Wherever We Are

In the liturgy of Madison Avenue, one of the sacred canons is that admen must sincerely believe in and use, at least in public, the products they plug. To avoid any heresy among his agency's 530 toilers, President Arthur Fatt of Grey Advertising Agency (26th ranking, with 1956 billings of $35 million) recently reminded them in a memo that Grey's "clients and their products" are "to be boosted round the clock, wherever we are, whatever we do." In case they missed the point, Fatt thoughtfully attached a checkoff shopping list of his clients' products, including Kolynos toothpaste.

Last week Kolynos was off the Grey list and Fatt was on the fire. On the very day that he wrote his memo, trim, slim Adman Fatt appeared on his first TV program, the third-degreeish Nightbeat, to support the view that admen really believe in their products. Fatt said he had used Grey-advertised Mennen Hair Creme and Chock Full O' Nuts coffee in his own home that very morning. What about Kolynos toothpaste? He had fallen down there, he conceded in a burst of confidence. Instead of Kolynos he had brushed with Crest, a Procter & Gamble product not handled by Grey, though Grey has other Procter & Gamble accounts.

What if Grey lost both Kolynos and Procter & Gamble accounts, asked Interviewer Howard Whitman, and picked up a new toothpaste client? Fatt admitted that he "probably" would then use the new product. Pressed Whitman: "But don't you like to use the best toothpaste?" Forwarding his best foot into his mouth, Fatt replied: "I think all toothpastes are good, and I believe it would be almost impossible to determine which is best."

That was too "sincere" for Whitehall Pharmacal Co., maker of Kolynos; it canceled its $300,000 Kolynos account with Grey. "Whitehall had been about to give us more business," Fatt explained ruefully, "and now they've taken even this away." Not every adman was convinced that a veteran of 36 years in the business could have made such a blooper without intending it. Some wondered if perhaps Fatt had already lost Kolynos before he appeared on Nightbeat and had simply used the occasion to cover his loss. But Fatt denied any such scheme. Said he sincerely: "I'm not an experienced person on TV, and I just told the truth."

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