Cliff Freeman, Advertising's Master of Comedic Insight, Dies at 80

Through the 1980s and into the 2000s, Freeman blended humor and oddity to create campaigns that changed the industry forever—and for the better.

From “Where’s the Beef?” for Wendy’s and “Pizza Pizza” for Little Caesars all the way up to the defining dot-com-era spot that saw Outpost.com fire gerbils from a cannon, Freeman and his agency embraced the philosophy “entertainment sells” harder than anyone who came before.

Freeman, who died at 80 from pneumonia Sept.