Talking to somebody reaches everybody
The 100th anniversary of the birth of Howard Gossage, known for his professional accomplishments as an adman as well as his personal charm — “an ingratiating stammer, along with a dramatic appearance that made him an unforgettable figure,” wrote Herb Caen — was marked at a gathering the other day at the California Street headquarters of the ad agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners.
In keeping with the elegance of the honoree, who died of leukemia in 1969, at 51, Jeff Goodby wore a tuxedo. And in keeping with the brilliance of the honoree, various examples of his campaigns were posted around the venue, along with examples of his wise observations: “I don’t know how to speak to everybody,” said Gossage, “only to somebody.”
It was that kind of thinking — that to reach consumers, you had to engage them, to stimulate conversation — that eventually led to recent developments, said Rich Silverstein. “He understood social media. He’d put coupons in ads, asking people, ‘What did you think?’ ” One posted “ad,” inviting people to join the Sierra Club, was a response to a proposal in Congress to put dams across the Grand Canyon. Its headline: “Should we also flood the Sistine Chapel so tourists can get nearer the ceiling?”
Caen wrote that Gossage had lost the chance for a Volkswagen account when he told the company’s management, “I’ve been driving your car for years, and it’s a great little product. I don’t think you need any advertising.” Gossage’s approach was to engage people by inspiring them to think, said Goodby. “He thought there was nothing wrong with mass marketing,” said Silverstein, “if it was intelligent.”
Gossage ran his company with partners Bob Freeman and Marget Larsen. “We started our company in their honor,” said Silverstein. Among Goodby Silverstein campaigns: Comcast, Adobe, the NFL and “Got Milk?” Every campaign, said Goodby, is a direct reflection “of Howard’s influence on us.”
The cruise section of the August edition of Conde Nast Traveler — scouted by Jules Older — recommended to travelers: “Do the Caribbean Whenever the Heck You Want.” According to the story, “Usually the islands are a no-go during hurricane season, but a ship can simply outmaneuver any storm.” And according to a Sept. 11 report in the Los Angeles Times: “Hurricane Irma has put a temporary halt to operations at Florida’s usually bustling cruise ports, forcing cruise companies to cancel several trips and shorten others.”
At the Modernism Gallery on Ellis Street on First Thursday, Sept. 7, we saw “Breathe, Feel, Suffer and Love,” a show of works on paper made by Edvard Munch between 1894 and 1930. It’s a fine accompaniment to the Munch show at SFMOMA. But what made me gasp was coming around a corner at the gallery and coming upon a 2015 portrait of Robert E. Lee by Shawn Huckins. This was painted before the most recent round of controversy over paying tribute to heroes of the Confederacy. Over most of his face, the artist has painted the word “Ugh.”
A few days ago, reports Green Apple Books co-owner Kevin Hunsanger, the owner of Persian Aub Zam Zam, the famous bar on Haight Street, stopped in at Green Apple to say congratulations on the bookstore’s 50th anniversary. The bar owner told Hunsanger he’d loved Green Apple for years, and that after every visit, his wife said, “Another book? You don’t
need another book!” Hunsanger said he replied, “Funny, my wife says a similar thing during our visits to you: ‘Another martini? You don’t need another martini!’ ”
A correction labeled “Oops!” from the latest issue of the increasingly lively Nob Hill Gazette proves it’s a publication that knows its audience. “We accidentally made Michael Cheng and Tina Lam movers and shakers,” says the correction, offering apologies to residents of Presidio Terrace. “Fingers crossed you won’t have to pay for parking.”
In the middle of the heat wave, a Daly City McDonald’s that had run out of ice put a “NO ICE” sign in its window. When one patron ranted about them barring Immigration and Customs Enforcement from the premises, they replaced the notice with “No solidified H2O.”
PUBLIC EAVESDROPPING “I‘m sure it’s my white privilege, but I have always been able to get my hands on great drugs.” Middle-aged man to middle-aged man, overheard on the Embarcadero by Ted Weinstein