The phrase was first used in a series of television commercials that ran in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The commercials featured a distinctive voiceover that delivered a dramatic message, followed by the line "When E.F. Hutton talks, people listen."
These commercials were incredibly successful, and the phrase became synonymous with E.F. Hutton. However, the firm eventually fell into financial difficulties and was acquired by Shearson Lehman Brothers in 1989.