for new flight attendant uniforms. This campaign was crucial to Braniff’s turnaround. Following this success, and after being denied a promised promotion, she co-founded Wells Rich Greene (WRG) on April 5, 1966. She served as president, with Richard Rich as treasurer and Stewart Greene as secretary. Under her leadership, WRG became recognized for its innovative campaigns.
Wells Rich Greene quickly attracted major clients such as American Motors, IBM, Procter & Gamble, and Pan American World Airways. By 1969, she became the highest-paid executive in advertising. She was also the first female CEO of a company traded on the New York Stock Exchange when WRG went public in 1968. She was selected by U.S. Vice President Nelson Rockefeller for his Commission on Critical Choices for Americans and invited by President Gerald Ford to an Economic Summit. After she stepped down as CEO in 1990, the agency merged, eventually ceasing operations in 1998, with its archive donated to Duke University. She passed away in London on May 11, 2024, at the age of 95.
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