1. Procter & Gamble, 1931
Neil McElroy, then a junior exec, recommended to his bosses that each of P&G’s brands be run as its own business, a decentralized approach that inspired modern brand management. The impact: Running Crisco or Tide proved to be great CEO training; alums include Steve Case, Meg Whitman, and Steve Ballmer.
2. William Morris Agency, 1937
The talent agency required new employees to start in the mail room, schooling them in the inner workings of the entertainment business. The impact: The program was widely adopted, producing several generations of moguls, including Ari Emanuel, who later merged his upstart agency, Endeavor, with William Morris.
3. Doyle Dane Bernbach, 1949
Ad agency head Bill Bernbach had the then novel idea to pair copywriters with art directors; the team-based approach led to seminal, widely admired work, particularly for Volkswagen. The impact: Young creatives flocked to DDB and rival agencies poached them to mimic its wry style, inspiring the ad world’s Mad Men heyday.
4. Second City, 1959
The improv comedy theater trained performers to be present and play to the top of their intelligence, sharpening the skills of future stars Joan Rivers, Tina Fey, and Keegan-Michael Key. The impact: Second City inspired several rival theaters-slash-schools, including Upright Citizens Brigade, a current feeder for comedic talent.
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