Gawen Rudder: A salute to Stan Freberg

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stan-Freberg.gifBy Gawen Rudder

The Knowledge Consultancy, Sydney

Those of you who might remember the crystal set, steam radio, or recall the name and influence of Street Remley will be saddened but smiling at the passing of Stan Freberg.

The advertising copywriter was often referred to as “the father of the funny commercial” and one of Ad Age’s top 100 advertising people of the last century.

Freberg had already made a name for himself when adman Howard Luck Gossage persuaded him to start writing commercials in 1956, and a year later became a third partner in the fabled Weiner & Gossage agency, San Francisco.

Jeff Goodby recalled that, “the brilliant ones, like Stan, realise that the mundaneness of what must be conveyed [in an ad] can actually augment the humour when it’s placed in an unfamiliar context.”

Back in the day he earned 21 Clios, three Emmys and a Grammy.

To quote Ad Age: “During the second half of the 20th century, Mr. Freberg delivered many memorable campaigns and set the standard for humour in advertising. His accounts included Chun King, Jeno’s Pizza, Sunsweet prunes (“Today the pits, tomorrow the wrinkles”), Contadina tomato paste (“Who puts 8 great tomatoes in that little bitty can? You know who,” et cetera … and Encyclopaedia Britannica.”

In perhaps his most memorable piece – used by radio marketing bureaux in America and here – created through the magic of sound effects, Freberg drained Lake Michigan and refilled it with hot chocolate and a mountain of whipped cream while a giant maraschino cherry was dropped on top by the Royal Canadian Air Force to the cheers of 25,000 extras viewing from the shoreline. He concluded with, “Let’s see them do that on television!”

And check out his 1950 ‘John and Marsha’ a two-hander banned by radio stations in Australia, UK and USA for its sexually suggestive dialogue (it used only varying intonations of two words: ‘John’ and ‘Marsha.’)

He named his production company “Freberg Limited. (But Not Very)” and handed out business cards with the company’s motto, Ars Gratia Pecuniae (Latin for “Art for money’s sake.”