Despite all of the chances that 1960s advertising professionals may have taken with their campaigns, they were not as risky when it came to embracing diversity. Much like “Mad Men” on AMC, the advertising industry was a white man’s world—and people in that world were not anxious to let others into their clubhouse.
“It was a man’s business. It was guys in suits telling America what they should be and what they should buy,” said Hank Wasiak of The Concept Farm. “Madison Avenue at that time was really the arbiter of what American values were.”
Back then, it was very unusual to find a Peggy Olson in the advertising business and women were not likely to rise up the ranks to anything outside of the secretarial pool. Likewise, the social mores of the time did not support racial diversity or acceptance of all sexual orientations.
“It was not an environment that would risk having an African American in a commercial, hiring a woman as an account executive, or allowing a gay person to be open if they were an account executive,” said Michael Grossman, who began his advertising career around 1966. “It was very different from today’s times, which are obviously much more enlightened.”
The environment did, however, support office trysts. Much like “Mad Men,” it was common to find young men and women in the office engaging in behaviors that would result in sexual harassment lawsuits and firings today.
“I don’t mind telling you that, I’ve been married twice and in my first marriage—when I was pretty immature and didn’t know what I was doing—I certainly had affairs at the agency,” said Grossman. “And I had many friends who also had affairs at the ad agency.”
Part One: The workplace communication of the ad men on 'Mad Men'
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