Bill Backer, American advertising executive (McCann Erickson) and songwriter, Died at 89

  Business, Music

William Montague “Bill” Backer was born on June 9, 1926, and died on May 13, 2016.

He was an American advertising executive.

Bill became an industry legend for creating the slogans “Things go better with Coke”, further defining the product as “the real thing”, and convinced the world that Miller Lite was “everything you ever wanted in a beer, and less”, and should be consumed at “Miller Time”.

Bill Backer created the Coca-Cola campaign, in 1971 and accompanying song “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)”.

Becker’s advertising career started in the mailroom of McCann Erickson in 1953, rising to creative director in 1972, and vice chairman of the agency in 1978.

During 1979, Bill co-founded Backer & Spielvogel (with Carl Spielvogel), which eight years later became Backer, Spielvogel & Bates Worldwide, Inc., one of the world’s largest marketing and advertising communications companies.

That became a worldwide corporation, which had 178 companies in 55 countries, and employed 8,500 persons—1,000 Americans and 7,500 nationals of the countries in which business was being conducted.

During 1999, Advertising Age included his name in a list of the top 100 players in advertising history.

For 30 yrs he was married to his wife Ann (née Mudge).

Bill Backer passed away at 85 yrs old.