Too many ads that try not to go over the reader's head end up beneath his notice.

On June 7 1971 at the age of 79 he died of a heart attack at his family farm in Lake Zurich Illinois. In the company layoffs are very rare. This is evident on such campaigns as Jolly Green Giant Tony the Tiger Pillsbury Doughboy and more famously the Marlboro Man.

Leo Burnett (October 21 1891 – June 7 1971) was an advertising executive and was among the most 'creative' men in the advertising business. Burnett was named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. The 19th Century was dominated by the copy-heavy ads with lengthy product descriptions and selling arguments however he developed fresh simple icons that came to symbolize easy-to-understand product benefits for the 20th-century consumer.