Why Generals Have Always Had A Tent of Their Own

One of my favorite ad copy from the 1960s by Bill Bernbach. The copy goes like this:

“Why generals have always had a tent of their own.

(Thoughts on first class travel – a series by American Airlines.)

It is not because rank hath its privileges. The reason is much simpler.

The man who’s supposed to be thinking about the battle needs a place to do it in.

It’s the same with the extra service that a general gets. The idea is to free him from the usual annoyances so he can concentrate on getting the war won.

These are also the reasons a man with business on his mind flies first class.

The privacy, the roominess, the comfort and the over-all atmosphere ease the burden of travel for men under pressure.

Business travelers have been the mainstay of our company for some 25 yeas. Fully 86% of all air trips are strictly for business. And our first class service emerged as the result of this.

It was not designed for the so-called carriage trade, and it is not an investment in luxury.

It’s an investment in the man who gets off the plane.

If you would like to know more about the habits and patterns of the business traveler, please write to: Director, Bureau of Travel Analysis, American Airlines, Inc., 633 Third Ave., New York 17, N.Y.”