Diane Rothschild

You can’t talk about Diane Rothschild without mentioning Doyle Dane Bernbach,
and vice versa. Such was the creative environment that has become legendary an
environment that inspired people to think big, by thinking small. It not only
cultivated great advertising, it cultivated great talents. And as each generation had
its stars, none shown brighter than Diane. Diane Rothschild is a classic combination
of beauty and brains. In fact, when we worked together I would often tell her,
“with your good looks and your brains, we make a great team.”

One of the things that most inspired and drove creative people to new ways of
thinking was not only to learn from what was done but also to challenge it.
That is what Diane Rothschild is all about, a master of precision thinking in
pursuit of excellence. She would always say (regardless of how good she thought
the work was), “OK, we got that, now let’s do something great.”

She not only challenged other great ads, she challenged herself.

 
“Doing something great” lead to years of excellence, years of award-winning
advertising for Chivas Regal, Volkswagen and Cigna to name a few. In fact, from
1977 to 1986, Diane won more awards than any other writer at DDB.

In 1986, Diane and Roy Grace founded Grace & Rothschild Advertising where
for 14 years she continued her uncompromising ways, creating award-winning
campaigns for clients such as Range Rover, J&B Scotch, Mount Sinai, Whittle
and whatever else they worked on. When Roy retired, Diane merged with Della
Femina Jeary & Partners.

In this business we work closely with other people, sharing a special part of
ourselves, partnering with art directors and writers to create something great.
But most of us move on and sometimes lose touch with our “advertising friends.”

But what is unique in our industry is that a person’s work can bridge those
separations.

 
Although I hadn’t seen Diane for several years, I always knew what she was up to.
I just had to flip open a magazine, drive by a billboard or turn on a TV. And there
she was, with her signature brilliance, simplicity, wit and impact.

That signature brilliance has lead Diane to one of advertising’s greatest honors,
one that will immortalize her work and, most importantly, her. As Diane always
said, “the work speaks for itself.” And it speaks volumes.