It’s crazy, he should be better known.
He ushered in a new, sassier way of talking.
His work felt like it was written by a very smart lawyer with a wicked sense of humour.
He influenced a generation.
But there’s almost no evidence of his existence on the internet.
In a Stalinesque style purge, Lurzer’s Archive have retouched the Fallon McElligott work to read Fallon.
Even the publishers of Luke Sullivan’s great book ‘Hey Whipple’ seem not to know him:
I can’t find a lot of information on him out there, so it’s difficult to offer up too much. I certainly can’t vouch for the chronology of the work below, but I’ll have a first stab and update it if complaints come in.
So here’s what I know:
Minneapolis legend Ron Anderson hired Tom to work with him at Bozell’s.
They did some very good, very Fallon McElligott style work together:
Whilst at Bozell, Tom started taking on freelance projects with the young, Head of Media Research at another Minneapolis agency, Martin/Williams.
They called it Lunch Hour Ltd.
By 1981, they were getting so busy that they quit their day jobs, setting up an ad agency along with Art Director Nancy Rice.
This is their first ad. (August 3rd 1981, Minneapolis Star and Minneapolis Tribune.)
Bob MacDonald spotted the ad, he was the Marketing Director of ITT Insurance and
was having trouble finding an ad agency that could ‘make the big insurance companies look like shit’.
Fallon McElligott Rice were given the account and Tom started making the big insurance companies look like shit. 
They also start picking up local accounts, very local; hair salons, lumber yards, no account appear was too small.
Another way to look at it, and my guess is it’s nearer the truth; no opportunity to create, however small the budget, was turned away.
The first time I came across the name Fallon McElligott, it was underneath these ads in The One Show.
They’d be bold for a beer brand, but for a religion? (Also, who knew The Episcopal Church guys were such a fun bunch, maybe I should sign up?)
The name Fallon McElligott started to turn up more and more, especially in awards annuals.
People were taking notice of this agency in an odd location beginning with ‘M’.
One of them was Ed McCabe.
This ad for the Art Centre seemed to sum up the Fallon McElligott attitude.
I love this, it looks horrific, sad and disturbing…
…but it’s just an announcement card for the birth of an Art Director’s daughter.
This Hush Puppies campaign was incredibly influential at the time.
But they didn’t just do humour, they tackled difficult subjects head on.
I remember drooling over this Penn croissant ad.
They made a convincing case for Advertising itself.
The Wall Street Journal came first, it must’ve influenced The Economist campaign.
Rolling Stone’s problem was that people thought it’s readers were hippies.
(It wasn’t true.)
Consequently media companies would rarely recommend it.
The solution was so simple, smart and unlike any other ads at the time.
A cool scratch and sniff version. (I’m guessing smelly v fresh?)
It felt new, neither headline or visual lead, it had its own structure.
As did the Jim Beam campaign.
I’d not seen a campaign like this before; just a list of dates and ephemera.
As much social commentary as advertising.
But it was great advertising, re-positioning Jim Beam as the classic.
Not only was it incredibly distinctive, it engaged and made you think.
It’s the kind of work that could give advertising a good name.
It wasn’t done by hucksters, it was done by smart guys having fun.
I presume this was the first one. It’s neat.
…but who’d have thought it would’ve lead to all these?
They also produced Christmas versions.
They subverted the whole campaign idea with this responsible drinking ad.
They tackled a different aspect of drinking with the campaign for Windsor Canadian,
perfectly capturing the emotion of that first drink of the evening.
As well as coming up with distinctive, own-able, visual devices for campaigns, they also did the same with words.
The way this Lee campaign is written looks familiar now, it wasn’t at the time.
They enlisted Stevie Wonder in the war against Drink Driving.
Very ballsy.
They went visual with Power Pack.
Their work started to get National attention.
The clients they attracted got bigger, but the way they treated them stayed the same; ‘We don’t research creative work.’
They won Penn tennis balls and produced this.
http://youtu.be/ZU375bFUHHg
They won Porsche, and with a few black letters and a pack shot, gave it attitude.
(If you’ve never tried writing three word headlines, try it, it’s really hard.)
