The face behind the slogans

He pays attention to society’s shifts

By Nate Odgaard
Alumni News Staff

   We invest in relationships.”

   “Feeding you like family.”

  “It’s simply the way to communicate.”

  Do those slogans sound familiar? Can you guess which companies they refer to?

  Norm Weill can.

  After all, Weill (pronounced while) and partner Craig Miller created them for PaineWebber, Tyson Foods and Mobilink.

  Weill is executive creative director of advertising at Saatchi and Saatchi in Manhattan. He has worked at the firm, which was formed in 1984 through mergers of smaller agencies, for 25 years. During that time, Weill has become a prominent member of the advertising industry thanks to the work he has done for numerous well-known companies and their products. He has earned accolades and praise from peers.

  Weill’s road to success began in Lincoln. He was editor of the yearbook in high school, then attended UNL to pursue a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He said he had always been interested in journalism but did not know which department to go into.

  That’s when things fell into place for him.

  Shortly after Weill arrived at the university, the advertising department jumped from the College of Business Administration to the journalism program.

  Around that same time, Professor Al Book arrived at the university after leaving an advertising agency in New York. Weill said Book brought a unique perspective to a Midwestern university and that it was Book who got him to think about advertising and New York.

  “He was very instrumental to me in directing my career path,” Weill said.

  Weill got a job as a copy trainee at Saatchi and Saatchi, then Compton Advertising, right out of college. He worked his way up to vice president a decade later. Today, as executive creative director of the fifth largest advertising agency in the world, Weill works with teams of writers and artists who create advertisements for clients throughout the world.

  Saatchi and Saatchi’s clients include Procter and Gamble (Pert shampoo, Ivory soap, Tide), Pepperidge Farms, Burger King and General Mills.

  According to his resume, Weill is particularly proud of his work with product introduction. He has been closely associated with Procter and Gamble and was responsible for introducing Pert shampoo, now the No. 1 brand in the nation.

  Weill said coming up with his own idea for an advertisement was the most fun part of the job.

  “I enjoy that more than the management side of the business.”

   One reason for Weill’s success, according to his resume, is his awareness of shifts in today’s society. His work reflects the consumer’s changing attitudes from the self-centered decade of the ’80s to the more caring era of the ’90s. His work on the PaineWebber campaign and The Points of Light Foundation are two examples.

  In general, Weill’s creative philosophy is simple. He says in his resume, “If the advertising doesn’t establish a close, personal bond with the consumer, it probably won't be very effective.”

  Weill’s ideas have earned him most of advertising's top creative awards, most recently a dozen for PaineWebber and Points of Light.

  Book, now a consultant, said he had thought Weill would have a successful career ahead of him after college.

  “He knew where he was going, and he knew how to get there,” Book said.

  Weill was energetic and creative during his days at the university, Book said.

  “He showed a great deal of promise and has fulfilled that promise.”

  Steve Davis, a classmate of Weill’s at the university, agreed.

  “He’s done so many wonderful, creative things over the years,” Davis said.

  Davis, who said he was also influenced by Book, is executive vice president at J. Walter Thompson, an advertising agency in Chicago.

  Davis said he admired Weill and said he was a real professional “with a terrific sense of humor.”