Raymond Rubicam

Raymond Rubicam (June 16, 1892 – May 8, 1978) was an American advertising pioneer who co-established the Young & Rubicam (Y&R) advertising agency with John Orr Young. He retired from Y&R in 1944 at age 52. Raymond Rubicam's innovative leadership and creativity led many to recognize him as "advertising's statesman." Because his creative concepts and innovations have continued to play an important role in advertising as we know it today many people consider him the "father of modern advertising". Biography As a young copywriter for N.W. Ayer and Son, Rubicam was responsible for some of advertising's most memorable pieces. Steinway's "The Instrument of the Immortals," Squibb's "The Priceless Ingredient," and Rolls-Royce's "No Rolls-Royce has ever worn out," were highly successful slogans which made him one of the industry's leading copywriters. While he enjoyed considerable success at N.W. Ayer, he felt that the agency failed to emphasize the importance of the creative artist in advertising. Rubicam, seeking to create an agency that valued artistic and creative talent over business, joined with James Orr Young to found Young & Rubicam in 1923. Rubicam's skills and his recruitment of the industry's most talented specialists propelled Young & Rubicam into the forefront of advertising. David Ogilvy credited Rubicam with assembling "the best team of copywriters and art directors in the history of advertising," whose advertisements "were read by more people than any other agency's." The agency represented many of America's leading companies, such as Gulf Oil, General Electric, Johnson and Johnson, Fortune, Life and others.