Howard Luck Gossage

(1917-1969)

Freeman, Mander & Gossage, San Francisco

A copywriter who influenced admakers worldwide, Gossage drifted into advertising at age 36 in San Francisco and opened his agency in 1957 to create riveting "conversations" with consumers. Gossage's copy served Land Rover, Scientific American's International Paper Airplane Competition, Eagle shirts, Paul Masson wines, KLH audio equipment, Beethoven sweatshirts, the Sierra Club, Qantas Airways, Rainier brewery and Petrofina Oil Co. Even David Ogilvy loved the Gossage headline: "At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in this new Land Rover comes from the roar of the engine."