Linda Kaplan Thaler discusses her new book ‘My Life in 30 Seconds’

Linda Kaplan Thaler chatted with Markos Papadatos about her new highly-anticipated book “My Life in 30 Seconds.”

Background on Linda Kaplan Thaler

Linda Kaplan Thaler is one of the most decorated figures in modern advertising — and she’s out with her first solo book, My Life in 30 Seconds, her first in over a decade. The creative force behind the Aflac duck, Clairol’s “Yes, Yes, Yes,” and the jingle for “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up, I’m a Toys ‘R’ Us Kid,” Linda distills a lifetime in advertising into bite-sized, unforgettable lessons. Her book is built on one disarming idea: you don’t need a lifetime to change your life — sometimes you just need thirty seconds.

As founder, CEO, and Chief Creative Officer of The Kaplan Thaler Group, she built a startup into an agency with more than $1 billion in media billings before its merger with Publicis, where she went on to serve as Chairman. Her campaigns are woven into the culture, and she’s lent her talents to presidential campaigns for Bill Clinton in 1992 and Hillary Clinton in 2008.

A bestselling author and television personality, Linda has appeared on The Apprentice, CNN, The Today Show, and Good Morning America, and hosted Oxygen’s series Making It Big. Her books with co-author Robin Koval — The Power of Nice, The Power of Small, Bang!, and Grit to Great — have all been bestsellers. A trained improviser and sought-after keynote speaker, she brings the same wit and warmth to the page and the stage.

A member of the Advertising Hall of Fame, Linda was the first woman ever to receive the Clio Lifetime Achievement Award. Her honors also include the Matrix Award, the Muse Award, and Advertising Woman of the Year, and she was named one of Advertising Age’s “Most Influential Women in Advertising” — the legend who gave the world’s biggest brands their voice, now helping readers find their own.

What inspired you to write this book?

I’ve had an advertising career filled with victory, failure, exhilaration, rejection, and even some well-timed orgasms (think of that ebulliently cheerful girl in our Herbal Essences “Yes! Yes! Yes!” commercials).

Over the years, I’ve learned to distill huge amounts of information and data into 30-second messages that consumers found memorable, persuasive, and able to cut through the clutter of the more than 8,000 messages we see every day.

Well, now that I’m in my incredibly late 20s, I’ve taken that skill to heart, quite literally. I’ve taken every life-changing experience, every memorable moment, and distilled it into a pocket-sized thought, an oddball insight, or a whimsical observation that has shaped my personal journey and might help shape a reader’s as well.

What did this book teach you about yourself?

I’ve learned that even my most difficult and tragic experiences gave me the wisdom, strength, and stamina not only to build a successful career, but to face challenges in my personal life as well.

I had breast cancer at an early age and thought I would never get through it. My mom, who had also suffered through the disease, was my role model. She never lost her sense of humor and told me, “Linda, life is too damn tragic not to laugh your way through it.”

It’s probably one reason humor has played such a big role in my advertising campaigns, especially when creating ads for women. I introduced humor into the traditionally staid and serious women’s beauty category, letting women know they weren’t beholden to some “man-made” image of how we’re supposed to look and feel.

Whether it was Julia Louis-Dreyfus changing a woman’s hair color on a bus or Dr. Ruth cheering on a woman having a totally organic experience in the supermarket, personal beauty is something to celebrate and feel good about.

How does it feel to be an author in the digital age?

Having co-written four bestselling books with Robin Koval, it was a rude — but often exciting — awakening to discover that social media has become such an important marketplace for selling books. Publishers now want you to bring your own readers, preferably twelve zillion of them.

So now I’m creating posts. Like, every frigging day I’m creating posts.

At first, I couldn’t imagine how I could keep viewers entertained enough to watch my entries for more than three seconds. But I love a good challenge, and now it has become a tremendous amount of fun — like putting on a show 24/7.

What do your plans for the future include?

Mostly sleeping. Lots of sleeping.

But honestly, I have a few things I would still love to do. One is to write a musical about those of us enjoying our golden years. For so many people, it’s the absolute best time of our lives, and it deserves to be celebrated, sung about, and laughed about.

Of course, I need to collaborate with a composer who is brilliant, talented, and has worked with some of the best singers and performers in the world. Luckily, I’m married to that guy. So Fred, let’s get going!

I’ve also been fortunate to use my advertising skills on presidential campaigns in the past, including those of Bill and Hillary Clinton. If there is an opportunity in the future to put that experience to work for a candidate whose vision I believe in, I would welcome it.

Apparently, I’m not going to be doing as much sleeping as I thought.

Were there any moments in your career that helped define you?

I’ve had to sell ideas to clients that were so outrageous, my employees thought I would be bodily escorted out of the boardroom when I presented them.

Like telling a little-known insurance company, which had only 3% name awareness at the time of the pitch, that its new spokesperson should be a duck. A duck who, fortunately, knew only one word: “Aflac!” — a source of constant embarrassment to the immediate family members in his nest.

The campaign achieved one of the highest recall scores ever, and Aflac’s name awareness went from 3% to 96% in less than two years.

In fact, Aflac is now so well known that when ducks see other ducks, they immediately think of supplemental insurance.

That experience taught me something I’ve carried with me ever since:

“They’ll never buy that!” is always worth selling.

What does the word success mean to you?

Success is personal happiness, defined not by what you have accomplished, but by building a life where you feel respected and loved. Where you can look in the mirror and like the person you’ve become — and see that reflected in the children you’ve raised.

When our son was five years old, he became the United States Kindergarten Scholastic Chess Champion. When he was six, the first-grade national title came down to two competitors: my son and another terrific player.

The other boy was in a winning position, but he had forgotten to push down his chess clock and was about to lose on time. Michael didn’t have to tell him. If he had remained silent, he would have won the tournament.

But after a few seconds, Michael leaned over and whispered to him. His opponent stopped his clock and went on to win.

Later, I said, “Michael, I’m very proud of you, but why did you tell him to stop his clock? If you hadn’t, you would have won.”

Michael looked at me and said, “Oh Mom, that’s not really winning.”

In 30 seconds, my six-year-old son taught me the meaning of true success.

Sometimes the biggest lessons come from the smallest teachers.

What would you like to tell readers about ‘My Life in 30 Seconds’?

I’ve worked with so many incredible people over the years, and each one has taught me a life lesson that I hope readers will find insightful, inspiring, and occasionally very funny.

Co-writing a song with Stevie Wonder taught me that even when you’ve created something wonderful, you can always make it better. General Colin Powell exemplified how to lead with kindness and respect. Warren Buffett embodies the true meaning of generosity. By pledging to give away virtually all of his fortune to help others, he has become, in my book, one of the wealthiest men on the planet in every way that matters.

What is the one thing you hope readers take away from it?

My Life in 30 Seconds is a reminder that our lives are inexorably connected — with friends, family, colleagues, and complete strangers — like myriad threads in a living quilt. Each encounter and each experience, woven together, gives our lives meaning and purpose.

So if I could leave readers with one thought, it would be this:

Take the time to connect with everyone and anyone you meet.

You never know where it will lead.

Because changing your life doesn’t take a lifetime.

It takes just 30 seconds.

“My Life in 30 Seconds” will be available on Amazon by clicking here.

To learn more about Linda Kaplan Thaler, visit her official website.