Mary Wells Lawrence and the Art of Advertising as Theater
In the golden age of Madison Avenue, when advertising was dominated by men in gray suits and cautious slogans, Mary Wells Lawrence walked in wearing color. She didn’t just sell products—she sold dreams, moods, and identities. She didn’t just build an agency—she built a stage. And on that stage, she directed some of the most iconic campaigns in history.
Her story is not just about breaking glass ceilings. It’s about redefining what advertising could be: bold, cinematic, emotional, and unforgettable.
The Early Years: From Youngstown to New York
Born Mary Georgene Berg in Youngstown, Ohio, in 1928, she grew up in a working-class family with a restless spirit and a flair for drama. At 18, she enrolled at the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon), where she studied theater and met her first husband, Bert Wells.
Her early jobs were modest—copywriter for McKelvey’s department store, fashion advertising manager at Macy’s—but her ambition was anything but. She moved to New York City, studied drama, and began climbing the ranks of advertising at McCann Erickson, Lennen Newell, and eventually Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB), where she absorbed the agency’s revolutionary approach to creativity and emotional storytelling.
The Spark: “The End of the Plain Plane”
Her breakthrough came at Jack Tinker Partners, a creative think tank within Interpublic. There, she led the campaign for Braniff International Airways, transforming the airline’s image with a bold concept: “The End of the Plain Plane.”
She hired Alexander Girard to redesign interiors and Emilio Pucci to create flamboyant uniforms. Braniff’s planes were painted in cobalt blue, orange, and lime green. One jet was even decorated by Alexander Calder.
“Three hundred reporters showed up for the unveiling,” she recalled. “It was theater. It was spectacle. It was advertising as art.”
It was also a defining moment of courage. When executives hesitated, she pushed forward. When critics scoffed, she doubled down. “I knew it would work,” she said. “Because it made people feel something.”
The Birth of Wells Rich Greene
In 1966, after being denied a promised promotion, Wells Lawrence made a decision that would change advertising history. She left Jack Tinker Partners and founded Wells Rich Greene (WRG) with partners Richard Rich and Stewart Greene. She was 38 years old.
It was a bold move in a male-dominated industry. She became the first woman to found and lead a major advertising agency, and in 1968, the first female CEO of a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
WRG quickly became one of Madison Avenue’s premier agencies, known for blending entertainment production values with old-fashioned selling techniques. Her campaigns were witty, visual, and emotionally resonant. They didn’t just inform—they performed.
The Campaigns That Changed Everything
Under her leadership, WRG created some of the most memorable advertising in history:
- Alka-Seltzer: “Plop, plop, fizz, fizz” and “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing” became cultural catchphrases.
- New York State: The “I ♥ NY” campaign, designed by Milton Glaser, revived tourism and civic pride.
- Ford Motor Company: “Quality is Job One” helped restore trust after the Pinto scandal.
- Sure Deodorant: “Raise your hand if you’re Sure” turned a product into a gesture of confidence.
- Midas Muffler: “Trust the Midas touch” became synonymous with reliability.
- American Motors: The “Unfair Advantage” campaign compared AMC cars to Cadillacs, with surprising results.
The Philosophy: Advertising as Emotional Theater
Mary Wells Lawrence believed that advertising should be cinematic, emotional, and bold. She once said: “The best advertising should make you nervous about what you’re not buying.”
She saw commercials as mini-dramas, each with a protagonist (the consumer), a conflict (the problem), and a resolution (the product). Her campaigns didn’t just sell—they seduced.
“You can’t just be you,” she wrote. “You have to double yourself. You have to read books on subjects you know nothing about. You have to travel to places you never thought of traveling. You have to meet every kind of person and endlessly stretch what you know.”
This wasn’t just advice for creatives. It was a worldview—one that embraced curiosity, empathy, and reinvention.
The Influence: Branding Before Branding Was a Thing
Long before “brand storytelling” became a buzzword, Mary Wells Lawrence was doing it. She understood that brands weren’t just products—they were personalities, moods, and movements.
The “I ♥ NY” campaign didn’t just promote tourism. It rebranded a city. It turned civic pride into a global icon. It was branding as identity, decades before Instagram and influencers.
Her work laid the foundation for modern marketing: emotional resonance, visual storytelling, and cultural relevance.
The Mentorship: Lifting Others as She Rose
Though she was often the only woman in the room, she made sure she wouldn’t be the last. She mentored young creatives—especially women—encouraging them to lead with both style and substance.
“I wanted to show women they could be glamorous and strategic,” she said. “That they didn’t have to choose.”
Her leadership style was direct, demanding, and deeply human. She believed in talent, not titles. In ideas, not egos.
The Persona: Style as Strategy
Mary Wells Lawrence didn’t just lead with brilliance—she led with presence. She wore Chanel to pitch meetings, not to impress, but to express. Her style was her strategy: bold, confident, unforgettable.
She understood that in a world of sameness, difference is power. She used fashion the way she used language—to make people feel something.
She was once described as “the most glamorous woman in advertising.” But her glamour wasn’t superficial. It was intentional. It was armor. It was art.
The Challenges: Cancer, Closure, and Reinvention
In the 1980s, Lawrence battled uterine and breast cancer. She kept her diagnosis private, fearing it would shake client confidence. “I didn’t want other agencies to use it against me,” she said.
By 1990, she sold WRG to the French group BDDP. Without a successor to carry her vision, the agency closed in 1998. She later reflected: “I should have put some of the creative talent I had into cloning myself. The ending might have been different if I’d worked harder at that.”
But even in its demise, WRG left behind a legacy of brilliance, boldness, and boundary-breaking.
The Reflections: Aging, Legacy, and the Next Act
In her later years, Lawrence remained curious, stylish, and sharp. She wrote a memoir, A Big Life in Advertising, and gave interviews that were equal parts wisdom and wit.
“You don’t retire from creativity,” she said. “You just change the canvas.”
She spent time in France, read voraciously, and stayed engaged with the industry she helped shape. She believed in reinvention, not retirement.
The Leisure Side: Life Beyond the Pitch
Outside of advertising, Lawrence lived with flair. She and her husband, Harding Lawrence, owned a château in the south of France. They hosted clients and friends, including Princess Grace of Monaco, who dazzled guests with her presence.
She loved travel, theater, and conversation. She was known for her wit, her style, and her ability to turn a dinner party into a strategy session.
In her memoir, she wrote:
“If you’re not satisfied with your life, it’s time to invent a new one.”
And that’s exactly what she did—again and again.
The Firsts That Made Her a Legend
- First woman to found and lead a major advertising agency.
- First female CEO of a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
- First to bring fashion, art, and theater into mainstream advertising.
- First to turn a city into a brand (I ♥ NY).
- First to make advertising feel like cinema.
Mary Wells Lawrence didn’t just change advertising. She changed the way we think about it. She made it emotional, visual, and human. She made it feel.
Her campaigns are still studied in marketing classrooms. Her quotes still circulate in creative departments. Her story still inspires women who dare to lead.
She died in London on May 11, 2024, just shy of her 96th birthday. But her legacy lives on—in every ad that dares to be bold, every woman who dares to lead, and every brand that dares to feel.