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Episode 628: This Ad's For You : Planet Money In the early 1960s, Tom Burrell became the first black man in Chicago advertising. Today on the show, the story of how he changed the way people think about ads and how advertising thinks about us.

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Planet Money

Episode 628: This Ad's For You

Episode 628: This Ad's For You

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Tom Burrell, ad man. Courtesy of Tom Burrell hide caption

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Courtesy of Tom Burrell

Tom Burrell, ad man.

Courtesy of Tom Burrell

In the early 1960s, the ad world had a one-size-fits-all philosophy. Now marketing is precisely targeted. Tom Burrell, the first black man in Chicago advertising, started that shift.

Today on the show, the story of the man who changed the way people think about advertising and how advertising thinks about us.

Sonari Glinton and NPR librarian Robert Goldstein came up with a playlist called "The Chicago Renaissance" to go along with this episode.

Music: Silence Is Sexy's "Holiday (Instrumental)" and Young-Holt Unlimited's "Wack Wack." Find us: Twitter/ Facebook/ Spotify/ Tumblr.

Planet MoneyPlanet Money

The Economy Explained