Papert Koenig Lois

Papert Koenig Lois, also known as PKL, was an advertising agency founded by Fred Papert, Julian Koenig and George Lois in January 1960. Its first office was in the Seagram Building in Park Avenue in Manhattan. Early clients included Peugeot and Xerox. Its campaigns were successful and it was the first such agency to go public.[1][2]

Papert Koenig Lois
IndustryAdvertising agency
FoundedJanuary 1960
FounderFred Papert
Julian Koenig
George Lois
HeadquartersManhattan

History

The company was founded in 1959 as Papert & Free by two husband-and-wife teams: Frederic Papert and his wife Diane; William Free and his wife Marcella.[3] A year later it was reorganized as Papert, Koenig, Lois after Free left to become the executive art director of McCann Erickson.[3] The new partnership included Julian Koenig, a former Volkswagen copywriter, and George Lois, an art director.[4] It became the first advertising agency in the United States to go public since 1929.[3] PKL became known for specializing in the so-called "creative outrage", which contributed in changing the dynamics of advertising development in America.[4] In an article, Lois described the agency as "unbefouled by mannerism", noting the creativity produced by their organizational openness.[4]

Campaigns

Lois adopted the creative model of DDB, his previous employer by introducing informal working methods to PKL.[5] It also covered the approach used by the agency's creative team. This translated to controversial series of advertisements that included the campaign for Wolfschmidt vodka.[5] The produced ad entailed slick graphics, humor, and sexually suggestive copy.[5] By 1962, the company was involved in political races, which included Robert Kennedy and Jacob Javits' Senate campaigns.[6]

Other examples of successful campaigns include Maypo porridge and Xerox. To reach older children, Lois, took the existing slogan "I want my Maypo" and put it in the mouth of famous sportsmen like Mickey Mantle.[7] To demonstrate the ease of use of a Xerox copier, it was shown being used by a little girl. Xerox's main competitor A.B. Dick complained to the Federal Trade Commission that the advertising was fraudulent so PKL was ordered to cease the commercial's exhibition.[8] It was re-shot but this time a chimpanzee was used instead to reinforce the point.[8] FTC investigators were asked to observe and when the chimpanzee successfully in making a copy, the ban on both commercials was lifted.[8] Lois claimed that it was the agency who convinced Xerox to change its name from the Haloid Company.[9]

References
  1. Mark Tungate (2007), Adland: a global history of advertising, Kogan Page Publishers, pp. 58–59, ISBN 978-0-7494-4837-0
  2. "Advertising: Papert, Koenig, Lois Gets Stock Symbol (Published 1964)". The New York Times. 1964-12-31. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
  3. McDonough, John; Egolf, Karen (2002). The Advertising Age Encyclopedia of Advertising. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers. ISBN 1-57958-172-2.
  4. Frank, Thomas (1998). The Conquest of Cool: Business Culture, Counterculture, and the Rise of Hip Consumerism. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 82. ISBN 978-0-226-26012-9.
  5. Sivulka, Juliann (2011). Soap, Sex, and Cigarettes: A Cultural History of American Advertising (2nd ed.). Boston: Wadsworth. p. 264. ISBN 978-1-133-31113-3.
  6. "Papert, Koenig, Lois". Ad Age. 2003-09-15. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
  7. Thomas Riggs (2000), "I want my Maypo campaign", Encyclopedia of major marketing campaigns, pp. 806, 1154
  8. Tim Murphy (October 27, 2008), "Mad Men, George Lois, and Advertising's Creative Revolution", Fast Company
  9. Richards, Jef I. (2022). A History of Advertising: The First 300,000 Years. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 204. ISBN 978-1-5381-4121-2.
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