Julian Norman Koenig (; April 22, 1921 – June 12, 2014) was an American copywriter. He was inducted into The One Club Creative Hall of Fame in 1966. Koenig worked on advertising campaigns for companies including for Timex Group ("Timex: It takes a licking and keeps on ticking") and Volkswagen ("Think Small" and "Lemon"). In 1960, he founded the advertising agency PKL with Frederic Papert and George Lois. Koenig was also involved in the establishment and naming of Earth Day.
Early life and education
Koenig was born to a
American Jews family
[ Jewish Virtual Library: "Modern Jewish History: Advertising" retrieved May 4, 2017] in Manhattan, New York City, the son of Minna (Harlib) and
Morris Koenig.
[ The East Hampton Star: "Julian Koenig, 93, Legendary Ad Man" June 26, 2014] He was from a family of lawyers and judges. He studied at Dartmouth College and briefly at Columbia Law School.
Before finishing law school he dropped out to write a novel and later found his way into the advertising industry.
Koenig served four years in the United States Army Air Forces, 1942–1946. In 1946, Julian became half owner of a semi-pro baseball team, the Yonkers Indians, with his friend, writer
Eliot Asinof. The team went bankrupt during its second season under their ownership, in part because there were no women's bathrooms at the Indians' ball park. Julian Koenig's older brother was
Lester Koenig, a screenwriter, film producer, and the founder of the jazz record label, Contemporary Records.
Career
Koenig originated many famous advertising campaigns. While working at the advertising firm Hirshon Garfield he designed the
Timex Group torture test commercials which featured the
tagline "Timex: It takes a licking and keeps on ticking".
[ At the firm DDB Worldwide, he and Helmut Krone created the legendary "Think Small" and "Lemon" ads for Volkswagen under the supervision of William Bernbach.][ The "Think Small" ad was voted the No. 1 campaign of all time in Advertising Age's 1999 “The Century of Advertising".][ Koenig was on Senator Gaylord Nelson's 1969 committee that established Earth Day on April 22. Koenig coined the name "Earth Day". Koenig later stated that he was inspired by the fact that “Earth Day” rhymes with “birthday” (April 22 was also Koenig’s birthday).]
Denis Hayes, the environmental activist who coordinated the first Earth Day, recounts Koenig's involvement:
In 1970, copywriter Jerry Della Femina wrote of Koenig:
Personal life
Koenig was married twice. His first wife was Aquila Wilson Connolly. They had two children: Pauline "Pim", an artist; and John, a businessman and horse racing enthusiast.[ The Journal News: "Aquila Koenig Obituary" August 14, 2007] They later divorced. His second wife was Maria Eckhart with whom he had two daughters: Antonia, an attorney and social worker; and Sarah Koenig, a producer for the public radio show This American Life and host of acclaimed podcast Serial. They also divorced.[ The East Hampton Star: "Peter Matthiessen, Author, Explorer, Zen Priest, Dead at 86" by David E. Rattray April 6, 2014]
Koenig had a long running feud with one time collaborator George Lois over various works which Koenig felt Lois improperly claimed credit for.
According to Koenig's daughter Sarah, he was known for making unusual personal claims himself, such as that he had invented thumb wrestling or that he had popularized the consumption of shrimp in the United States.[ "This American Life 383: Origin Story | Act One: Mad Man" By Sarah Koenig June 19, 2009]
Koenig died in Manhattan on June 12, 2014.[ New York Times: "Julian Koenig, Who Sold Americans on Beetles and Earth Day, Dies at 93" by William Yardley June 17, 2014]
External links
