Wells Lawrence began as a copywriter in Macy’s ad department, moved to Doyle Dane Bernbach in 1957, then to Jack Tinker & Partners in the ‘60s. There she worked on the Alka Seltzer account (“Plop plop, fizz fizz”), and convinced Braniff Airlines to splash its planes with bright colors and outfit stewardesses (they were still called that) in iconic Emilio Pucci uniforms.
In 1967, she left Tinker to co-found Wells, Rich & Greene. The agency became known as a top-notch creative firm with the ability to combine rational and emotional appeals in entertainingly memorable ads. Some campaign slogans include: “I love New York”; “I’ve got a fever for the flavor of a Pringles”; “Flick your Bic”; Ford’s “Quality is Job 1”: “Raise your hand if you’re Sure”; and “Friends don’t let friends drive drunk.”
For Alka-Seltzer, Wells Lawrence subtly convinced consumers to use twice as much product with the earworm-y “Plop, Plop” jingle that was always accompanied by shots of two tablets dropping into a glass of water. And when WR&G introduced a 100-millimeter cigarette for Benson & Hedges, their tongue-in-cheek campaign mused, “Ah, the disadvantages” of longer smokes. The cigarettes were squashed in elevator doors, or cut off by car windows, but that helped convey that, “you got more cigarette for your money,” said Wells Lawrence.
Wells Lawrence sold her agency in 1990 to French conglomerate BDDP Worldwide. Eight years (and two owners) later, the fabled agency closed its doors, much to its founder’s chagrin. But Wells moved on. She co-founded wowOwow (Women of the Web) with Lesley Stahl, Liz Smith, Whoopi Goldberg, Candice Bergen, Marlo Thomas, and others) and continued to comment on advertising and marketing. She was inducted into the American Advertising Federation's Advertising Hall of Fame in 1999.
“Of course I’m a legend,” she said matter-of-factly in an interview. “But it’s not because of any great gift I have. It’s because I’m a risk-taker.” She also believed in the power of advertising, which she declared to be sadly lacking in today’s marketing environment. Her passion for crafting creative, effective ads attracted like-minded risk-takers to work at the agency whose name still inspires fond regard among ad industry historians, and every young woman who ever aspired to a career in advertising.
