Advertising executive who worked on 'Man from Glad' ads

Leo Burnett creative force had hand in big campaigns; in retirement he wrote books

By Trevor Jensen | Tribune reporter

May 10, 2008

Howard Shank wanted to be the next Ernest Hemingway but wound up in advertising, where as a creative executive at Leo Burnett in Chicago he had a hand in campaigns including the "Man from Glad."

Mr. Shank, 86, died of lung cancer on Tuesday, May 6, at his Lake Forest home, said his stepdaughter, Edith Emery.

Mr. Shank was at Burnett for 22 years, retiring in 1979 as president, chief operating officer and chief creative officer of the agency.

For many years, he worked closely with Leo Burnett himself, who founded the agency that spawned ad icons like Tony the Tiger and the Pillsbury Doughboy in the mid 1930s.

Mr. Shank for a time chaired the agency's creative review board, a gathering started by Burnett in which creative proposals were critiqued.

"He was a good judge of advertising," said John Kinsella, Burnett's former chairman and chief executive officer.

Among the campaigns he had a direct hand in creating was one featuring the "Man from Glad" on behalf of plastic wrap. Television commercials showed the Glad Man stepping in during kitchen disputes over smelly food, one ending by showing a large goblet turned upside down, its contents kept inside by the clingy wrap.

Mr. Shank also worked on advertising for Nestea, Cheer detergent and Virginia Slims cigarettes.

Mr. Shank was born in Tulsa, Okla., and attended Lake Forest College. He left school after two years because of financial issues and took a job as a copywriter for Sears, Roebuck and Co. He then worked at a number of agencies in Chicago and New York before landing at Burnett.

In retirement, Mr. Shank wrote two mysteries, "Jack and Charlie" and "Jack and Charlie Two." He also wrote "Managing Retirement," a book in which he interviewed retirees including former president Gerald Ford.

Mr. Shank's homes in Lake Forest and Palm Desert, Calif., were filled with his paintings, brightly colored works in the style of Mark Rothko in addition to portraits of his wife and others.

Mr. Shank, after two divorces, married the former Hollis "Hobby" McLaughlin 42 years ago. She survives him, as do his stepdaughter and two daughters, Kathe Carlton and Sue Nixon; two brothers, Don and Wayne; three grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Private services are being planned.

Ttjensen@tribune.com