Hal Patrick Riney (17 July 1932 in Seattle, Washington - 24 March 2008 in San Francisco, California) was an American advertising executive.Founder of Publicis & Hal Riney, Riney was named #30 on the Advertising Age 100 people of the 20th century. He was inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame in 2001.Riney grew up in Longview, Washington. He graduated from the University of Washington in 1954. After serving two years in the United States Army doing public relations in Italy, he joined BBDO San Francisco, moving from the mail room to head art director and finally creative director in 1968.In 1970, he hired Paul Williams to write a song for a Crocker Bank commercial, which was later recorded by The Carpenters and become the hit "We've Only Just Begun". In 1976 he joined Ogilvy & Mather, building their West Coast office from scratch. In 1984, Riney created and did voiceover for the noted "Morning in America" and "Bear in the Woods" television commercials for the successful Ronald Reagan 1984 Presidential re-election campaign. After creating the Bartles & Jaymes campaign for E & J Gallo Winery, Riney resigned, but soon won the launch for Saturn Corporation. The agency was sold to Publicis in 1998.Riney died at age 75 in 2008, from cancer, at his home in San Francisco.
In late 1969, advertising executive Hal Riney asked Paul Williams to write a song for a commercial Riney was creating for Crocker National Bank (now part of Wells Fargo). Williams (lyrics) partnered with Roger Nichols (music) and the Riney produced "wedding theme" commercial debuted on California television stations shortly after New Years 1970. Soon after the premiere of the commercial, Richard Carpenter of The Carpenters approached Williams (they were both under contract to the same record label, A&M) to ask whether there was a bridge and a third verse, or whether Williams and Nichols could write one. The bridge and verse were added, and the song was recorded by The Carpenters and released by A&M as the second single on their "Close to You" album in August 1970. The name of the song was "We've Only Just Begun" and it held the number one spot on the charts for seven weeks in October and November 1970. The Crocker Bank commercial was produced in a style similar to MTV music videos which became popular a decade later. Crocker specifically requested that the song lyrics not include the name of the bank so that the song (and the ad) would be more memorable, catchy, and marketable, although the bank did not know (at the time the commercial was produced) just how marketable and memorable the song would be! Some feel that the bank commercial version of this song, envisioned and created by Riney, an advertising executive, was one of the first music videos.
2
Created and narrated the "It's Morning Again in America" ads for Ronald Reagan's 1984 re-election campaign. Other campaigns included Saturn automobiles and Bartles & Jaymes Wine Coolers.
3
Is a 1954 graduate of the University of Washington as an art major.
4
In 2001 was inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame.
5
Member of Theta Chi Fraternity (Alpha Rho Chapter, University of Washington)
$1.1 Million
