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Vol. IUpdated November 20261,425 termsCambridge and Toronto

The Madison Avenue Field GuideA field guide to marketing & advertising, by Brandon Mina

LegendsJay Chiat

Founder · 1931–2002

Jay Chiat

The Los Angeles agency founder who mixed New York aggression with California freedom, and never settled for good enough.

By Brandon MinaCEO, BrandPilot AIUpdated November 2026

Mid-century gouache-and-ink portrait illustration of Jay Chiat, in the style of a 1960s magazine ad
Jay Chiat. An illustration, not a photograph.

What Jay proved

  1. Great agencies can be built outside New York.
  2. Research belongs in the creative process: he brought British account planning to America in 1982.
  3. Advertising can be an event. "1984" made the Super Bowl a showcase for commercials.

Good enough is not enough.

Jay Chiat · His motto, as The New York Times recorded it, 2002 · Source

Key campaigns

  • Apple "1984"
  • Nike "I Love L.A."
  • The Energizer Bunny

The agency

  • Jay Chiat & Associates1962–1968
  • Chiat/Day1968–1995On the Agency Wall

Terms from the work

Each one opens its glossary entry.

Sources

The portrait is an illustration made for this guide, not a photograph.