Albert Lasker

Albert Davis Lasker (May 1,1880 - May 30,1952) was an ambitious U.S. journalist, advertising executive, and philanthropist. An innovative copy editor, Lasker introduced the concept of “salesmanship” into print advertising and pioneered the shift in advertising from news to persuasion. His leadership transformed Chicago-based Lord and Taylor into the largest advertising agency in the United States. Over his illustrious career, Lasker earned a reputation as the “Founder of Modern American Advertising.”

After dissolving the Lord and Thomas agency in 1942, Lasker focused his attention to philanthropy, creating the Lasker Awards for public health. He raised money for cancer research and encouraged the federal government’s role in funding medical research. Lasker’s efforts facilitated the creation of the National Institutes of Health. His efforts resulted a dramatic increase in medical research funding in the United States.

Life

Albert Davis Lasker was born on May 1,1880 in Feriburg, Germany, where his parents, Morris and Nettie Heidenheimer Davis Lasker where visiting from America. When Albert was old enough to travel, the Lasker family returned to Galveston, Texas. Lakser was the third child of eight and spent his childhood in Galveston, where his father, Morris Lasker, was a successful business man who worked as the presdient of several banks.

In school, Lasker was an average student, but was an ambitious young entrepreneur. He actually started his own newspaper, the Galveston Free Press at the age of 12. He wrote, edited and publishes the paper, which included local advertising. A year later, Lasker closed down the Galveston Free Press to take a job at the Galveston Morning News. There he earned recognition for managing to secure an interview with socialist leader Eugene Debs. In high school, Lasker served as editor of his school's newsletter, and worked for the Galveston Morning News.

After graduating from high school, Lasker worked for the Dallas News and the New Orleans Times-Democrat and set his sights on pursuing a newspaper job in New York City. However, his father Morris was against it. Albert compromised and agreed to try a position in Chicago with the Lord and Thomas advertising firm, a company his father had done business with.

Lasker started as an office boy at Lord and Thomas, and ended up working there for 40 years.making it the largest advertising firm in the United States.

Lasker's first marriage was to Flora Wanrer 1n 1902. The had three children, Mary, Edward, and Frances. Flora died in 1936 following years of illness with arthritis and typhoid fever. Lasker remarried in 1938 to Doris Kenyon, but their brief marriage ended in less than a year. Finally, Lasker married Mary Reinhart in 1940.

Lasker died in New York on December 30, 1952 at the age of 73.

Work

Albert Lasker (1880-1952) is often considered to be the founder of modern advertising. He started out as a newspaper reporter while a teenager, but moved to Chicago and started working at Lord & Thomas advertising agency which he owned by the age of 20. He remained its chief executive for more than forty years before selling out to three staff members, Foote, Cone & Belding.

Lasker started out as an office boy at Lord & Thomas in 1898. A year later, one of the agency's salemsmen left, and Lasker accquired his territory. It was during this time that Lasker created his first campaign. He hired a friend, Eugene Katz, to write the copy for a series of Wilson Ear Drum Company ads. They featured a photograph of a man cupping his ear. George Wilson, president of the Ear Drum company, adopted the ads and sales increased.

Lasker had an enquiring mind about what advertising was and how it worked. In 1904 he met John E. Kennedy who had been a Canadian mounted policemen and who now promised him to tell him what advertising was. Lasker believed that advertising was news, but Kennedy said to him that, "news is a technique of presentation, but advertising is a very simple thing. I can give it to you in three words, it is "salesmanship in print.""

The first client they put this principle to work on was The 1900 Washer Co. Such was the success of this, that within four months of running the first ad their advertising spend went from $15,000 a year to $30,000 a month and within six months were one of the three or four largest advertisers in the USA.

In 1908 he recruited Claude C. Hopkins to the firm specifically to work on The Van Camp Packaging Company (Van Camp's) account. The relationship lasted for 17 years.

Lasker is largely responsible for America's infatuation with orange juice. Lord & Thomas acquired the Sunkist Growers account in 1910, when Lasker was 30. The citrus industry was in a slump, and California growers were producing so many oranges that they were cutting down trees in order to limit supply. Lasker created campaigns that not only encouraged consumers to eat oranges, but also to eat orange juice. He was able to increase consumption enough that the growers stopped chopping down their groves. File:Http://www.anbhf.org/graphics/lasker files/sunkist2.jpg

Among Lasker's pioneering contributions were the introduction into schools of classes that would explain to young girls about menstruation (done to promote Kotex tampons). He is also credited as being the inventor of the soap opera, with being responsible for the fact that radio (and television after it) is an advertising-driven medium, and with having masterminded Warren Harding's election campaign.

• The Lasker Awards are named for him.

Legacy

Albert Lasker was an innovative copywriter and advertising entrepreneur who transformed the advertising industry in the early 20th century. He started working at the Lord and Thomas agency in Chicago as an office clerk, but ended up owning the company and making it the largest advertising agency in the United States. He took advertising from information to persuasion, resulting in increased business for his famous clients such as Lasker's accomplishments earned him the reputation as the “Founder of Modern American Advertising.”

After retirement, Lasker focused his attention to philanthropic causes, especially in the area of funding for medical research. For example, he raised money for cancer research, and along with his wife , , created the Lasker Awards for public health. Having a passion for encouraging the government’s role in funding medical research, Lasker’s efforts eventually resulted in the creation of the National Institutes of Health. His efforts resulted a dramatic increase in medical research funding in the United States.

Publications

• Gunther, John.1960.Taken at the Flood: the Story of Albert D. Lasker.Harper and Bros.ASIN B000HES95M .
• Morello, John A.2001.Selling the President, 1920: Albert D. Lasker, Advertising, and the Election of Warren G. Harding.Westport, CT:Praeger Publishers.ISBN 0275970302 ISBN 978-0275970307 ..
• Thomas, Lewis.1986.The Lasker Awards: Four Decades of Scientific Medical Progress .Raven Pr.ISBN 0881672246 ISBN 978-0881672244.

External links

• The Lasker Foundation
• Biography of Albert Lasker(in depth)

Credits

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