Introduction

Cone's leadership began during a period when the advertising industry was subject to intense public criticism. Along with Leo Burnett, Bruce Barton and a small group of others, Cone led the industry's efforts to achieve social responsible self-regulation.

Upon graduation, he was invited to become a teaching fellow in the English department, only to discover he had not completed a require physical education course. A disagreement over the course persisted until 1947. By this time, he had accepted a position with the San Francisco Examiner as an advertising clerk. After eight months his supervisor suggested that Cone apply for a position in the Promotions Department where he could use his artistic talent. Fairfax Cone got the job and under the direction of Truman Bailey, he began to learn same basic principles.

Cone was a natural and gifted writer. He quickly learned that advertising "is the language of business that is used to tell someone something of importance." From Truman Bailey he learned advertising "is a matter of being as direct and as simple as you can, of honest promises explained sensibly."

During his early years at Lord and Thomas, Cone met and worked with Fred Ludekens, an artist. Together they developed five principles that guided Fairfax Cone for the rest of his career.

The ad must make clear the basic business proposition.

The basic proposition must express a well defined value.

The value of the offering must be expressed in personal terms.

The ad must express the personality of the advertiser.

The ad must demand action.

Cone's work at Lord and Thomas caught the attention of many advertising agencies in the country. One of these was J. Stirling Getchell, Inc., Cone accepted an offer to join them in New York. Unfortunately, while enroute to New York he became ill and for the most part of the next ten years he was plagued by a mysterious illness, later diagnosed as an overactive pancreas. Soon he resigned from J. Stirling Getchell, Inc. for health reasons and returned to Lord and Thomas in San Francisco for a more hospitable climate.

In 1939, Cone became the manager of the Lord and Thomas San Francisco office. Despite losing a major coffee company client, Cone managed to obtain the Sunmaid Raisin account, part of Safeway Stores, and others which brought him recognition from Albert Lasker, the owner of Lord and Thomas.

Although Cone worked for Lord and Thomas, he did not meet Albert Lasker until March 1941. Impressed with the potential in Cone, Lasker began to attempt to persuade Cone to move to the New York office. Cone moved to New York in December 1941, where he was assigned to work directly with George Hill, who was head of the American Tobacco Company Lucky Strike campaign, a very significant account for Lord and Thomas.

In 1942, Cone moved to the Chicago office of Lord and Thomas, and was placed in charge of the new Frigidaire account. Lasker appointed Cone as manager of the Chicago office in October.

The three men were devoted to running an ethical, professional and socially responsible company, regardless of the consequences. For a decade, Fairfax Cone, chairman of the Executive Committee, Don Belding, Chairman of the Board, and Emerson Foote, President, ran the agency as a team. In 1952 poor health caused Foote to retire and Belding retired in 1959 at the age of 60, to devote most of his time to public affairs. Although new men replaced Foote and Belding, Cone continued to be the "leader amoung leaders" in the management of Foote, Cone and Belding, where he served on the Board of Directors until 1975.

E. Product Presentation

During the years of Cone's leadership, Foote, Cone and Belding held its position as one of the largest ten advertising firms in the country for more than 30 years. Cone endowed the business with a certain dignity and professionalism that made it an excellent model of how a socially responsible advertising agency should behave.

Fairfax Cone's favorite part of the advertising business was product presentation and throughout his decades of agency leadership he kept himself actively engaged in developing new advertising campaigns.

F. Making Advertising Respectable

Fairfax Cone was one of those individuals and his efforts to improve advertising's reputation during the next quarter century became one of his greatest contributions to the industry. Cone became a significant participant in the Advertising Council.

Cone practiced his "Professionalism" beliefs in his own business life. Through his example he helped an important industry make itself socially responsible and respectable.