How Jerry Goodis Made an Advertisement a Beautiful Thing

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3:08Get your collection of Hasan worth of Back in 1953, a Canadian folk group was formed by four childhood friends. Their musical director was a local composer and advertising executive. They were modeled on the American folk group The Weavers, led by Pete Seeger. Like The Weavers, this Canadian group wanted to sing folk and protest songs, and they often performed at picket lines and union halls. Inspired by The Weavers, they considered calling themselves The Beavers. But instead, they

4:14decided to call themselves The Travelers. A monitor taken from the folk song Lonesome Traveler written by Pete Seeger, who would play a role in their future. The very first time The Travelers performed was on a stage at a summer camp in Brampton, Ontario, where they shared the stage with none other than Pete Seeger himself. That night, Seeger sang a song The Weavers had recorded but had never released because it had been written by Woody Guthrie, who, along with Seeger, was blacklisted at that time during the McCarthy era. The Travelers loved the song. So Seeger suggested they take it and modify the lyrics to reflect Canada. That same year, The Travelers achieved national exposure when they earned second place on the CBC TV show Pick the Stars, beating out a young impressionist by the name of Rich Little. They played the song Pete Seeger

5:17had encouraged them to record. It was a big hit. If you remember the lyric from Bonavista to the Vancouver Island, you know the iconic song. This land is your land, this land is my land, Bonavista to the Vancouver Island. This land is your land became their theme song and for many, it became Canada's second national anthem. For the next five years, The Travelers toured extensively across Canada, singing the song at concerts and on TV and radio shows. They became so popular, they were asked to perform at the very first Mariposa festival in 1961, topping the bill alongside other folk acts like Ian and Sylvia. The Travelers also hold the distinction of being the first Canadian group signed to Columbia Records.

6:22Their first three albums were titled Across Canada with the Travelers in 1958, The Travelers sing songs of North America in 1959 and quilting B in 1960. Just as all this success was happening, one of the group's members decided to quit and so did their musical director. But there was a reason they left the group. They had a side gig that was heating up and that side gig would eventually have a big influence on the Canadian advertising industry. Leaving The Travelers was a very difficult decision for a man named Jerry Goodes. It was an emotional moment for him, but earning a living as a folk singer in Canada was tough.

7:27So he and the Travelers musical director, Sam Goldberg, left to form an advertising agency to pay the bills. It wasn't long before that side gig became a growing concern. And Goodes would lead that company to become one of the legendary Canadian advertising agencies. You're under the influence. Jerry Goodes was born into a Jewish working class family in 1929 and grew up in the garment district of Toronto. Both of his parents were politically active and were heavily involved in their respective unions. That early influence would one day steer Goodes into the world of politics. He was always small for his age, so his main defense mechanism was a very

8:32quick wit. Another trait that would come in handy down the road. He was 25 years old when he and his friends formed the Travelers in 1953. Sam Goldberg was a pal who had studied music in Paris and Goodes recruited Goldberg to manage the group. Goodes not only had a singing voice, he had personality, so his role was to act as MC and handle the between song ad-libs to keep the audience amused. It was there he came to understand a little about humor and a lot about communication. As he learned to feel out an audience, observe their mood and see what grabbed their attention. Sam Goldberg's father had owned a printing shop and Sam had spent time as the production manager for a small advertising agency, so he knew that end of the business. Goodes's half brother Al Soren was recruited to be the accountant and Jerry Goodes assumed the role of frontman just as he had in the Travelers.

9:34Soon, Goodes Goldberg Soren became a very busy advertising agency and that success forced Goodes and Goldberg to say goodbye to the Travelers and hello to the wild and woolly business of advertising. Jerry Goodes was a sharp observer of the advertising business in the late 50s and early 60s. He thought most advertising was terrible, but he loved the work and ad agency in New York was doing for Volkswagen. That agency was the fabled Doyle Dane Burnback. The ads were creative, funny and self-deprecating. In other words, they were revolutionary. Like Bill Burnback, Goodes believed in smart advertising. He vowed to never brow beat a customer into a sale. He would never pretend a single product could change a person's life. And he didn't buy into the prevailing

10:36wisdom that endless repetition was the only way to make an ad memorable. While he considered Burnback a mentor, he disagreed with another ad legend, David Oglevie. Oglevie believed advertising should resist the temptation to entertain, whereas Goodes believed ads needed to entertain in order to get the public's attention. As Jerry Goodes later said, his ad agency prospered because the founders complemented each other. He was the sale. Sam Goldberg was the rudder and Al Soren was the keel. They were outsiders from the beginning. Of the 100 plus ad agencies in Canada in the late 50s, only one was run by Jewish owners. Goodes Goldberg Soren would be the second. Goodes was also outspoken about the industry at large. He felt most advertising was terrible and

