Memories of Earle Palmer Brown: 30 years in the rear view mirror.
In March 1996, 30 years ago, I left Earle Palmer Brown/Philadelphia. I had been its President for 7 years.
I joined the agency in 1989, then called Earle Palmer Brown & Spiro, which was a big career move for me. I had been a SVP/Management Rep at BBDO/New York, one of the world’s biggest ad agencies. For all its craziness (and it was crazy) BBDO was, and continues to be today, a great agency, but I had loved working in NY. As I came to Philadelphia, I knew that many Philadelphians wanted me to say I was trying to get out of NY and the NY hype was overblown, but that was never the case. However as a leader of a Philadelphia business, I needed to downplay my love for NY as a city and as a business center (though my passion for the Yankees has never subsided). But over time I developed a passion for Philadelphia as well.
Joining Earle Palmer Brown & Spiro as its President was a career opportunity. I was an ambitious young (then 36-year-old) guy with the opportunity to be President of a 100+ person ad agency in nearby Philadelphia. And while it was merely 90 miles from our Edison, NJ home, it was a new market, new clients, new people, and a big change. I was confident and made the leap.
On a personal basis my late wife, Beth, (who passed away in 2020) had grown up in Southern NJ and her family was all nearby. Our children Carolyn (1989) and Carl (1993) were born during my Earle Palmer Brown years. Beth supported our family as I worked too hard and alas ate too much. In hindsight I now am far more appreciative of the sacrifices Beth made during those years.
The agency was comprised of talented people and had a nice book of largely major Philadelphia area clients including CoreStates (then a major bank), Wawa, and emerging Comcast, Independence Blue Cross, Honda dealers, and many others. I viewed coming to the agency as an opportunity to unify the staffs of previously acquired agencies, Spiro & Associates and Kalish & Rice but more importantly to create a new identity. I knew little about the history of the acquired agencies, nor Earle Palmer Brown and its Bethesda, MD headquarters, when I joined. In retrospect, I think that was a big benefit since I had little baggage about how things used to be. While I respected the history of all the agencies, the goal was to build on the good, retain the top performers, attract new talent, and add an even higher level of creativity and business success to the firm. We moved into the then new One Liberty Place, pictured above, a couple of months after I joined, and it was an excellent home for our firm and a place from which to forge a new identity. (BTW: I told our young kids back then that One Liberty and Two Liberty Place were named the Carolyn and Carl buildings because their daddy worked there. They found out otherwise later—they survived the disappointment)
With the wisdom of hindsight, I think the results we achieved during my tenure were good but with setbacks. On the positive side, we attracted many new talented people and many of the existing staff remained. We had a good and growing client base and later absorbed the acquisition of Ketchum/Philadelphia into the agency retaining its 2 key accounts—Dupont and Pizza Hut. When I left in 1996 the agency’s talent, size and creative product were all better than when I joined. We attracted national accounts far outside the region as well. Yet, there were some disappointments. The churn of accounts and talent was higher than ideal. And while we ultimately grew, our growth could have been more substantial. I always felt we were taking two steps forward, but then one step back. I know that the talent of the agency was what made it great. I fear mentioning specific people, because I know I will leave out others. But at all levels, the talent of Earle Palmer Brown was second to none.
Personally, I was growing into a new role as agency President. I surely was confident and learned well from my BBDO experience. Yet leading an agency was far different than leading mega accounts as I did in NY. I learned a lot about myself and how to lead a company. With the wisdom of hindsight, here too my own self-evaluation is mixed. I was driven and created high expectations for myself and the agency. I probably leaned too heavily on doing things myself, which is not the best way to lead. I know it took a toll on me physically as my weight ballooned. (PS: Today I am 50 pounds lighter than when I departed 30 years ago). In hindsight I also know I could have been more supportive boss and a better listener. Time helps in viewing an earlier version of oneself. We all learn from successes, but even more from setbacks. I had plenty of both.
Nonetheless, I was very proud of our accomplishments as a business. In 1995 I had hoped to acquire the agency, and separate it from the Earle Palmer Brown network which had business issues in offices throughout the U.S. I was unsuccessful in this attempt, and therefore I left in early 1996. I have a strongly independent nature, both strength and weakness, and I didn’t want to work for others any longer. Though I was a minority owner of the Earle Palmer Brown network (which as I said, had serious business issues), my offer was insufficient to break off the Philadelphia office from the balance of the network. So, I left with very mixed feelings—proud of the agency and the success we attained, yet knowing it was time to go, and sad to leave so many talented people behind. Who knows how the agency would have evolved if I had acquired it? No doubt we would have had both successes, but also setbacks and lost accounts. Change is the status quo in life, and the pace of change is mind boggling. You can’t turn the clock back.
I subsequently joined a NJ agency as CEO of a firm then called RB&T which became RBT/Strum and then the Star Group. I had hoped to re-create the kind of shop we had at Earle Palmer Brown at the NJ agency. It grew too, and they had some terrific people as well, but I didn’t feel the same passion for the agency or the business and subsequently sold my shares and left 3 years later. Our family took a trip around the country in the summer of 1999 and when we returned, I started a marketing consulting firm, and I’ve now been a marketing/business consultant for 27 years since 1999. It works very well given my independent nature and network. I am thankful for the many clients over the years who’ve put their confidence in me, but particularly MayoSeitz Media where I’ve had a continued relationship for all those years. They’re a great firm, and I am proud to have helped in a small way.
In the rear-view mirror,, the memories of the business issues, ad campaigns, client demands, and key presentations of the time at Earle Palmer Brown all fade, although no doubt staffers remember my zealous commitment for rehearsals for new business presentations (btw- the #1 key to success). But people are the things you remember most, and I have fond memories of the people at Earle Palmer Brown. I stay in touch with several people but alas have lost touch with more folk. I was saddening by the passing of key people over the years—Herb Smith and Tom Papi passed away during my tenure, and Walter Spiro, the firm’s Chairman and Norm Tissian, who led the hotel accounts, also passed in the years just after I left. Ken Bofinger, who was the print production head, and Chris Goodrich, a senior account manager, also died. Angela DiBartolo a direct response whiz and good friend who later joined me at the Star Group has also passed. Gary Jonas, a good man, who was a key executive for the overall company, passed away a few years ago as well. More recently Scott Franks, who had led Ketchum and, joined Earle Palmer Brown as a key exec when it was acquired, just passed a few years ago. And most recently a wonderful account person, Denise Duffin, passed away a few months ago. She was such a wonderfully positive person. They were all good people. I am sure I missed others as well and I sincerely apologize. Any group of people from the early 90s would have many passings. By definition all the people who worked at Earle Palmer Brown back then are “veterans” and are now 55+ (and many 65+).
On the 30th anniversary of my departure, the business issues all fade, and the memories I have are good ones. Life moves forward for all of us. No woulda/shoulda/couldas. Several years later, Earle Palmer Brown ultimately failed in Philadelphia and elsewhere, and they closed their doors in 2002.
Today I am remarried to a lovely woman, Marcie, and we have moved to Central NJ where we live equidistant (50 miles) from Philadelphia and New York. I love it that way since we wish both cities often. There are great things about both cities (but yes, my passion for the NY Yankees remains).
I left Earle Palmer Brown with mixed feelings in 1996, but with a warm feeling of pride. The ad agency business I left years ago hardly resembles today’s version. Nothing close. The digital world of today and the emergence of AI (which I am in awe of) make the communications industry a FAR different business.
But good people and good ideas are still the currency of success. Earle Palmer Brown/Philadelphia had plenty of both.
More Strumings
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