In his years of leadership with the Procter & Gamble Company, Howard Morgens was an eloquent voice in furthering the noblest principles of advertising. He saw advertising as the embodiment of much that is good in the free-market system: promoter of competition, stimulus for new products, generator of efficiencies in manufacturing and distribution.
He practiced these principles with such vigor and conviction that generations of colleagues within Procter & Gamble and the advertising industry have been influenced by his wisdom.
In the early days of television, Morgens saw the enormous potential of this new medium to convey commerical information and entertainment. He guided Procter & Gamble, both in policy and practice, to the forefront of television programming and advertising, setting standards for others around him.
In service to his country, he saw that advertising had value beyond selling products and could contribute directly to the achievement of social goals. As chairman of the Advertising Council in 1952, he personally worked with television networks, stations and advertisers to use television to support council campaigns for the first time. In seeking ways for the immense resources of business to contribute to the national agenda, he helped to establish the Business Roundtable and served on numerous national civic, social service and education boards.