Neil McElroy was an outstanding executive who exerted leadership in business, government and community service. After his impressive achievements in advertising, he took on the position of U.S. Secretary of Defense at the end of his career.
McElroy is generally credited with installing the brand manager system of marketing administration as well as intra-company competition at Procter & Gamble, where he worked for a number of years. During his tenure there, he also played an important role in the development of the soap opera genre in both radio and television.
His governmental career was as illustrious as his work in advertising and marketing. Under President Eisenhower’s administration, in addition to his position as U.S. Secretary of Defense, he also served as chairman of the White House Conference on Education.