What makes don draper

They have a sentimental bond with the product: [ This may sound like a mushy means of giving advertisers too much credit -- doesn't sex sell, too? In a study conducted at Baylor College, participants were asked to take the famous Pepsi Challenge while under a brain scanner.

When the subjects knew they were drinking the beverage they claimed to prefer, the areas of their brain connected with memory and emotion lit up, proving what Don Draper knew all along: nostalgia sells.

He wields this knowledge to achieve status, and that status seems to comprise his entire identity. Jim Cutler notes this in last year's half-season finale, when he says he's been "unimpressed" with Don, who he depicts as hollow: "The most eloquent I've ever heard you is when you were blubbering like a little girl about your impoverished childhood. Connecting with Don, then, is like connecting with a brand: his entire character plays on our deepest desires to climb the social ladder.

In the late '50s -- the era captured in the early seasons of the show -- a counter-culture surfaced. The seemingly inexorable link between status and luxury was problematic for those who tried to emulate the trends of the wealthy -- it created what Quartz and Asp call "a zero-sum game," because once trends were adopted widely, those in power would scrap them.

To break the cycle, rebelling against the norm was necessary. Don dismisses the bohemian lifestyle of Greenwich Village proto-hippies in a definitive scene during the show's first season.

Dreaming up jingles for soap flakes and spot remover. Telling yourself you're free […] you make the lie. You invent want. Dick did not challenge this in order not to cast suspicion on himself for the identity theft as well as being a decorated veteran would help him establish a respectable foothold in civilian life.

Dick returns to the states as Don Draper. He takes up a job at a car dealership, where Anna Draper , the real Don Draper's wife, confronts him, telling Don that she knows he isn't who he claims he is " The Mountain King ".

Don comes clean with Anna, and promises to help take care of her, and they end up becoming close friends " The Gold Violin ".

Don eventually meets a young model named Betty Hofstadt. He excitedly tells Anna about her on their next Christmas together. Since Don Draper is still technically married to Anna, he tells her they will have to divorce so he can marry Betty, a request to which Anna cheerfully consents " The Mountain King ".

Don later works in New York city at Heller's, a specialty shop dealing in fur coats. Roger Sterling walks into the store, seeking a mink coat for Joan Holloway , whom he has just started seeing.

Roger comments on an advertisement and Don states that it is one of his own. Roger hands Don a card, indicating that Roger works for an advertising firm. When Roger opens the box up for Joan in a hotel room, he notices that Don has included a portfolio; he considers Don to be "out of line" for including it.

A few days later, Don runs into Roger in the lobby of Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency , and tries to explain it away as coincidence. He asks Roger if he saw his work; Roger tells him that it was thrown away with the box.

Don offers Roger a drink, and though it is 10 a. Over drinks, Don tries to sell Roger on the idea of hiring him. A few days later, Roger sees Don in the lobby again, waiting for the elevator. Roger is beside himself, angry that Don could not take a hint that he was not interested.

Don stops Roger; while they board the elevator, he reminds Roger that he had offered Don a job the day before. Don smiles as Roger appears confused about his lapse in memory " Waldorf Stories ". Don Draper has an intuitive understanding of the consumer's mind, making him a brilliant ad man and the award-winning star of Sterling Cooper, attracting and retaining major clients, commanding respect from those above and below him, being courted by rival firms, and generally living the picture-perfect life of a successful businessman in the early s.

However, Don rarely seems happy with his "perfect" life: he is often stressed, drinks and smokes constantly, and is prone to spells of moodiness. Draper's tenuous and complex feelings toward his children are revealed when Pete Campbell threatens to expose his past, Don, at least momentarily, considered fleeing to Los Angeles and abandoning his wife and children.

Bertram Cooper makes him a partner after Roger Sterling's most recent heart attack. While he appears to love his wife, Betty, he is constantly sleeping with other women. He had a brief affair with client Rachel Menken and was previously involved with beatnik Midge Daniels. He has left work in the middle of the day to see French New Wave films, and reads poetry by the likes of Frank O'Hara.

Betty, Don's wife, kicks him out of their house because of his refusal to admit to his affairs. After Betty kicks him out, he stays in a hotel and then visits Los Angeles for three weeks. It went over well and left executives silent and even a few tears from Harry Crane. So this may not have been entirely Draper's doing and has more to do with the time period, but regardless, the in-person presentations always seemed to make the sale.

This goes right along with the last point about appealing to emotions and really connecting with the customer. There is no better way to make this connection happen than in-person. It's not quite as easy to do today in thanks to the Internet, but if you make it a priority people will come and you'll have an even bigger opportunity to form a relationship.

Draper Example: You can find an example of this in every single pitch in the show. Draper and the team are constantly using props to help make their point, which is only something that can be done in person. In season 3 Draper pitched London Fog to help show that selling raincoats is only part of the deal. His enthusiasm showed, and ultimately he closed the deal.

Draper knows the importance of taking loyal customers seriously and not dismissing them for bigger brands with more money. It's a tough line to walk because it can be so tempting to try and grow your business by focusing on high profile brands, but your loyal customers are what made your company what it is today. They deserve the attention they got when they first signed with your company, and Draper knew that and consistently reminded his partners.

Draper Example: At one point early in the show Sterling Cooper wanted to acquire American Airlines as clients, which would mean that Draper would need to no longer work with Mohawk Airlines who were a loyal and long-time client. The presentation to American Airlines ended up falling flat, and Draper was able to make his point that loyal customers matter. Draper is a master at thinking on his feet and having a Plan B ready to go when an advertising pitch goes wrong.

This device isn't a spaceship, it's a time machine. It goes backwards, and forwards It's not called the wheel, it's called the carousel.

It let's us travel the way a child travels - around and around, and back home again, to a place where we know are loved. In light of the introduction to Cynical Don, one wonders as to whether or not he actually believes his own touching words. Appropriately, the entire room buys into him as they have already done with the product. The irony underlying this scene is the contrast between the sentimentality of the photos and the possibility that Don is completely faking it. Unfortunately for Don, he should have remembered that the advertisement industry thrives on happiness, not sadness.