Episode 279

If you've ever found yourself quacking, Aflac!, singing "I don't wanna grow up, I'm a Toys 'R' Us Kid," or yearning for your own Yes! Yes! Yes! Herbal Essences shower moment, you've experienced the work of advertising legend Linda Kaplan Thaler.

A member of the Advertising Hall of Fame and one of the industry's most influential creative minds, Linda joins Weezy to discuss her new memoir, My Life in 30 Seconds, and share the remarkable stories and wisdom behind some of America's most iconic ad campaigns, proving that sometimes 30 seconds is all that’s required.

Linda tells us the story behind the Toys "R" Us jingle, co-written with pre-bestselling coworker, James Patterson. She was convinced it was a dud until four and five-year-olds began singing her words back to her. Gee whiz!

Linda takes listeners behind the scenes of her greatest hits, filling us in on the Aflac duck’s origin story. He was born a small quack from a coworker. Linda said, “Keep quacking,” and through a combination of animatronics, real ducks, and Gilbert Gottfried, one of the most recognizable mascots in advertising history was born. The duck now adorns the company logo. 

The conversation is filled with unforgettable encounters, from collaborating with Stevie Wonder on a Kodak campaign and bringing tears to the eyes of Mike Tyson, to an embarrassingly  hilarious phone call with President Bill Clinton during his 1992 campaign. 

Linda’s go-to tools include: encouraging silliness, taking chances, collaborative brainstorming, a ton of research, and the “yes, and…” rules of improv. She brought a Cherry Coke to a ten-minute interview with Warren Buffett. It’s his favorite drink. He gave her two hours.

And in keeping with her book's objective of life-altering wisdom delivered in bite-size portions,  Linda shares Harry Truman’s famous quote: “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”

In media recommendations --

Weezy: Peacock Documentary, Kill. Bury. Print

Tech Aaron: HBO Original Series, Lanterns