INTERLUDE: Fallon were absolutely dominating the creative awards at this time, One Show annuals of the period look like house brochures.
Here’s a mailer for a talk Tom gave around this time:
They needed to hire to deal with all their new business. Having exhausted the local supply of talented ad folk they’d have to attract talented people from the East and West Coast too. But why would they go to Minneapolis ?
It’s possible that Tom had just left by the time these ads ran, but they seem very him.
An awards show ran this ad when it was announced that Tom was leaving Fallon McElligott.
In 1987, this ad ran. Cheeky, but relatively harmless right?
WRONG! It was shown at a lecture on P.R. given by Fallon McElligott’s design arm, Duffy & Partners, a member of the audience was offended, Dr. Neala Schleuning, so she sent Duffy & Partners a letter expressing her outrage.
In return, she received the letter and photo below.
It’s signed by Duffy & Partners’ Charles S. Anderson, but its widely believed to be the work of Tom McElligott.
Dr. Schleuning started showing the letter around to friends, then to the women’s consortium and they had contacts.
It snowballed, getting more and more exposure.
It became known as the “Dinka incident.”
First, US WEST, a client with a big and active women’s union pulled their account.
The Wall Street Journal followed, then FedEx.
It was a very expensive mistake, colleagues say it affected Tom very deeply.
He started to spend more time away from the agency and miss meetings.
Within a couple of years he quit.
UPDATE: Since writing this post I’ve tracked Tom down and recorded a two and a half hour podcast with him, I posted it in January 2017.
n.b. A bit more reading:
1. Tom & Ron Anderson get quizzed by Communication Arts back in ’76.
2. An interview with Inc. magazine from 1986: http://www.inc.com/magazine/19860701/1527.
3. Introducing Tom and his gang to us Brits. (Direction magazine.)
4. Catching up after he left Fallon McElligott. (Also Direction magazine.)
5. A profile of Fallon McElligott Art Director Dean Hanson.
Dean worked very closely with Tom in the early years and created a lot of the great work in this post.
Fantastic. I was familiar with some of these ads, but most were a new treat. Much appreciation for assembling them here.
Any idea if Fallon McElligott was responsible for the International Paper Company’s “Power of the Printed Word” series? Ever since my college advisor gave me a set about 20 years ago, I’ve periodically gone in search of more information but they seem to be generally forgotten about.
A complete (?) set of low-res scans of the series is available here: http://simson.net/ref/1983/international-paper2.pdf
Thanks for this terrific post!
Regards,
Paul
Any idea if Fallon McElligott was responsible for the International Paper Company’s “Power of the Printed Word” series back in the early 1980s? Ever since my college advisor gave me a set about 20 years ago, I’ve periodically gone in search of more information but they seem to be generally forgotten about.
A complete (?) set of low-res scans of the series is available here: http://simson.net/ref/1983/international-paper2.pdf
Thanks for this terrific post!
Regards,
Paul
I believe that was done by Ogilvy NY.
Hey, Dave,
Darryl (Wieden+Kennedy, Leagas Delaney) here.
We met at Leagas Delaney, San Francisco, where you kindly gave me a book on typography.
Fantastic of you to post these ads and for your effort, I would love to help keep Tom McElligott’s archive alive by scanning in and sending you some classics like bus shelters for photographer Ben Salzman and The Wall Street Journal along with some additional work from Lee Jeans, Hush Puppies, Rolling Stone all creatively directed by The Man, himself.
Drop me an email, dude, and let me know if you want me to add to the collection. (Please give me an email to send stuff over to you.)
Thanks again for bringing back great memories. (Sniff…)
–DMc
Hey Daryl,
Good to hear from you.
I’ve still got a copy of your resume in the loft, the one with all the cards?
I’d love to add all your Tom McElligott stuff to the post, my email is dave@hellopeoplelondon.com.
Best,
Dave
Great post. After reading one of the interviews I found this ad for Gold’n Plump Chickens:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CuF6EZkcz-c
Reblogged this on Pure Copy.
Reblogged this on hyperreality bites and commented:
Exactly the type of advertising I love: high on the visuals, intelligence, and humor.
