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Advertising Agency Records in the Hartman Center: Collections by Agency

Manuscript collections of Advertising Agencies in the Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising, and Marketing History, Duke University

Agency Manuscript Collections

Bates Worldwide Records, 1934–2003

Advertising agency founded in 1940, noted for a hard-sell advertising philosophy it called the "Unique Selling Proposition." Contains office files, correspondence, new business proposals, as well as print advertisements and graphic designs. Principal clients represented include Carter-Wallace (Arrid deodorants, Trojan condoms), Footlocker, Hyundai, and Wendy's.

 

Brouillard Communications, Inc. Vertical Files, ca. 1973–2000

Advertising agency founded in 1968 as a division of the J. Walter Thompson Company, specializing in corporate advertising for major American and multinational firms. Contains corporate image advertisement clippings and proofs, primarily in the computer, fashion, liquor, insurance, mutual funds, and telecommunications industries. Major clients represented include AT&&T, Du Pont, General Electric, IBM, Kodak, RJR Nabisco, and Xerox. Also includes articles and unpublished reports on major industries and corporate clients.

 

Charles W. Hoyt Company Records, 1894–1973 and undated (bulk 1909–1928)

Primarily documents the founding and operation of the company, in addition to the personal activities of the Hoyt family (Charles, Effie, Winthrop, and Everett), particularly Winthrop's service during World War II in the U.S. Army Air Force. Includes correspondence, scrapbooks, company publications and manuals, financial records, clippings, diaries, writings, drawings, photographs, house advertisements, Nazi medals, song lyrics, and printed material. Scrapbooks contain materials for Arnold Bakers, Golden Blossom Honey, Jamaica Tourist Board, KLM, Stanley Home Products, the Charles B. Woolson Co. and the State of New Hampshire. The collection includes limited client material; the only surviving client advertisements are for Merck & Co.
 

Compton Advertising, Inc. Records, 1915–1956

The Compton Advertising, Inc. Records include proofs of "house advertisements" and brochures promoting Blackman Advertising, Inc.; its successor Compton Advertising, Inc.; and the Blackett, Sample & Hummert, Inc. agency. Contains an album of mounted photographs; and credentials charts intended for new business presentations.

 

D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles Archives, 1929-1989 (bulk 1950s–mid 1980s)

Contains Benton & Bowles agency and client files, print and television advertisements, films, photographs, audio tapes, clippings, research notes, and financial papers primarily created by the New York office. Documents the advertising careers of William B. Benton and Atherton W. Hobler and the 1985 merger of the D'Arcy-MacManus & Masius agency with Benton & Bowles to form DMB&B. Also contains research and publications on the history of Benton & Bowles by Gordon Webber and Frank Smith; television programs created by B & B in the 1950s; materials on employee training, recruitment, and management; and marketing research.
 

Foote, Cone & Belding Communications, Inc. Records, 1964–1978 and undated

Consists of audiotapes, videocassettes, 16mm film, focus group studies, television schedules, scripts and photoboards from television commercials.
 

Gotham Inc. Records, 1967–1997

Advertising agency founded in 1995, successor to several agencies including Laurence Charles Free & Lawson and Daniel & Charles. Collection primarily contains videotapes of commercials produced from 1973-1996 for Gotham's clients, including Bristol Myers, Gorton's, American Tobacco products, and Heublien. Also includes slides of print advertisements, laminated print ads, and miscellaneous articles and brochures about Gotham's predecessor agencies.
 

J. Walter Thompson Company Archives, 1862-2003 (bulk 1890s-1990s) [JWT LibGuide]

Originally founded by William James Carlton in 1864 under the name Carlton & Smith, the J. Walter Thompson Company grew to become the largest multinational agency in the world. The JWT Archives represents the most extensive surviving historical record of any advertising agency, and contain over 80 individual collections. Materials represented include: account files and advertisements for major clients such as Andrew Jergens, Chesebrough-Pond's, Eastman Kodak, Ford Motor Company, Kellogg's, Kraft, Lever Brothers, Pan American, Seven-Up, and Warner Lambert; international and competitive print advertisements; corporate, financial, and personnel files; correspondence and memoranda; records for the Chicago, Detroit, Frankfurt, London, and New York offices; the papers of various JWT executives; writings and speeches; research and marketing reports; press clippings, newsletters, and JWT publications; microfilms; and audio-visual materials. For a comprehensive listing of collections included in the JWT Archives, please consult the Principal Collections-JWT page
 

McCann-Erickson Audiovisual Collection, 1980s–1990s and undated

Collection consists of over 700 videocassette tapes of commercials for domestic, international and global advertising campaigns.
 

McCann-Erickson Worldwide vertical files, 1914-1997

Collection consists of reference files by topic.  Files include research reports, periodicals, maps, clippings, brochures, and other printed material.

National Press Company Advertising and Promotional Materials Collection, 1949–1955 and undated

Chicago-based printing and advertising company which specialized in promotional materials and printed novelties (such as matchbook covers, calendars and postcards) produced for political figures and small businesses.
 

Warwick Baker O'Neill Records, 1931-2000 (bulk 1985-2000)

Records of the agency founded in 1939 by John P. Warwick, which operated under various names until its closing in 2001: Warwick & Legler (1939-1972), Warwick Welsh & Miller (1972-1982), Warwick Advertising (1982-1988), Warwick Baker Fiore (1988-1996). Includes new business documents and pitches, case studies and qualitative research, account planning, employee office files, memoranda and correspondence, storyboards and audio/videotapes of radio/television commercials, print advertisements, scrapbooks, and public relations materials. The major campaign represented is "Crafted With Pride in the USA;" other products and clients include Driver's Mart, WestPoint Pepperell, Benjamin Moore Paint, US Tobacco (Skoal and Copenhagen brands), Panasonic, Fruit of the Loom, Bausch & Lomb, Bacardi, Heineken, Amstel Light, and Van Munching.
 

Wells Rich Greene Inc. Records, 1954–1998

Advertising agency founded in 1966 by Mary Wells (former copy writer for Doyle Dane Bernbach), this fast-growing creative firm was renowned for groundbreaking advertising campaigns from the 1960s until it closed its doors in 1998. Influenced by the countercultural youth movement of the late 1960s, WRG adopted a progressive approach to advertising, epitomized in campaigns for Love Cosmetics. Archives primarily contain print advertisements for clients including American Motors (1969-1972), Benson & Hedges (1960s), Ford (late 1970s), Max Factor (1978-1985), Miles Laboratories (1971-1982), Pan American (1982-1988), and Philip Morris (1972-1990); also includes advertisements for clients represented by WRG during the technology boom of the late 1980s, such as IBM, MCI Communications, and Atari. In addition to print ads, also contains press clippings, promotional materials, and films/videotapes of commercials.
 

Wunderman Archives, 1946-2010

Wunderman is a direct marketing and behavior-oriented marketing communications firm founded in 1958 as Wunderman Ricotta & Kline.  The Wunderman Archives span the years 1946-2010 and comprise the administrative records of direct-mail and direct marketing agency Wunderman and it's predecessor entities Wunderman Ricotta & Kline, Wunderman Worldwide, Wunderman Cato Johnson, and Impiric, as well as its subsidiary offices in the U.S. and abroad; associated firms such as Stone & Adler and Chapman Direct; and it's relations with parent company Yound & Rubicam.  The collection includes general office files, policy and procedural manuals, training materials, awards, account files, new business records, professional papers of founder Lester Wunderman and other key executives.   See also, the professional papers of Lester Wunderman.