Neil H. McElroy
Neil Hosler McElroy (October 30, 1904 – November 30, 1972) was United States Secretary of Defense from 1957 to 1959 under President Eisenhower.[1] He had been president of Procter & Gamble.
Neil McElroy
Procter & Gamble[edit]
McElroy returned to Cincinnati to work in the advertising department of the Procter & Gamble Company. In 1931, as a junior executive managing the advertising campaign for P&G's Camay brand of soap, McElroy wrote what became a famous three-page company memo that laid out the principles of modern brand management.[2] In the memo, McElroy argued that companies should assign a separate marketing team to each individual product brand, as if it were a separate business. This innovative system of brand management would eventually be adopted by consumer product companies all throughout the U.S. He advanced rapidly up the managerial ladder, subsequently becoming company president in 1948.
Death[edit]
McElroy died of cancer on November 30, 1972, in Cincinnati at the age of 68.[7] He was survived by his wife Camilla; children Nancy, Barbara, and Malcolm; and nine grandchildren.[8]