This post sounds like an epitaph for alla other advertisers…
Hi Dave,
I was recently sent your blog post on Tom McElligott and was reminded of a six sheet poster in my parents garage featuring Betty Boop shedding a tear for a bad haircut. I questioned my old man (Dean Hanson) and he talked about how much he appreciated your blog posts – a great compilation of McElligott work from a time he is very fond of. He ask me to send on a photo of him and Tom from the early days of Fallon, McElligott Rice, and for good measure, Betty as well.
Please let me know your email and I will pass them on.
cheers for the post,
Sam Hanson
Thanks Sam,
Good to hear from you, glad you and your Dad enjoyed the post.
Would love to post the two images, (and any more your Dad may have,
He did some truly great work).
My email is daved@motherlondon.com
Best,
D.
Fantastic work, was then and is now.
Back when advertising was fun and a creative could be CREATIVE. Bring back the good old days!
I to this day still have my Tom McElligott photo taped to the top right corner of my computer monitor and my Tommy Mack paper mask- with the eyes cut out – so when I run into a brain-fart, I can look at things through Tom’s eyes! Been doing this since the mid 80s.
I had never heard about Tom McElligott, then I spent a few hours reading all those ads – Now I’m his biggest fan.
Thank you so much for posting this, I can already feel that Tom’s work will have a lifelong impact on my career.
Hey Bruno, glad you enjoyed the post about Tom and his agency, I put it together for guys like you. Best, D.
Damn decent of you, Dave. To give such a brilliant man his due. You’ve taken a lot of trouble, putting it all together. But, it’s a just cause too. The phrase, ‘A few good men’ keeps ringing in my head. But then, ‘It’s a lost cause’ also keeps ringing in my head. Well, that’s a story for another day. Thank you. And cheers to you guys. You’ve been an inspiration. And made it entirely worthwhile.
Thanks, mate. Absolutely fantastic effort. And thanks Tom McE. Legend.
A wonderful compilation. The year was 1991 and I had grown weary of carting my ‘spec’ copywriter portfolio around town, only the hear, “Due to the recession, we have a hiring freeze or we would take you on.” I thought it was time to give it up and try to find a different career. I had spent hundreds of hours studying his work-the best I had ever seen. Tom met with me and thoughtfully went over every piece of my work. He said he would not go easy or lie to me. I thought ‘here we go, I need to cut hair.’ He assured me I was talented and that it was the economic times, not me. He told me to not give up, but to keep trying. I have worked as a copywriter for the last 25 years, partially thanks to this legendary great ad writer. The passing of my father last month Ed Des Lauriers, Campbell-Mithun Executive CD and Pat Fallon yesterday-other Minneapolis Ad greats, prompted me to find your post. Thank you.
I loved his work. Every word.
He elevated copy to an art form. Everything he wrote was far more than entertainment or persuasion. He made you feel as if he was letting you in on a clever joke. Or confession. Or both.
And then, he became the ad industry’s J.D. Salinger.
I miss him. I miss those days.
Two quick things: Thank you for compiling all of this inspiring work. And, I’ve always admired your own work as well. But where did the Lee Lite Jeans ad go with the jeans on the washing line? It was the only ad in your collection that I could claim credit for! I came into Fallon on practically the day Tom left. But I’d started my run at Fallon by working at McCool & Company for 3 years first. McCool (founded by, yes, a very cool guy named Barry McCool) became a subsidiary of Fallon in 1987. The general idea was that McCool, which was more of a design shop than anything, would handle all of the collateral for Fallon’s clients, but we frequently got our hands on incredible opportunities. Not long into it, Jamie Barrett and Jarl Olsen took me under their wings and made sure I started to get my hands on more and more swings from home plate.