11:37that most Canadian ad agencies were steeped in mediocrity. In a documentary on Goodes titled Have I Ever Lie To You Before, done by the National Film Board in 1976, he comments on the industry. That didn't make Goodes a popular guy. Yet, it didn't stop his ad agency from landing a lot of business and dominating award shows with ads that didn't talk down to the public. One of the big reasons for that success was because Jerry Goodes had a keen eye for talent. Most of the creative people he hired would go on to become Hall of Fame creative directors and others eventually started their own successful ad agencies. But while with Goodes, they created some legendary advertising you will remember that you will remember the ad. That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to do a few more videos and I'm going to do a few more videos. I'm going to do a few more videos and I'm going to do a few more videos

12:42but while with Goodes, they created some legendary advertising you will remember all these years later. Back in 1958, the Wolverine shoe and tanning company in Rockford, Michigan developed a process to make a soft, comfortable shoe out of pig skin. They called them Hushpuppies. Why? Because they soothed your barking dogs. When the Winnipeg-based Grab-Shoe company purchased the Canadian rights to Hushpuppies, they hired Goodes Goldberg Sorn to help launch the shoes in Canada. Remarkably, Grab only allotted a $7,000 advertising budget to Hushpuppies. And even more remarkably, Jerry Goodes recommended television, the most expensive advertising medium of all. Somehow, the agency figured out a way to make a commercial for only $900. Filmed

13:46in black and white, it showed a husband and wife in bed. Separate beds, it was 1960 after all. The wife asks the husband to check on the children and when the husband gets out of bed in his pajamas, the wife notices he still has his Hushpuppies on. The husband, played by actor Jack Duffy, later of party game fame, says, When he checks on the kids, they are asleep with their Hushpuppies on. Goodes crossed his fingers and hoped a $900 commercial would sell 10,000 pairs of shoes. It sold 44,000 pairs. In 1961, the budget was increased to $50,000 and the commercial sold 235,000 pairs. By 1963, Grab increased the budget again to $200,000 and 1 million Canadians bought the shoes. Eventually, Hushpuppie ads featured a bass

14:49hit hound as a mascot. The dog's name was Velvet and it was owned by Mrs. Grab. It got so famous from the ads, it was actually kidnapped one day and a rumored $20,000 ransom was paid. By 1966, Grab became the second biggest shoe company in Canada. Goodes made Grab a big name in the shoe business and Grab made Jerry Goodes a big name in the ad business. One of the creative people Jerry Goodes recruited was none other than fellow traveler Oscar Ross. Oscar was a great conceptual thinker. When Elmer's glue came to Goodes needing an advertising campaign, Goodes gave the assignment to Oscar. A few days later, he walked into Jerry's office and plunked a rough layout on his desk. It was a billboard idea. There were only

15:51four words on a white background. It said, quick, the Elmer's glue. And one corner of the white background was peeling off the billboard. It was so simple and so perfect. It didn't just talk about the adhesive benefit, it showed the benefit. And the billboard didn't even need to feature a photo of the glue bottle. It said it all in the blink of an eye, ultimate goal for a billboard. Goodes loved it and posted the billboard in high traffic areas near hardware stores. Elmer's glue flew off the shelves. That kind of creativity would soon attract even bigger clients. Don't go away. We'll be right back. Deja que la entrega de Ralph se haga cargo de tus compras de comestibles. Primero revisamos tu lista y escujemos cuidadosamente los artículos más frescos. Entonces los empacamos

16:54y te los llevamos tan rápido como en 30 minutos. Así tienes la seguridad de que recibirás lo que ordenaste. Comestibles frescos a tu manera con el servicio para recoger o de entregar mis silio de Ralph's. Y disfruta la entrega de mis silio gratis en pedidos en más de 50 dólares. Ralph's fresh para todos. Not every sale happens at the register. Before AT&T Business Wireless, customer checkout would take too long and create awkward delays. At one point, completing a transaction felt less like making a sale and more like a staring contest no one wanted to win. Now with AT&T Business Wireless, transactions happen fast, helping us to keep things moving. That means less time spent dealing with delays and more time staying focused on the day ahead. When the connection matters at asset BAT&T, get AT&T Business at AT&T.com slash 5G Network. At Edward Jones, we believe Rich isn't about having life all figured out. It's opening yourself to all the possibilities. That's why your dedicated financial advisor provides

