Leo Burnett was more dedicated to the business than anyone else. He worked harder than anyone else; his creative standards were higher than those of anyone else; and he knew what he wanted when he got it.

1. The Creative Right Bower

Burnett always had a number one man, a creative right bower on whom he could depend to spout ideas, spark up dull campaigns and in general, be a constant source of grist and material for the creative mill.

2. The Creative Huddle or Group Think

The creative huddle concentrated the effort of a group on a current creative problem. The problem was presented and the group proceeded to brain storm, in which even the wildest idea would be licked into shape. No idea was considered out of line.

3. Dragnet Method

Burnett wrote a memo (or dragnet) to as few as 12 or as many as 60 employees, requesting that they respond in writing with all thoughts they had on the subject. The catch was he most often wanted the responses by Monday morning, and the memo would be distributed late on the previous Friday afternoon, which would give them plenty of time if they hadn't slipped off early Friday afternoon and missed the message.

4. The Thought Piece

Burnett would tap a few writers for a special assignment. He would ask for a pull-out-all-stops piece of writing on a specific product or service. He emphasized he wanted a fresh, emotional, uninhibited look taken at the subject. The writers usually really did pull-out-all-the-spots, often resulting in good and very, very effective advertising campaigns.

5. The Outside Expert

Occasionally, Burnett would bring in an outsider to evaluate a campaign. This did not set very well with his existing staff. In Leo's defense, it must be said that after a consultant's visit, everyone else tried a little harder.

6. The Creative Review Committee

Similar to the Group Think or a Creative Huddle, but not the same. The Creative Review Committee was bigger, more competitive and a lot less fun for the poor guy whose presentation had just been shot down and was being completely remade before his eyes. The presenter was allowed to present his campaign as the committee listened patiently, more or less,until finished. Then each of the committee members were polled, in turn, as to their review of the campaign. Burnett was always last, except in those infrequent occasions where the work was so good or the frequent ones where the work was so bad he could not contain himself. With the presentation complete, the meeting turned to Creative Group Think, as the campaign was revised or modified. This kind of creative technique took a lot of time, and was expensive, but Leo Burnett felt it was worth it if it helped him develop a better advertising campaign.

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