Paul Foley (March 12, 1914 – October 30, 1983) was an American business executive in the advertising industry. He was chairman and CEO of the
Interpublic Group of Companies
The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (IPG) is an American publicly traded advertising company. The company consists of five major networks: FCB, IPG Mediabrands, McCann Worldgroup, MullenLowe Group and Marketing Specialists, as well as seve ...
(IPG) and was inducted into the
AAF Advertising Hall of Fame.
Early life and education
Foley completed a journalism degree at the
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...
in Indiana.
Career
Foley started his career in journalism, as a police reporter for the ''
Chicago American
The ''Chicago American'' was an American newspaper published in Chicago under various names from 1900 until its dissolution in 1975. Its afternoon publication was known as the ''Chicago American'', while its evening publication was known as the ...
''.
His first foray into advertising was at ''The Pontiac Press'' in
Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac ( ') is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit, Pontiac is part of the Metro Detroit, Detroit metropolitan area, and is vari ...
.
In 1940, he went into advertising full time at Grace & Bement.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Foley served in Istanbul as bureau chief for the
United States Office of War Information
The United States Office of War Information (OWI) was a United States government agency created during World War II. The OWI operated from June 1942 until September 1945. Through radio broadcasts, newspapers, posters, photographs, films and other ...
.
After the war, he joined an advertising agency, McManus, John & Adams, in
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Bloomfield Hills is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northern Metro Detroit, suburb of Detroit on the Woodward Corridor, Bloomfield Hills is located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit, and is ...
, where he was a creative director.
By 1955, he was an executive vice president and board member at the firm.
He left McManus to manage the Detroit office of
McCann-Erickson
McCann, formerly McCann Erickson, is an American global advertising agency network, with offices in over 120 countries. McCann is part of McCann Worldgroup, along with several other agencies, including direct digital marketing agency MRM//McCa ...
, eventually moving to New York.
In 1964, he was appointed chairman of McCann-Erickson.
In 1971, Foley was named president and CEO of Interpublic, and later became chairman.
By 1977, he had given up the title of president. In 1979, he stepped out of the role of chief executive but remained on the board as a director and chairman of the finance committee.
Over the course of his career, he influenced and was involved in successful advertising campaigns for
Pontiac Pontiac most often refers to:
* Pontiac (Odawa leader) ( – 1769), Native American war chief
*Pontiac (automobile), a former General Motors brand
Pontiac may also refer to:
Places and jurisdictions Canada
* Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality
** Apo ...
,
Buick
Buick () is a division (business), division of the Automotive industry in the United States, American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American automobil ...
,
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...
,
Exxon
Exxon Mobil Corporation ( ) is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Founded as the largest direct successor of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, the modern company was form ...
,
Nabisco
Nabisco (, abbreviated from the earlier name National Biscuit Company) is an American manufacturer of cookies and snacks headquartered in East Hanover, New Jersey. The company is a subsidiary of Illinois-based Mondelēz International.
Nabisco' ...
,
Del Monte, and
Nestle.
During his tenure as chairman, he announced Interpublic's affiliation with
Mingo, Jones, Guilmenot, a black-owned agency co-founded by
Caroline R. Jones.
Board memberships
Foley became a trustee of the University of Notre Dame in 1969.
From 1977 to 1979, he was a trustee of St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan.
Personal life and death
Foley was married twice and had three children by his first marriage.
He died on October 30, 1983, at
Lenox Hill Hospital
Lenox Hill Hospital (LHH) is a nationally ranked 450 bed non-profit, Tertiary care, tertiary, research and academic medical center located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, servicing the tri-state area. LHH is one of the reg ...
in Manhattan.
He was survived by five grandchildren.
References
External links
Paul Foleyvia AAF Hall of Fame (archived)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foley, Paul
1914 births
1983 deaths
American marketing people
20th-century American businesspeople