Maxwell Dane

Maxwell "Mac" Dane (June 7, 1906–August 8, 2004) was an American advertising executive and co-founder of the Doyle Dane Bernbach agency. For advertising against U.S. presidential candidate Barry Goldwater in 1964, he became one of the original 20 people mentioned on Nixon's Enemies List.

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Dane began his advertising career in his mid-teens, working as secretary to the manager of advertising at Stern Bros. in New York, and later as retail promotion manager at the New York Evening Post. Subsequently, he worked as advertising and promotion manager at Look magazine, where he met James "Ned" Doyle.

In 1941, Dane began work as advertising promotion manager for the New York radio station WMCA. During World War II, he arranged for The New York Times to air news bulletins at the top of each hour, an innovative idea for radio at the time. In 1944, Dane opened a small advertising agency bearing his name, Maxwell Dane, Inc. The short-lived agency was closed in 1949 when Dane founded Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB) with James Doyle, and Doyle's friend William Bernbach.

When DDB, then considered a predominantly Democratic firm, produced the 1964 television commercial "Daisy" in support of Lyndon Johnson's Presidential campaign, Dane was added to Nixon's Enemies List with the remark:

The top Democratic advertising firm -- they destroyed Goldwater in '64. They should be hit hard starting with Dane.

At DDB Dane oversaw finance and public relations functions, later becoming the chairman of the executive committee, secretary and treasurer. He retired from DDB in 1971.

After a brief illness, Dane died in his New York home on August 8, 2004. Dane is survived by his wife Esther, his son Henry Dane, four grandchildren; Abraham, Michael, Marion and Samuel, and five great grandchildren.

External links

• Biography of Maxwell Dane, from AdWeek.com
• Maxwell Dane's Obituary from The San Diego Union-Tribune