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Martin Moylan

Minneapolis advertising legend Pat Fallon dies at 70

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Pat Fallon
This undated photo shows Pat Fallon of the Fallon McElligott ad agency in Minneapolis. Fallon, whose upstart firm once led campaigns for luxury automakers BMW and Porsche, died last week at age 70, his company said.
Cheryl A. Meyer | Star Tribune via AP

His Minneapolis agency got its start in 1981 as Fallon McElligott Rice. Fallon went on to win virtually every industry honor during his career.

Fallon's firm was known for its creativity, reflected in efforts such as the Gold'n Plump army of chickens campaign and a series of short web videos promoting BMW cars.

But Advertising Federation of Minnesota president Steve Wallace says Fallon's greatest legacy is putting the Twin Cities on the map as a creative center.

"Dozens of advertising agencies, graphic design firms, independent strategists, consultants cut their teeth in his organization," Wallace said. "Because of that Minneapolis is a very, very strong creative, advertising, marketing and communications marketplace."

Fallon was inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame in 2010.

"He reinvented advertising in many ways, not only nationally but globally," Wallace said. "And he did it from Minneapolis by bucking trends and doing things that I think a lot of people at the time probably felt were foolish."