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18-NOV-2025 | Excerpt from Bill Bernbach’s 1947 Agency Letter

Author

Dan Bogachek
November 18, 2025

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Excerpt from Bill Bernbach’s 1947 Agency Letter

Dear _____,

Our agency is getting big. That’s something to be happy about. But it’s something to worry about, too, and I don’t mind telling you I’m damned worried. I’m worried that we’re going to fall into the trap of bigness, that we’re going to worship techniques instead of substance, that we’re going to follow history instead of making it, that we’re going to be drowned by superficialities instead of buoyed up by solid fundamentals. I’m worried lest hardening of the creative arteries begin to set in.

There are a lot of technicians in advertising. And unfortunately they talk the best game. They know all the rules. They can tell you that people in an ad will get you greater readership. 🏁

A reminder to make each sentence as short (or as long!) as it needs to be. Brilliant writing from one of the greats.