Our Inspiration This International Women's Day: Mary Wells Lawrence
When Mary Wells Lawrence died in February 2024 at the age of 95, the advertising world lost one of its most audacious pioneers. But her legacy, and for us particularly at Stick No Bills, her transformation of Braniff International Airways remains a masterclass in creative courage.
Lawrence became the first female CEO of a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1965 when she founded Wells Rich Greene. She was 37 years old, working in an industry where women were rarely allowed beyond the typing pool. She made her way into the boardroom and changed the advertising industry forever.
As well as creating the enduring ‘I Love New York’ tagline and the famous ‘Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz’ ad for Alka Seltzer, cementing the idea that it was two tablets that needed to dropped into that cold glass of water, she also took on Braniff International Airways. Lawrence transformed this relatively small, regional carrier into a global symbol of 1960s jet-set glamour, defining the golden age of travel.
She looked at the sterile, utilitarian world of air travel – what she called "drab prison camps" – and saw endless possibilities. "I saw Braniff in a wash of colour," she said, and proceeded to upend every convention of the aviation industry while creating the foundations of lifestyle branding.
Under her direction, Braniff's fleet became flying aspirational art galleries. Aircraft were painted nose to tail in vibrant ochre, orange, turquoise, and beige. Interiors featured Herman Miller fabrics. Terminal lounges displayed new and exciting Latin American art. Flight attendants wore Emilio Pucci ensembles that became as famous as the destinations themselves. Her campaign, "The End of the Plain Plane," was provocative, unapologetic, and wildly successful—Braniff saw an 80% increase in business virtually overnight.
Lawrence understood something fundamental: design is not merely decoration. It is strategy, communication and respect for the customer's intelligence and desire for beauty. She pushed the boundaries of advertising to create a world where the imagination was given permission to lead.
The marketing posters created for Braniff during this era—bold, geometric, utterly confident—are now collectible poster art works in their own right. They capture a moment when advertising became art, when commerce and culture were exciting new collaborators, and the desire to travel and explore the world by airplane became the ambition of a whole new generation of jet-setters.
So for this International Women's Day, we want to remember Mary Wells Lawrence for all of her verve, intelligence, talent and perseverance.
Thank you, Mary Wells Lawrence, for your vision, your defiance, and your refusal to settle for grey.
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