(God bless them.) Towards the end, I was informed that the gang at Fallon felt like hiring me at the agency proper was kind of like shooting themselves in the foot–I was a great resource who was taking care of the “crap” projects. So I left. Interestingly, the space of the agency I went to (Y&R New York, Minneapolis Branch–long story) was just a few stories below Tom’s new agency: McElligott Wright Morrisson White. So, I naturally pestered him constantly. Finally, after 6 months at Y&R, Fallon invited me back home. I was there for another 19 years. My first partner was Bob Barrie. (!) I had the unbelievable luck to worth with ad legends Tom Lichtenheld, Houman Pirdavari, Dean Hanson and Mike Fazende among others. Special note goes to Mark Johnson who, for some unknown reason, decided to mentor me. His favorite technique was to stop everything that was happening at any moment, grab my arm, look me in the eye, and say, “Mike, if you don’t learn how to do this, you won’t have a career in this business.” They were my heroes and I was intimidated. They turned out to be the most unassuming, mellow, helpful and devoted people I’ve ever met. In fact, much to my shock, they were also just as wildly insecure as I was. Such is the life, huh? So, I missed Tom. And I miss him, too. Thanks again, Dave.
Thanks, Dave!
I studied all of these at one point, and saw many in real life around the Twin Cities. I just listened to your 2nd ITIAPTWC podcast with Ben Kay. I’m eagerly awaiting the next one. I’m a copywriter in LA but I started out in Minneapolis at the height of the FM(…R) regime. In fact I got most of my work in the early years, in Minneapolis, Tokyo and Los Angeles, by showing around a silly little book that I made chronicling my heroic yet futile attempts to get Tom McElligott’s attention when I was first starting out. Sadly I doubt that the longer headlines and body copy that won Tom clients back then would be appreciated in today’s ad industry, where no one will publicly admit to having done print, and recruiters who spot it consider it a disqualifying blemish.
My pleasure Theo.
Just recorded a two and a half hour interview with Tom, up soon.
Best,
D.
I live in Argentina. I´m a copywriter. I always admire the work of Tom McElligot. And your work, Dave. A lot of people, here, in my country, learned advertising traslating yours ads. Bye. (Sorry for my bad english).
Hey Fernando, you’re very kind.
Your English is great, so much better than my Argentinian.
Best,
D.
p.s. I’m about to post an interview with Tom McElligott soon.
Great collection…and still so relevant. Thank you for sharing a great body of work. Please let me know if you are still posting samples…I could provide you with a couple.
Hey Jeff, anything you have will be gratefully received and added. (dave@davedye.com)
Dx
p.s. Have you heard the podcast with Tom – January this year?
So, just doing a little bit of amateur investigating, and discovered this obit: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/thomas-mcelligott-obituary?pid=193547494
The man’s name Thomas J. McElligott and age would be consistent with his. Can anyone confirm if this is true?
Pretty sure that’s a different Tom McElligott. Dx
Hi Dave,
This is a great tour down memory lane. Reminds m of why I got into the business.
Thank you for posting.
I have some additional ads from FMR that I would like to send to you. Can you please email me your address, and if any specs on the ads, (PDF or jpg files.)
I will follow up on this.
Thanks,
Jeff
Fantastic. This is the man that set the bar for an entire generation of problem-solvers. Specifically, mine. So proud to see him honored for all of the amazing work he crafted. The creatives who came out of FMR are a who’s who of greats. Bravo!
Dave, my goodness!! That was a concentrated dose of nostalgia. I grew up on Tom’s work work. :)) Started my career in 1987 (India), and all advertising books and magazines that we had around the agency was just brimming with Minneapolis brilliance. I might as well confess that my writing has been largely inspired and influenced by his work. There was another agency around that time – Ammirati Puris I think – which handled the BMW account. Ever noticed they borrowed similar writing style from the Porsche work? 🙂 Thanks again for this Dave. Universe, give this man a crate of the best Riesling you have. 🙂
Hey Pat, my pleasure. And yes, Ammirati’s BMW work was great.Dx
What kinda genre of design would his work be considered as? This is the kinda work i do when i do my graphic design! I love to be able to look at more inspiration in this arena…
I know leaving this comment is a long shot with this article being written so long ago. Just thought i would ask!
I think it could be called advertising or design, just high-end, intelligent advertising…or design.
I’d check out some of the other posts about people on this site and the work of Designer Bob Gill as a start. Dx
I can never forget Tom McElligott’s comment on winning the One Show Gold for the Episcopal Church. It went something like this: Where the client spent more time on his knees than the account executive.
Funny. Dx
Unfreaking believable – this is some of the finest, if not finest print as ever made. Thanks for collecting them
Glad you appreciate them Terrance. Dx