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PROTAGONISTAS

Shirley Polykoff

18 de enero de 1908 - 4 de junio de 1998

Sus textos para Clairol construyen la industria de los tintes para el cabello. Los considera como Conversaciones directas con el consumidor. Crea en 1956 su sugestivo titular ella sí... ¿o no? Sólo su peluquero lo sabe con seguridad" y ¿será cierto que las rubias se divierten más?. Clairol crece un 413% en 6 años. El 50% de las mujeres americanas comienzan a usar tintes. Anteriormente sólo lo hacen un 7%. Una madre de Brooklin se convierte entonces en la única mujer copy de Foote, Cone y Belding; en 1955 le asignan Clairol por ser prácticamente la única que entiende el producto. Polykroff se considera como sólo una consumidora más en la oficina del cliente. New York.


Former Executive Vice President & Creative Director, Foote, Cone & Belding (FCB).

Shirley Polykoff was an advertising creator extraordinaire and a pioneering role model for professional women.

Polykoff began her career in advertising as a teenager working for Harper´s Bazaar. After working as a retail advertiser for such department stores as Bamberger´s and Kresge, she moved on to Foote, Cone & Belding, where in 1955 she took over the Clairol account for Bristol-Myers. Polykoff´s "Does she...or doesn´t she?" campaign for Clairol earned millions as the number of women coloring their hair increased from just 7 percent to nearly half of the female population in the United States. The sale of dyes, tints and rinses increased from $25 million to more than $200 million, with Clairol accounting for more than half of the total earnings.

Polykoff rapidly rose through the ranks of Foote, Cone & Belding until she reached the position of executive vice president and creative director. She left FCB to found her own advertising agency, which quickly became a multi-million-dollar company with international significance.

Throughout her distinguished career, Polykoff won many awards and honors. In 1967 the Advertising Women of New York nominated her for the national Advertising Woman of the Year award.

Polykoff was active in the cultural life of New York and the nation, a generous contributor of both talent and financial support to philanthropic causes and the arts. She consistently honored the advertising business by making it the centerpiece of her life.


Shirley Polykoff (January 18, 1908 - June 4, 1998) was an American advertising executive whose "Does She... Or Doesn´t She?" tagline for Clairol skyrocketed sales and earned her a place in the Advertising Hall of Fame.[1]

Born in Brooklyn, she started her career in magazine and retail ad sales before taking a position at Foote, Cone & Belding. In 1955 she took over the Clairol account, and her line helped take the hair color category from $25 million to $200 million annually, with Clairol holding a 50% market share.

She was #24 on the Advertising Age 100 people of the 20th century.

Fuente: wikipedia.org


Shirley Polykoff, said Time, "is a Brooklyn-born mother who can write better advertising than most men in the business." She is one of America´s best-known copywriters (and a long-time "liberated" woman).

When Shirley Polykoff retired from 18 years at Foote, Cone & Belding in 1973, she left there as Senior Vice President, Creative Director, and Member of the Board. Not content to sit at home, she immediately launched her own creative agency. Today, her growing agency, Polykoff Advertising, creates television and print advertising for such clients as Kimberly-Clark, Houbigant and Clairol.

Although it is for Clairol that she has been most honored, her long and varied career includes writing on everything from cosmetics, to food, to airplanes. Her relationship with Clairol at Foote, Cone began the year she joined the agency. Her copy for this client has been recognized for its creativity as well as for the fact that it was significant in changing attitudes about hair coloring. Her phrases are now part of the vernacular: "Is it true blondes have more fun?" "If I´ve only one life, let me live it as a blonde," "The closer he gets, the better you look," and "So natural only her hairdresser knows for sure."

FC&B President John O´Toole characterizes her and her work by saying "she is one of the great ones. She can pack more human understanding into one line of copy than most writers can get onto a page." He adds that her capacity for work is unlimited.

Additionally, her background has included positions as Head Fashion Writer at Bamberger´s and Kresge´s, Harper´s Bazaar staff, Merchandising Director-Copy Chief at Dorland, International, and Copy Group Head at Frederick-Clinton Advertising.

A member of the Advertising Women of New York, she was the first honorary member of the New York University Chapter of Gamma Alpha Chi (National Professional Advertising Fraternity for Women). Among other top honors: National Advertising Woman of the Year (1967, American Advertising Federation) and Advertising Woman of Distinction (1972, Advertising Club of Washington, D. C.). She has received, in total, over 100 writing awards in recent years, including a first prize at the Venice Film Festival and the Cup of Venice at Cannes.

To borrow a line from Ms. Polykoff´s own advertising, "She continues to get better, not older."

Fuente: adcglobal.org