In the late 1980s—before websites, social media, and cable television had transformed advertising—Korman Communities was already thinking three-dimensionally. It was a pivotal moment for the family business, and Larry Korman, newly immersed in its evolution, was determined to reshape how the brand reached its audience. In this short video, Larry recounts a bold chapter in KormanSuites' history: its groundbreaking multimedia marketing campaign that included one of the earliest brand partnerships with rising radio personality Howard Stern.
At the time, Larry was working closely with Kathy Ragg, a Regional Director at the time, and the creative team at advertising agency Sonder Levitt to launch a new identity for their furnished apartment business. The goal: unify their offerings under one recognizable, trademarked name. That name became KormanSuites Apartments, and it signaled the start of a bold, branded era. Larry Korman’s father Steve Korman decided to shorten the name to KormanSuites and to market the entire community with both traditional apartments and furnished apartments under the same brand name KormanSuites.
To break through the noise in a pre-digital world, the Korman team took an ambitious step. Philadelphia’s 94 WYSP had just become the first radio station outside New York City to syndicate the up-and-coming Howard Stern Show. Seeing an opportunity to stand out, Larry reached out to Stern’s agent. The proposal was 80 sixty-second radio spots at $1,000 each—a steep price for the time, but a calculated risk rooted in confidence and vision.
Larry, with support from Sonder Levitt Advertising Agency, wrote a script for Stern to read. But when the tapes came back, Stern had gone off-script, turning the ad into a freewheeling, characteristically irreverent monologue. Initially alarmed, Larry called Stern’s rep—only to be told, “That’s what you want.” What Stern delivered wasn’t a scripted pitch—it was a conversation with listeners, filled with humor, authenticity, and energy. It was unforgettable, and it worked.
That partnership with Stern became a powerful launchpad, introducing KormanSuites to a wide regional audience in a way that felt fresh and memorable. But radio was just the beginning. Sonder Levitt believed deeply in “multi-media marketing,” and KormanSuites ran with that philosophy. They secured top-tier radio spots on MMR and YSP, produced television commercials with NFL Films, dominated billboards along I-95 and I-76, and took over Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station with immersive branding.
They even collaborated with Jay Minkoff—founder of the visually striking Apartment Shopper’s Guide—to amplify print advertising with full-page features that looked more like lifestyle magazines than classified listings. The result? Total saturation. KormanSuites became the go-to name for furnished apartments in the Philadelphia region—so ubiquitous, in fact, that Larry likens it to a brand like Kleenex or Band-Aid.
This video offers a firsthand account of that era, told with humor and pride by someone who lived it. It’s a story of vision, experimentation, and trusting your gut—even when the approach is unconventional.
