THOUGHTFUL RAMBLING No. 16
"The Greatest Ad Generation"
It’s not often that you have the opportunity to stand in the presence of greatness. But last night, I did.
Yesterday evening, in an intimate ceremony at the DeGolyer Library at Southern Methodist University, I got to stand with 100 of Liener Temerlin’s friends and family as the gift of his advertising papers were dedicated to SMU and to the Advertising Institute that bears his name.
For those who don't know Liener, he's a legend and the founder and namesake of an ad agency called Temerlin McClain Advertising that was once one of the three largest agencies in Dallas. At one time, Temerlin had more than 800 employees working on American Airlines, JCPenney, Suburu, Bank of America, Long John Silver's, GTE and a dozen others. I was both proud and fortunate to work there for almost six years.
Hung around the library last night were framed papers, pictures and artifacts from Liener’s distinguished 55-year career in advertising. I knew of his hosting Prince Charles on his trip to Dallas and the exquisite reception Liener planned for him. I knew of Liener’s close friendship with Ross Perot who was there last night, and his work on Mr. Perot’s Presidential bids. I knew that Liener had been inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame. I did not know that in 1944, he was awarded the Bronze Star as a lieutenant in World War II.
After congratulatory and thankful remarks from the SMU leadership, Liener took the podium and in typical Temerlin fashion, made remarks that were brief, but riveting. At once witty, smart, inspiring and funny – the kind that makes you wish you had a pen and pad so you could write it all down. He started with a simple statement. “Mark Twain said it best,” he said. “If you see a turtle on a fencepost, you can be sure, he had help getting there.” Typical Liener to celebrate a 55-year legacy by doling out the credit to other people.
What struck me the most, was that through all the ups and downs, agency growth and buyouts from holding companies, now in the sunset of an amazing career, he remains the most optimistic person I know about advertising and the creative, strategic, hard-working people who create it. He said when he entered the profession – back when he spent 15 years as the writer partner to Stan Richards art director – advertising was at the bottom of a list of 100 most respected professions. I think Liener took that as a challenge and spent the rest of his life trying to turn that around.
While the Ad Age and Adweek covers were fun to see and the less celebrated papers fascinating, the bulk of Liener’s gift to SMU comes in a series of notebooks – nearly a dozen cabinets worth according to the introduction from Temerlin Institute Director, Dr. Patricia Alvey. 55 years worth of Liener’s notes, observations, business deals, conversations and oh yes, the pitches.
Liener Temerlin is famous for his pitches – though that’s a somewhat relative term. I remember starting at Temerlin McClain as a young writer and having a Creative Director tell me, “We really don’t pitch business. Liener gets a meeting, the door shuts, and he walks out with the business.” In most cases, pretty true. The Temerlin pitch for the American Airlines business alone is the stuff of legend, though I’ve never had the privilege of hearing all the details. Now, we will all have that chance. This fall, once catalogued, all of Liener’s notebooks will be available for reading at the DeGolyer library and you can be sure, they will be a popular attraction.
I had the privilege of working very closely with Liener on a big project that lasted for about four months during my tenure at his agency and it will forever remain one of the best and most rewarding opportunities of my career. There is no one in the business I respect more and if he asked me, I think I’d follow the man into Hell.
That said, for now, I think I’ll just head over to SMU.
"The Greatest Ad Generation"
It’s not often that you have the opportunity to stand in the presence of greatness. But last night, I did.
Yesterday evening, in an intimate ceremony at the DeGolyer Library at Southern Methodist University, I got to stand with 100 of Liener Temerlin’s friends and family as the gift of his advertising papers were dedicated to SMU and to the Advertising Institute that bears his name.
For those who don't know Liener, he's a legend and the founder and namesake of an ad agency called Temerlin McClain Advertising that was once one of the three largest agencies in Dallas. At one time, Temerlin had more than 800 employees working on American Airlines, JCPenney, Suburu, Bank of America, Long John Silver's, GTE and a dozen others. I was both proud and fortunate to work there for almost six years.
Hung around the library last night were framed papers, pictures and artifacts from Liener’s distinguished 55-year career in advertising. I knew of his hosting Prince Charles on his trip to Dallas and the exquisite reception Liener planned for him. I knew of Liener’s close friendship with Ross Perot who was there last night, and his work on Mr. Perot’s Presidential bids. I knew that Liener had been inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame. I did not know that in 1944, he was awarded the Bronze Star as a lieutenant in World War II.
After congratulatory and thankful remarks from the SMU leadership, Liener took the podium and in typical Temerlin fashion, made remarks that were brief, but riveting. At once witty, smart, inspiring and funny – the kind that makes you wish you had a pen and pad so you could write it all down. He started with a simple statement. “Mark Twain said it best,” he said. “If you see a turtle on a fencepost, you can be sure, he had help getting there.” Typical Liener to celebrate a 55-year legacy by doling out the credit to other people.
What struck me the most, was that through all the ups and downs, agency growth and buyouts from holding companies, now in the sunset of an amazing career, he remains the most optimistic person I know about advertising and the creative, strategic, hard-working people who create it. He said when he entered the profession – back when he spent 15 years as the writer partner to Stan Richards art director – advertising was at the bottom of a list of 100 most respected professions. I think Liener took that as a challenge and spent the rest of his life trying to turn that around.
While the Ad Age and Adweek covers were fun to see and the less celebrated papers fascinating, the bulk of Liener’s gift to SMU comes in a series of notebooks – nearly a dozen cabinets worth according to the introduction from Temerlin Institute Director, Dr. Patricia Alvey. 55 years worth of Liener’s notes, observations, business deals, conversations and oh yes, the pitches.
Liener Temerlin is famous for his pitches – though that’s a somewhat relative term. I remember starting at Temerlin McClain as a young writer and having a Creative Director tell me, “We really don’t pitch business. Liener gets a meeting, the door shuts, and he walks out with the business.” In most cases, pretty true. The Temerlin pitch for the American Airlines business alone is the stuff of legend, though I’ve never had the privilege of hearing all the details. Now, we will all have that chance. This fall, once catalogued, all of Liener’s notebooks will be available for reading at the DeGolyer library and you can be sure, they will be a popular attraction.
I had the privilege of working very closely with Liener on a big project that lasted for about four months during my tenure at his agency and it will forever remain one of the best and most rewarding opportunities of my career. There is no one in the business I respect more and if he asked me, I think I’d follow the man into Hell.
That said, for now, I think I’ll just head over to SMU.
posted by Michael Tuggle at 2:00 PM
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