Thomas J. "Tom" Burrell [1] (born March 18, 1939) [2] founder and chairman emeritus of Burrell Communications, became one of the first African Americans in the field of advertising. [3]
Burrell was born in Chicago, where his father owned a tavern and his mother worked for a beauty parlor. [4] He switched high schools to avoid being near "the wrong crowd" and it was in the second one that a teacher encouraged him to look into the field of advertising. [2] [4] He then went to Roosevelt University, majoring in English and with a minor in advertising.
Burrell was "the first black person to work in a Chicago advertising agency." [5] After ten years of advancing, he and Emmett McBain opened their own agency, Burrell McBain Advertising. [6] Part of Burrell's pitch was that "black people are not dark-skinned white people," referring to differences in music preferences and other cultural differences. Burrell bought out his partner in 1974 and renamed the agency Burrell Communications Group. [2] McDonald's and Coca-Cola were early clients. [5]
In 1999 he sold 49% of his firm to fund expansion, [7] and subsequently stepped aside, becoming chairman emeritus of the agency; Burrell was later inducted into the American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame. [8] He also authored two books, Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority [9] and Brainwashed: Erasing the Myth of Black Inferiority. [10] [3]
One post-retirement recognition of his professional accomplishments came in 2017 from The One Club. [11]
He and his wife Madeleine Moore Burrell live in Miami. Burrell has donated to and benefitted from Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind since being diagnosed with macular degeneration. [2]
- ^ "Thomas J. Burrell. (1939-)". Advertising Age. March 29, 1999.
- ^ a b c d "Burrell, Thomas J. 1939–". Encyclopedia.com. May 17, 2018.
- ^ a b "Tom Burrell, pioneering ad executive, selling South Loop condo". Crain's Chicago Business. April 6, 2018.
- ^ a b Adrienne W. Fawcett (June 3, 1996). "Perseverance pays dividend at $128 million Burrell shop". Advertising Age. pp. C2, C4, C6.
- ^ a b Daniel Hautzinger (June 28, 2018). "How Tom Burrell Convinced Corporations That 'Black People Are Not Dark-Skinned White People'". WTTW.
- ^ "Burrell at 25". Advertising Age. June 3, 1996. p. C1.
-
^
"Publicis takes stake in Burrell".
Advertising Age. June 2, 1999.
Chairman-CEO Thomas Burrell will own 43% of the agency, and executives will own the remaining 8%.
- ^ "Members, Advertising Hall of Fame".
- ^ Tom Burrell (2010). Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority. ISBN 978-1-4019-2592-5.
- ^ Tom Burrell (September 2009). Brainwashed: Erasing the Myth of Black Inferiority. ISBN 978-1-4019-2591-8.
- ^ Lewis Lazare (September 20, 2017). "Chicago ad man Tom Burrell makes history with a top honor". BizJournals (Chicago).
 | This article about an American businessperson born in the 1930s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
Thomas J. "Tom" Burrell [1] (born March 18, 1939) [2] founder and chairman emeritus of Burrell Communications, became one of the first African Americans in the field of advertising. [3]
Burrell was born in Chicago, where his father owned a tavern and his mother worked for a beauty parlor. [4] He switched high schools to avoid being near "the wrong crowd" and it was in the second one that a teacher encouraged him to look into the field of advertising. [2] [4] He then went to Roosevelt University, majoring in English and with a minor in advertising.
Burrell was "the first black person to work in a Chicago advertising agency." [5] After ten years of advancing, he and Emmett McBain opened their own agency, Burrell McBain Advertising. [6] Part of Burrell's pitch was that "black people are not dark-skinned white people," referring to differences in music preferences and other cultural differences. Burrell bought out his partner in 1974 and renamed the agency Burrell Communications Group. [2] McDonald's and Coca-Cola were early clients. [5]
In 1999 he sold 49% of his firm to fund expansion, [7] and subsequently stepped aside, becoming chairman emeritus of the agency; Burrell was later inducted into the American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame. [8] He also authored two books, Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority [9] and Brainwashed: Erasing the Myth of Black Inferiority. [10] [3]
One post-retirement recognition of his professional accomplishments came in 2017 from The One Club. [11]
He and his wife Madeleine Moore Burrell live in Miami. Burrell has donated to and benefitted from Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind since being diagnosed with macular degeneration. [2]
- ^ "Thomas J. Burrell. (1939-)". Advertising Age. March 29, 1999.
- ^ a b c d "Burrell, Thomas J. 1939–". Encyclopedia.com. May 17, 2018.
- ^ a b "Tom Burrell, pioneering ad executive, selling South Loop condo". Crain's Chicago Business. April 6, 2018.
- ^ a b Adrienne W. Fawcett (June 3, 1996). "Perseverance pays dividend at $128 million Burrell shop". Advertising Age. pp. C2, C4, C6.
- ^ a b Daniel Hautzinger (June 28, 2018). "How Tom Burrell Convinced Corporations That 'Black People Are Not Dark-Skinned White People'". WTTW.
- ^ "Burrell at 25". Advertising Age. June 3, 1996. p. C1.
-
^
"Publicis takes stake in Burrell".
Advertising Age. June 2, 1999.
Chairman-CEO Thomas Burrell will own 43% of the agency, and executives will own the remaining 8%.
- ^ "Members, Advertising Hall of Fame".
- ^ Tom Burrell (2010). Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority. ISBN 978-1-4019-2592-5.
- ^ Tom Burrell (September 2009). Brainwashed: Erasing the Myth of Black Inferiority. ISBN 978-1-4019-2591-8.
- ^ Lewis Lazare (September 20, 2017). "Chicago ad man Tom Burrell makes history with a top honor". BizJournals (Chicago).
|
| This article about an American businessperson born in the 1930s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |