When the Bic brand applied its name to women's underwear, consisting of a line of 'disposable pantyhose', they were unable to attract customers. Okay, so the disposability element was still there. But that was about it. Consumers were unable to see any link between Bic's other products and underwear, because of course there was no link.

The main problem was that the company insisted on using the Bic name. As marketing writer Al Ries has observed, using the same name in unrelated categories can create difficulties. "If you have a powerful perception for one class of product, it becomes almost impossible to extend that perception to a different class," he argues.

In 1970 he ran an ad for Silva Thins Cigarettes that read “Cigarettes are like girls, the best ones are thin and rich”. The National Organization for Women was outraged and started a boycott of the brand in response. In an equally controversial move, Free published an ad in 1971 for National Airlines that read “I’m Cheryl – Fly Me”, with an attractive young stewardess pictured. The National Organization for Women was once again up in arms over a Free creation and picketed outside his office in retaliation. Despite the protests National saw a huge increase in sales and decided to keep Free on the account. So, in 1972 he published more ads of the same theme, including another one with ‘Cheryl’, which now read “Millions of people flew me last year.” Despite their mixed reviews, Free’s ads proved effective in reaching the target and in attracting the nation’s attention.