17:55long-term planning built around you, meeting you where you are and helping you get closer to where you want to be. So no matter where you're starting from, you can move forward with confidence. The key to being Rich is knowing what counts. Let's find your Rich. Edward Jones, member SIPC. One day in the early 70s, a company called Speedy Muffler hired Goodas Goldberg-Sorin. At that time, specialty repair shops didn't really exist. If you had a muffler problem, you just took it to your local all-purpose garage. When the owner of Speedy was explaining his business to Goodas, he actually got emotional talking about how poorly people were treated by ordinary garages when they brought their cars in for minor repairs. He said,

18:57where else but a garage can you go in with an expensive piece of merchandise and get ignored? The Speedy owner wanted to treat his customers with respect. And there was the key to the advertising idea. It wasn't the number of Speedy locations, it wasn't the price and it wasn't the guarantee. It was how customers were treated when they walked through the door. Again, Oscar Ross came up with the perfect line. It said, at Speedy, you're a somebody. Writer Doug Linton, an art director-gary car, came up with a very funny TV commercial. It began with a husband quietly getting out of bed early in the morning, while his wife is still asleep. He changes into his golf clothes without a sound. He tipped toes down the stairs to the kitchen. He gingerly steps over the family dog. He prepares a drink in a mixer and steps into a closet to turn the mixer on. Then he comes out, grabs his

20:03golf clubs and tipped toes out into the driveway, gets into his car, then turns the key. The muffler is so loud it not only wakes up his wife, it wakes up the entire angry neighborhood. hilarious. Then, hubby takes his car to Speedy where they happily take care of him. You can find the commercial on YouTube and it's still as funny today as it was in 1971. By promising courteous service in the category not known for it, Speedy muffler sales went up a whopping 30% in the first six months alone. By 1972, good as Goldberg Sorn was the seventh largest Canadian-owned agency with a staff of over 130 people. Other advertising accounts started knocking on the door. One of those was

21:10Wonder Bra. The team at Goodis created a commercial based on a fashion shoot with a photographer and model. CBC refused to air the commercial as the network wouldn't allow ads that showed women wearing just a bra. Bikini's yes, a bra no. The commercial featured a jingle that I bet a lot of you still remember. Very quickly, Wonder Bra became the number one brand in its category. In 1972, Jerry Goodis became the first Canadian ad person to write a book on the business, titled Have I Ever Lied to You Before. In it, Goodis summed up his philosophy saying, almost good enough isn't good enough. He demanded big ideas, so he hired the best talent, the top photographers. He insisted on building the best sets and he encouraged commercials to be

22:14shot on location, even if that location was in Europe. It may have kept profits down, but the results were undeniable. His clients revenues went up and Goodis Goldberg Sorn won countless awards for their work. Jerry Goodis was also fearless when it came to pitching new business. Ever the advertising bad boy, he once offered preparation, H the line, Kiss Your Hemroyds Goodbye. He didn't get the business. When he went after the Canadian club whiskey account, he sent a baseball bat over to Hyrum Walker with the Canadian club logo printed on it, along with a note that said, will help you club your competition. He got the business. When he was pitching the CIL Paint Account, he began the boardroom pitch by thanking CIL for

23:15awarding him the business. The client reminded Goodis they hadn't awarded the account yet. Goodis said, will see. He got the account. When the agency lost Formosa Springs beer as a client, it drove Goodis crazy. He wanted it back. When he later heard Formosa was not happy with its new agency, Goodis immediately sent President Tony Toledo a letter asking if Goodis Goldberg Sorn could get another crack at the account. Toledo wrote back saying, maybe, but added, don't call us, we'll call you. The word don't was underlined. Goodis wondered how to keep in touch with the brewery president if he wasn't allowed to call or write. So he came up with an idea. He would communicate with them through the personal ads in the Toronto newspapers. So Goodis placed an ad that said, Antonio, come back, all is forgiven.

24:17Jerry. Another said, Antonio, stop playing hard to get. Jerry. Still another said, how about dealing some clubs and diamonds again? Love? Jerry, referring to Formosa Diamond and Club Ails. Goodis got the account back again. A few years later, the brewery was purchased by a tobacco company. The president told him he could keep the account if he stopped making anti-smoking speeches, which Goodis was known to do. Goodis said no, and he was fired again. One of the great legacies of Jerry's agency was the fact so many of its campaigns lasted so long, such a rarity in the world of advertising. But Goodis had a nose for spotting a big idea. At speedy or a somebody ran for decades. When Goodis landed the Swiss Chalet account,

