Frederick D. Sulcer
| Frederick D. Sulcer | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Frederick Durham Sulcer August 28, 1926 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | January 18, 2004 (aged 77) |
| Residence | New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Sandy Sulcer |
| Education | U. Chicago, BA, 1947 |
| Alma mater | U. Chicago, MBA, 1963 |
| Occupation | Advertising |
| Years active | 1953–2004 |
| Employer |
DDB Worldwide, Benton & Bowles |
| Known for | Put a Tiger in Your Tank |
| Home town | Chicago, Illinois |
| Spouse(s) | Dorothy Wright (artist) |
| Children | Ginna Sulcer Marston |
| Relatives | Quinn Marston (granddaughter) |
Frederick Durham Sulcer (August 28, 1926 – January 18, 2004), known as Sandy Sulcer, was an American advertising agency copywriter and executive notable for creating the 1960s Put a Tiger in Your Tank advertising theme for Esso gasoline, now known as ExxonMobil and later as a rainmaker bringing in new clients.
Sulcer was born in Chicago in 1926 and grew up during the Great Depression. His father lost his Chicago-based advertising agency during the downturn. Sulcer had an egg delivery service and slept underneath the dining room table to allow his parents to rent out his bedroom for much–needed funds. He attended the University of Chicago on a scholarship and edited the student newspaper The Chicago Maroon and graduated in 1947. He was an amateur actor in the Quadrangle Players theater group. He was drafted and fought in the Korean War and was promoted to captain in the United States Army Corps of Engineers. After returning from Korea, he married an artist for the Chicago Tribune named Dorothy Wright. He attended night school at the University of Chicago Business School and earned an MBA degree in 1963.
Sulcer began his career in late 1940s at Needham Louis & Brorby in Chicago, which later became Needham Harper & Steers, as an advertising copywriter. He wrote jingles for Household Finance Corporation including Never borrow money needlessly, but when you must, trust HFC. He became a creative director. He was promoted to account executive in 1961.
To pitch Oklahoma gasoline (which became "Esso", then "Exxon", then "ExxonMobil"), he collaborated with psychologist Ernest Dichter and learned from research that drivers wanted both power and play for their automobiles. The pair, working with other agency creative people, selected the tiger as a visual symbol to express this desire. The agency borrowed a live tiger from the zoo which remained behind a large curtain while they presented the campaign idea to gasoline executives; at the end of the presentation, they opened the curtain to reveal the tiger. They won the account with the theme Put a Tiger in Your Tank.
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