Ray Leach
It had never occurred to me before that the iconic “I ♥ NY” emblem represented anything more than a reusable merchandising device. However, after some digging around in American advertising history, I was shocked to find that its origins were incredibly inspiring and influential. It has fundamentally changed the way I view the symbol – plus, I’ve had New York on the brain ever since, so the campaign clearly continues to work.
As a young person in advertising production, I’m often dazed by today’s talent, with technology lighting up creators’ imagination and the Internet’s expansion (for better or for worse) broadening our understanding of the world and its happenings by the second. However, I believe that it’s our responsibility – particularly those born after the millennium – to understand the roots of advertising in order to inform our decision making today. It’s also vital to remember the road paved by women before us, who weren’t expected nor allowed to become heads of any creative department a mere 50 years ago.
The advertising revolution erupted in the 60s. It was the dawn of television in the Western world, where still images were being colourised while films and commercials were being shot in colour. Traditional ‘writer’ roles were becoming ‘creatives’ who worked alongside art directors and for creative directors. These teams became established, highly esteemed roles and for the first time in this industry, the more creative (and less corporate) the better. Imagining this breakthrough moment never ceases to excite me. The changes happened so quickly; one person’s career could witness the evolution of the industry from emerging to booming.
A lot of the action took place on Madison Avenue in New York. This is where we find Mary Wells Lawrence. It feels wrong to introduce Wells so abruptly and briefly as her career was so profound it could use an article of its own, a book even – a book that already exists, called A Big Life (In Advertising). My copy is in the post. Having already established a massive pioneering career in advertising, by the boom Wells was now a founder and partner of her own advertising agency called Wells Rich Greene. The weight of this was enormous. Wells was the first female chief executive of a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. On top of this, she became the highest paid executive in the advertising industry of all time.
The year was 1975, and New York City was not in its prime. Then president Gerald Ford refused to grant federal aid to the city during times of great financial struggle. The streets were dirty, crime rates were high and the morale of its residents lower than ever. The city needed a sales pitch. Wells Rich Greene was tasked with the rebranding of New York City, which led to the conception of “I ♥ NY” with its own film commercial, jingle and, of course, logo, designed by Milton Glaser. The concept sketch shows the design in its barest form. Simple and punchy. Glaser used an American Typewriter typeface for formality and a heart symbol in place of the word ‘love’, which would have felt modern at the time. It was said that he compared this design to a declaration of love seen carved into tree trunks by lovers. After the attacks of 11 September 2001, Glaser created the logo’s only official variation, which read “I ❤ NY MORE THAN EVER”.
The “I ♥ NY” campaign brought New York City back to its feet. Locals remembered their love for the city, tourism boosted the economy and hope was restored. The campaign was only intended to be carried out for a few months, yet the logo ended up surviving the test of time. It’s inspiring to know that behind this pop-culture phenomenon was a team run by a woman who refused to sit on the sidelines of her own life. My unintentional discovery of this origin story has opened up many insightful advertising stories of the life and works of Mary Wells Lawrence, and I can’t wait to find out more.