25:23the restaurant chain only had six locations in Ontario and Quebec. The basic premise was simple. Excellent barbecue chicken at moderate prices. So his agency came up with this slogan. Every commercial showed delicious chicken rotating over hardwood charcoal, and the end of every ad featured a local celebrity enjoying their Swiss Chalet dinner. It was a huge success, and Swiss Chalet grew quickly to have over 50 locations. That slogan, too, ran for years. Then Goodis landed the Harvey's hamburger chain. Harvey's predated McDonald's in Canada. It never really advertised, but once McDonald's entered the market, it had to start. Creative Director Doug Linton noticed that McDonald's slogans were rarely about the food. You deserve a break today, and we do it all for you. We're about the experience,

26:27Ronald McDonald, and kids. So Harvey's chose to advertise to adults, and highlight the fact you could personalize your char broiled burger, unlike at McDonald's. Linton wrote this slogan and said it to music. Harvey's makes your hamburger a beautiful day. Within one year, sales jumped up 28%. I still see that line on Harvey's website over 30 years later. In 1974, Jerry Goodis was asked to help promote a different kind of product, a prime minister to be exact, named Pierre Trudeau. Goodis was recruited by Senator Keith Davy. A special team was assembled, cherry picking the top people from various advertising agencies who were liberal friendly. It was a team of rivals, dubbed Red Leaf Communications.

27:33The assignment appealed to Goodis who grew up in a politically active home, as mentioned earlier. Trudeau needed commercials to secure a third term, and Goodis happily applied his skill set. He found Trudeau to be a whipsmart politician who demanded unvarnished feedback from those around him. If he didn't give it to him straight, you were out. The TV advertising was a success, and Trudeau was re-elected. During the campaign, Davy and Goodis had a meeting at 24 Sussex. Trudeau invited them both to stay for lunch. As they walked into the dining room, Davy pulled Goodis aside and said, whatever you do, don't sit in the chair closest to the North window. There was a special hotline phone under that particular chair, and only Trudeau was allowed to sit there. As they were ushered into the dining room, Goodis was so engrossed in the conversation,

28:35he sat right in the special hotline chair. Keith Davy's eyes bugged out of his head. Goodis suddenly realized his faux pas and turned beat red. Trudeau told Goodis to relax, and if the phone rang to just answer it. Goodis could hardly eat his lunch, petrified the phone under his posterior would ring. It was maybe the only time the emcee of the travelers, and the frontman of Goodis Goldberg's Soren was ever at a loss for words. Journalist Peter Newman once said that Jerry Goodis was a self-made man who worshipped his creator. There was no doubt Goodis had an ego, and he could show boat with the best of them. But the pocket-sized ad man with the bad comb over worked hard for his clients. He not only

29:35promoted their products, he believed in them. He drank Canadian Club whiskey, he got his mufflers from Speedy, and his casual shoes were hush puppies. There was just one exception. He never wore a wonder bra, but he could spot talent. He created an environment where creative minds could do their best work. He established a high bar for creative standards, and he kicked his way into a very wasp industry. When Jerry Goodis died in 2002, one of the creative people he had taken a chance on, who went on to found another terrific agency years later, said it was no overstatement to say Goodis Goldberg's Soren was the only ad agency in Canada that looked and sounded as good as the best ad agencies in New York. The work Goodis inspired rang out for decades in a business where campaigns have the lifespan of a mayfly. He was chronically unhappy with the ad industry as a whole,

30:40feeling it constantly embarrassed itself with terrible commercials. He spoke out about it at every opportunity and made a lot of enemies. But at the end of the day, his work was known from Bonavista to the Vancouver Island, because he had us all under his influence. I'm Terry O'Reilly. This episode was recorded in the Terristry Mobile recording studio, producer Deville Riley, sound engineer Jeff Devine, theme music by Ari Posner and Ian LaFever. Thank you to the National Film Board for the clips from Have I Ever Lied to You Before Documentary. If you're enjoying this episode, you might also like there's something about Mary, Madwoman Mary Wells, season 10, episode 18. You'll find it in our archives wherever you listen to your podcasts.

31:40Follow me on Twitter and Instagram at Terry O'Influents. See you next week. Fun fact, the Elmer's Glue Billboard was the first ad inducted into the Canadian Billboard Hall of Fame. It must have really stuck out. We're going so fast as 30 minutes. So you have the confidence that you'll receive what you ordered. You can order fresh freshs in your own way, with the service to pick or deliver my Rouse. And enjoy the delivered my free and ordered food in more than $50. Rouse, fresh for all. Guesting is for game shows, not your business. Workday is the enterprise AI platform for HR,

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