The real-life inspiration for Mad Men’s copywriter Peggy Olson, advertising legend Mary Wells Lawrence, revolutionized drug advertising with her agency’s unforgettable Alka Seltzer campaign.
As founder and CEO of Wells Rich Greene (WRG), and a copywriter herself, her signature humor and breakthrough vision are reflected in the many years of groundbreaking work created for her clients.
Featuring the animated spokesperson, Speedy Alka Seltzer, the award-winning commercial Plop, plop, fizz, fizz. Oh, what a relief it is! doubled sales with its product demo of two tablets dissolving. That was just the beginning.
WRG continued to build the Alka Seltzer brand into an iconic indigestion relief medicine with one memorable commercial after another. When viewing them, you are likely to be so entertained that you forget what an amazing job they do of making you remember the problem, the solution, and most importantly, the brand name.
Legendary Alka Seltzer commercials:
Mary Wells Lawrence started her career as a copywriter during an age when men dominated the field. Working from 1953 to 1956 at McCann-Erickson, she then moved to Doyle Dane Bernbach where she became Copy Chief and Vice President in 1963. By 1964, she had gone on to become a senior partner at Jack Tinker & Partners, an ad agency celebrated for its creativity.
There she began working with copywriter Richard Rich and Art Director Stewart Greene. The trio created memorable campaigns, including for Braniff Airlines, which completely repositioned the airline company’s image.
Early in 1966, Lawrence left Tinker, and with her two coworkers, established Wells Rich Greene. They brought along the Braniff account, and many other large accounts quickly followed. In 1967, Wells wed Braniff’s President, Harding Lawrence, who passed in 2002.
From copywriter to the first woman CEO of a company listed on the NYSE.
A leader in humorous and creative advertising, WRG became one of Madison Avenue’s premier ad agencies.
Legendary Alka Seltzer commercials:
Mary Wells Lawrence started her career as a copywriter during an age when men dominated the field. Working from 1953 to 1956 at McCann-Erickson, she then moved to Doyle Dane Bernbach where she became Copy Chief and Vice President in 1963. By 1964, she had gone on to become a senior partner at Jack Tinker & Partners, an ad agency celebrated for its creativity.
There she began working with copywriter Richard Rich and Art Director Stewart Greene. The trio created memorable campaigns, including for Braniff Airlines, which completely repositioned the airline company’s image.
Early in 1966, Lawrence left Tinker, and with her two coworkers, established Wells Rich Greene. They brought along the Braniff account, and many other large accounts quickly followed. In 1967, Wells wed Braniff’s President, Harding Lawrence, who passed in 2002.
From copywriter to the first woman CEO of a company listed on the NYSE.
A leader in humorous and creative advertising, WRG became one of Madison Avenue’s premier ad agencies.
Upon founding Wells Rich Greene in 1966, Mary Wells Lawrence became the first woman to start, own, and run a major agency—and the first woman CEO of a company traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
After nearly 40 years in the advertising business, Lawrence retired in 1990 when WRG merged with the French agency BDDP. She sold the agency for $160 million.
In 1971, Lawrence was named Advertising Woman of the Year by the American Advertising Federation, and in 1999 she was inducted into the American Advertising Hall of Fame. Additionally, she is the recipient of Cannes’ Lifetime Achievement Award, the Lion of St. Mark. Her autobiography, A Big Life (in Advertising), was published in 2002.
In honor of Women’s History Month, REALITYRx salutes the remarkable career of living legend Mary Wells Lawrence. Her legacy lives on in REALITYRx Founder Jon Male whose work has been recognized by the Medical Advertising Hall of Fame. To paraphrase her copywriting: “Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, what an inspiration she is!”
Other notable WRG advertising campaigns:
