“Big” John Zupp has revealed respected adman Bill Bristow helped give him his now iconic nickname.
FORMER king of the car dealers-turned-property player John Zupp has finally revealed how he became a household name as “Big John Zupp”.
The octogenarian told Commercial Confidential it was well-respected former adman and Angel Flights founder Bill Bristow who had the idea of putting the “Big” in “Big John Zupp” because of the market size his company dominated.
“We used professional advertising companies and had a great working relationship with Bill,” John said. “Bill also helped Stefan become a household name in Brisbane all those years ago.”
Certainly, the nickname has well and truly stuck like mud thanks to those memorable TV commercials and the unforgettable “Any Old Iron” jingle that accompanied them.
“They had a message but were entertaining,” John said. “Kids used to hang out the back of school buses at Mt Gravatt and yell out ‘Hey, Mr Zupp, can you trade me in a banana? They were great days.”
John was in his 70s and employing more than 750 people when he made the tough decision to sell his chain of car dealerships to Automotive Holdings Group.
Phil Bartsch, The Courier-Mail_Online Exclusive_08/08/2018
