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The advertising mastermind behind the post-9/11 slogan “if you see something, say something,” has died at the age of 77.
Allen Kay died of cardiorespiratory failure while at his Weehawken, New Jersey, home on November 27.
Kay, who was an advertising executive in various industries, potentially saved the lives of many after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack in New York City by encouraging passengers on the city’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority to speak up about suspicious activities.
“By essentially serving as a counterweight to ‘Snitches get stiches,’ the iconic ‘See something, say something’ campaign has undoubtedly saved lives over the years, MTA chief of external relations John McCarthy said, according to The New York Times.
The famous slogan was printed in the city’s subways in 2003 and has since become an international campaign to raise awareness about signs related to terrorism and crime.
In addition to the MTA catchphrase, Kay had several catchphrases that reached millions and earned a place in the Hall of Fame for his ad campaigns.
Allen Kay, 77, died of cardiorespiratory failure at his home in Weehawken, New Jersey, on November 27.
Kay was the advertising mastermind behind the slogan for the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001: “if you see something, say something.”
The slogan is said to have saved lives and raised awareness of the signs of terrorism after the 2001 attack.
After the 2001 terrorist attacks, the NYPD implemented Kay’s famous catchphrase to encourage people to speak up and save lives, especially since the police couldn’t be everywhere at once.
The slogan was influenced by research conducted in Israel, where people are more motivated to look for signs of terrorism.
Kay was also the mastermind behind several other successful publicity ploys, one of which was broadcast on the Super Bowl in 1978.
“People understood that officials couldn’t be everywhere, so the MTA was asking them to help keep others safe,” Kay told The New York Times in 2007.
The famous phrase won the top safety award for the MTA among several other choices in 2003.
Officials were looking for a slogan that would be easy to read and understand. Some of the options that were dropped include: ‘If you see a package without a person, don’t keep it for yourself.’
Ultimately, the well-known security phrase that is known today emerged victorious.
“The irony was that in World War II, the message was to keep your mouth shut,” Kay previously told The Times in 2003. “And now the message is, on trains, don’t do it.”
Since then, the US Department of Homeland Security has turned the saying into a national campaign to prevent terrorism with materials and signs translated into more than 10 different languages.
Some of the languages include Chinese, French, Haitian, Korean, Russian, and Dari.
The national campaign launched in 2010 and has partnered with entertainment venues, transit stations, major sports arenas, places of worship and more, according to the DHS website.
To further promote public awareness, DHS designated September 25 as National “If You See Something, Say Something” Awareness Day in 2018.
The phrase was printed throughout New York City in 2003 and has since become an international campaign to raise awareness of crime-related signs. Since then, the US Department of Homeland Security has turned the saying into a national campaign to prevent terrorism with materials and signs translated into multiple languages.
The national campaign launched in 2010 and has partnered with entertainment venues, transit stations, major sports arenas, places of worship and more, according to the DHS website.
Aside from his security slogan, Kay has been behind several other successful advertising ploys.
He began his career at McCann Erickson in 1971 before rising to fame soon after.
Kay helped create an advertisement for Xerox, a high-speed photocopier, that aired at the Super Bowl in 1978.
The campaign featured the character, nicknamed Brother Dominic, and was later declared one of the 50 Greatest Campaigns of the 20th Century.
He then started his own company, Korey Kay and Partners, which was launched in 1982. But before he dove into his own company,
Kay’s career seemed to be influenced by her father, Samuel Kay, who worked at an advertising company.
The advertising guru died a few days after his birthday on November 25. He was born in the Bronx in 1945.
He leaves behind his wife, Susan Kay, and their daughter, Jill and Deana.