Howard Gossage

Howard Luck Gossage (1917–1969) was an American advertising innovator and iconoclast during the "Mad Men" era,[1] frequently referred to as "The Socrates of San Francisco".

"[9] Today when advertising is disliked and avoided by most people, Howard showed that commercial communication worked best when it was fun, irreverent and entertaining, using humour, intrigue and sometimes outrage to win his audience's attention, affection - and custom.

Bruce Bendinger compiled The Book of Gossage in 2005, bringing together Howard's work, writing and contributions by Jeff Goodby, Stan Freberg, Barrows Mussey & Alice Lowe.

In 2012 Creative Director Steve Harrison authored a biography about Howard Gossage entitled Changing the world is the only fit work for a grown man.

[10] The Firehouse Salon is a podcast started in 2023 which looks at the themes of Howard's life in greater detail and explores how that thinking is relevant today in the fields of environmentalism, economics, politics and communication.