Tom Burrell
Thomas J. "Tom" Burrell[1] (born March 18, 1939)[2] founder and chairman emeritus of Burrell Communications, became one of the first African Americans in the field of advertising.[3]
Early years
[edit | edit source]Burrell was born in Chicago, where his father owned a tavern and his mother worked for a beauty parlor.[4] He switched high schools to avoid being near "the wrong crowd" and it was in the second one that a teacher encouraged him to look into the field of advertising.[2][4] He then went to Roosevelt University, majoring in English and with a minor in advertising.
Career
[edit | edit source]Burrell was "the first black person to work in a Chicago advertising agency."[5] After ten years of advancing, he and Emmett McBain opened their own agency, Burrell McBain Advertising.[6] Part of Burrell's pitch was that "black people are not dark-skinned white people," referring to differences in music preferences and other cultural differences. Burrell bought out his partner in 1974 and renamed the agency Burrell Communications Group.[2] McDonald's and Coca-Cola were early clients.[5]
In 1999 he sold 49% of his firm to fund expansion,[7] and subsequently stepped aside, becoming chairman emeritus of the agency; Burrell was later inducted into the American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame.[8] He also authored two books, Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority[9] and Brainwashed: Erasing the Myth of Black Inferiority.[10][3]
One post-retirement recognition of his professional accomplishments came in 2017 from The One Club.[11]
Personal
[edit | edit source]He and his wife Madeleine Moore Burrell live in Miami. Burrell has donated to and benefitted from Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind since being diagnosed with macular degeneration.[2]
References
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External links
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