Like Bob Stone, who paid tribute to her on video during the recent Caples Awards ceremony, I can’t remember my first meeting with Andi Emerson. But I recall my first argument with her.
It took place in the fall of 1985. I was sent by DM News to cover a Caples board meeting, during which various gurus argued the question of whether DM creative can be judged on purely subjective grounds. Most people in the room thought it should be based on results.
I took notes like a cipher, barely grasping what I was hearing, as a top agency creative countered that his shop always fabricated results on contest entry forms. When my story came out, editor Joe Fitz-Morris and I received a stern lecture from Andi on journalistic responsibility. (By the way, the story was accurate.)
It was a rough start, but the Caples contest survived that flap and a few others, and is now better than ever. And Andi is a dear friend. Here’s some biographical details about this legendary DMer, who was honored during this year’s ceremony.
A New England Emerson, she grew up in Connecticut among the horsey set. Later, living in New York, she worked as a runway model, and then drifted into direct marketing.
Len Reiss, who had worked for the Famous Artists School, taught her copywriting during a hellish weekend in New York.
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