Mad Men: What Your Favorite Character Says About You

Even though the “Mad” in Mad Men is short for “Madison Avenue,” plenty of characters in the series are indeed more than a little eccentric. From people getting run over by lawnmowers to others getting shot in the eye on business trips, there is no shortage of drama. Despite how crazy the advertising executives and those close to them are, audiences can’t help but love them.

Each of the main characters has a very distinct personality that a section of viewers is likely to identify with. Don’s secrets? Roger’s indulgences? There is someone like that somewhere. This is all thanks to good writing. After all, the series creator is Matthew Weiner, one of the most decorated television writers of all time. Here’s what some of the main characters say about their biggest fans.

10 Roger Sterling

Having grown up in a wealthy family, Roger is drawn to the finer things in life. He wears expensive suits and drinks expensive liquor. As a boss, he enjoys discussing strategies while making sure to take alcohol breaks. He lives life on the fast lane, to a point where his health becomes affected.

If Roger is your favorite character, you are likely hedonistic. Fun hours are more precious to you than work hours. You don’t mind mixing business pleasure either. Roger slept with 5 colleagues or business associates in the series. Most importantly, there is nothing you love more than having lots of money and staying classy.

9 Joan Holloway

As the office manager, Joan commands respect from most of the employees. She is quick to give advice and offer corrections. She is also one of the best-dressed employees throughout the series. Her organizational skills are admirable too. She makes sure the secretarial pool is well-arranged and tracks all the expenses.

Any Joan fan is likely to be extremely confident. Your admiration of the character means you are a natural-born manager too. You pride yourself on making sure everything runs smoothly. You are also very keen on how you look, making sure to appear stunning at all times.

8 Don Draper

Born Dick Whitman, Don grows up in a chaotic home. He then joins the army and gets deployed to Korea where he takes the name of a dead soldier named Don Draper and cuts off contact with his family. He gladly accepts Lt. Draper’s Purple Heart award by pretending to him. Back him, Don works hard and grows to one of the best advertising executives in America.

If Don’s story has always thrilled you, then you are the kind of person who would do anything to make it in life, even if it’s wrong or illegal. In addition to that, you are charming, a little selfish, and fearless. You also date around instead of sticking to one person. Don is the most promiscuous person in the series with a total of 23 romantic partners.

7 Pete Campbell

Pete is generally a competent person. He attends top schools such as Deerfield Academy and Dartmouth College before growing from an accounting executive to a junior partner. Competency aside, Pete is self-centered, jealous, and ambitious. He cheats on Trudy, tries to sabotage Ken’s progress, and threatens Don over a denied promotion.

If you adore Pete, you likely have a history of getting too close to the sun. Your wings haven’t been burned yet but you’ve had a few scares. You are also entitled and tend to be devastated when you don’t get what you want. On the brighter side, you are good at what you do, to the extent that people who hate you are forced to stick with you.

6 Peggy Olson

Peggy makes history as the first female copywriter since World War II. Apart from being skilled with the typewriter, she’s shown to be willing to keep her boss’ infidelities a secret too.

If Peggy is your favorite, you value your career above everything else. You are willing to make all the necessary sacrifices to climb the corporate ladder. You are also loyal and can be trusted with secrets.

5 Ken Cosgrove

Ken Cosgrove is highly productive. Not only does he manage to be a top-performing account executive handling brands such as Chevy but also manages to have a successful writing career on the side. His success in two different fields makes his colleagues jealous of him. Luckily, his bosses value his hard work.

If you identify with Ken, you are good at multi-tasker. Doing different things and pursuing different dreams at the same time is no problem for you. You aren’t confrontational either. Ken is continuously targeted by Pete throughout the series but this doesn’t bother him one bit.

4 Betty

Betty is the complete opposite of Peggy. She forgoes an education and a career in order to be a homemaker. However, this leaves her dissatisfied. She’d like to continue working but her husband Don isn’t supportive. She soon learns about his infidelities and they eventually get a divorce.

If you sympathize with Betty, you are the type of person to give up your dreams for other people. However, when you get crossed, you become resentful. Betty even has a revenge affair after learning about Don’s infidelity. Despite feeling unhappy and unaccomplished, you are a good person at heart.

3 Harry Crane

SCDP’s head of the Television Department regresses a lot during his time in the AMC series. He starts out as a loving husband but then cheats on his wife with Pete’s secretary during an office party. For a brief moment, he is remorseful but then he sinks into full-blown promiscuity. Harry’s lack of initiative is seen on a couple of occasions. He discovered that his colleagues are earning more than him. He also takes too long to respond to an offer from the bosses.

Being a Harry fan means you share some of his weaknesses. There is a chance that you broke bad at some point in your life. This hasn’t necessarily made you a better person. Nevertheless, you are still able to deliver when it matters.

2 Bert Cooper

Bert is a father figure to all his employees. Unlike Roger, he is more responsible and disciplined. As an elderly ad man who has seen it all, he is only focused on making decisions that are best for the company. He refuses to fire Don and Peter during their conflict. He also threatens Don into signing a contract later in the series.

A Bert Cooper admirer is one who holds on tightly to people that add value to him. They do everything in their power to keep such people in their lives even when they are about to lose them. Bert Cooper’s admirers also know to build things from the ground up.

1 Sally Draper

Sally grows up in a chaotic manner. Her parents are distant and her grandfather, who is her favorite, dies. As the series progress, she becomes more and more adventurous.

Is Sally your favorite? If she is, you must have grown up being a rebellious and adventurous child. You had lots of disagreements with your parents but they loved you anyway. You are aware you are stubborn but can’t help it because that is your nature.

About The Author

Philip Etemesi
(1222 Articles Published)

Philip Etemesi is an author, journalist, screenwriter and film critic based in Nairobi. Kenya. As a child, he preferred watching movies like The Goodfellas instead of Home Alone. His girlfriend constantly has to pull him from the front of the TV but he just keeps returning. Stubborn dude! An animal lover, Philip also has a pet giraffe called Refu.

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