Madison Avenue South, 1964–

            Somewhere along the line “Madison Avenue” became a familiar and accepted synonym for “advertising.”  Probably because long ago, in the mists of advertising agency lore, a number of agencies made their home somewhere on that August thoroughfare.  All in spite of the fact that one of the first really successful agencies was in Philadelphia, and all kinds of other agencies were sprinkled around on assorted other streets in Manhattan, to say nothing of Chicago and Minneapolis and half a hundred other places. 

            All of which makes it perfectly understandable that in my forty years in the advertising business—thirty-eight of them with agencies—I spent a total of exactly no months working on the real, honest-to-goodness actual Madison Avenue.  In spite of two stretches of working in New York, once on Third Avenue and once on Lexington Avenue.  And both times with major agencies.  The latter was the most traumatic, since I spent about three months working there and the next five or six months looking for a new job after I got fired.

            But such is life in the agency business.  Up one day, down the next, and who knows what in-between.  Or where.  In spite of which, it can be very challenging, very satisfying, and a lot of fun.  Sometimes.  And sometimes not.

            Any questions, class?

            (P.S.  A gentle reminder: note the date in the title, 1964.  It will come as no surprise that a lot of things have changed since then.  People, companies, weather, cities...  But this is the way it was.  I was there, remember?)