Advertising maverick William Bernbach (1911–1982), born in New York, trusted his intuition. He worked his way up from a mailroom job during the Great Depression, shaping a career that dramatically changed the rules of advertising and post–World War II culture.

“Properly practiced, creativity can make one ad do the work of ten,” he observed. “It’s not what you say that stirs people. It’s the way that you say it.” Bernbach believed that facts and knowledge mattered, but that the leap of intuition — how an idea was expressed — was where the magic lived.

His best–remembered 1959 “Think Small” Volkswagen ad used self-deprecation and irony, breaking every rule of traditional auto promotion. The memorable layout featured vast white space and a postage-stamp-sized car. The honesty and humor of the campaign helped send Volkswagen sales soaring.

Known for giving personality to products, he pushed his teams to stay grounded in what was real. His mantra was simple and stubborn: “The Product. The Product. Stay with the Product.”

Another memorable campaign was the 1963 Avis Rent-A-Car line, “When you’re Number 2, you try harder.” By embracing their underdog status instead of hiding it, Avis increased its market share dramatically and changed how companies spoke about themselves.

“Everything you write, everything on a page — every word, every graphic symbol, every shadow — should further the message you are trying to convey,” he said. For Bernbach, head and heart worked together: knowledge...and that spark of intuition that makes ideas unforgettable.