Shirley Polykoff

Shirley Polykoff (January 18, 1908 – June 4, 1998) was a pioneering woman in American advertising, rising from an entry-level copywriter to a senior executive. Her "Does She... Or Doesn't She?" branding slogan accompanied by "Hair Color So Natural Only Her Hairdresser Knows For Sure" tagline developed in 1956 for Clairol dramatically increased sales, changed cultural norms, and earned her a place in the Advertising Hall of Fame.

Biography Born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, she started her career in retail ad sales and briefly worked as secretary at Harper's Bazaar before taking a position at Foote, Cone & Belding advertising agency. helped take hair color sales from $25 million to $200 million annually, with Clairol holding a 50% market share. Even though her creative work encouraged women to take charge of their own lives, she did not want to be seen earning more than her lawyer husband, George P. Halperin and insisted that her advertising agency cap her salary at $25,000 a year. She retired in 1973 from Foote, Cone & Belding after becoming FCB's executive vice president and creative director.

She was #24 on the Advertising Age 100 people of the 20th century and is very likely the model for the character Peggy Olson in the TV series Mad Men.