The J. Walter Thompson Company (JWT), founded in 1864, is one of the oldest and largest enduring advertising agencies in the United States. Thomas Sutton was an executive in charge of JWT's international operations during the 1960s-1970s. The Thomas Sutton Papers span the years 1965-1975 and document Sutton's career, especially his role in JWT's international expansion and the establishment of global advertising markets. The papers provide insight into JWT's international financial matters--budgets, salary structure, stock incentive plans and market shares--as well as personnel policies, client relations, product launches, television advertising projects and marketing research and strategies, seen from the perspective of Sutton's position as JWT chief executive for international operations. The papers also contain marketing plans, evaluations and reports for a number of JWT's international offices, that provide a detailed glimpse into JWT's operations within the respective countries' economic and socio-political contexts. The offices represented include Amsterdam, Bogotá, Brussels, Buenos Aires, Caracas, Ceylon, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Johannesburg, Karachi, Lima, London, Mexico City, Milan, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, San Juan, Santiago, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Vienna and Zürich. Key clients include the Honda Motor Company, Eastman Kodak Company, Ford Motor Company, the Hertz Corporation, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg Company, Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company, Nestlé, Pan American World Airways, PepsiCo, Inc. and Unilever (Lever Brothers).
The Thomas Sutton Papers span the years 1965-1975 and document Sutton's career, especially his role in JWT's international expansion and the establishment of global advertising markets. The papers include correspondence, printed materials, business reports, advertising brochures, photographs, statistical documents, and pamphlets that provide insight into JWT's international financial matters--budgets, salary structure, stock incentive plans and market shares--as well as personnel policies, client relations, product launches, television advertising projects and marketing research and strategies, seen from the perspective of Sutton's position as JWT chief executive for international operations. The papers also contain marketing plans, evaluations and reports for a number of JWT's international offices, that provide a detailed glimpse into JWT's operations within the respective countries' economic and socio-political contexts. The offices represented herein include Amsterdam, Bogotá, Brussels, Buenos Aires, Caracas, Ceylon, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Johannesburg, Karachi, Lima, London, Mexico City, Milan, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, San Juan, Santiago, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Vienna and Zürich. Key clients include the Eastman Kodak Company; Ford Motor Company; the Hertz Corporation; Honda Motor Company; IBM; Johnson & Johnson; Kellogg Company; Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company; Nestlé; Pan American World Airways; PepsiCo, Inc.; and Unilever (Lever Brothers). While most of the files are in English, some of the documents are written in Spanish and Portuguese.
The collection is organized into three Series--the General Office Files Series; the Central and South American Office Files Series; and the Annual Marketing Plans and Reports Series.
The General Files Series contains correspondence, memoranda and periodical reports on JWT management and marketing, JWT's international offices and operations, as well as on other international advertising agencies. Topics include capital expenditures, fees and commissions, management salary and bonus policies, and stock incentive plans. The correspondence on international new business includes clients such as Hertz, Honda, and IBM. Arranged alphabetically.
The Central and South American Offices Files Series contains correspondence and reports on JWT budgets, market shares, profits, marketing research and product launches, as well as newsletters and some newspaper clippings pertaining to individual country offices of JWT throughout Latin America. The documents reflect the communication between JWT personnel and the dealings between JWT and its large international clients such as Ford, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg's, Kodak, Lever, Liggett & Myers, Pan American World Airways, Pepsi-Cola, and Nestle, as well as prospective clients like Siemens and local clients in Central America and South America. The documents provide insights into JWT's operation in the expanding advertising markets of Central and South America. This series also includes assessments of the respective countries' economies, census data, and the competition in the advertising market. Moreover, it shows the increasing importance of television advertising in the Latin American market. Organized alphabetically.
Annual Marketing Plans and Reports Series contains status and planning reports from JWT's international operations. The documents assess the respective country's economy, politics, and the advertising and media market as a context for presenting a review of the JWT's offices' financial and organizational performance that includes billings, expenditures, and profits, salaries, personnel, specific clients, and the company's public relations in the respective past year. This analysis of strengths and weaknesses provides the bases for a discussion of the targets and objectives for the respective next year. Arranged alphabetically.
Restriction on access: Sensitive personnel materials pertaining to individual employee matters are closed to non-JWT users until 2043. Those items have been physically removed to Restricted Materials. Fragile original materials have been relocated to Removed Materials. Use Copies are available to patrons.
Additional information on JWT's international advertising operations may be found in the J. Walter Thompson Co. London Office Records, the J. Walter Thompson Co. Frankfurt Office Records, the Harry Clark Papers, the Arthur Stridsberg Papers, and the Shirley F. Woodell Papers. In addition, files relating to Thomas Sutton may be found in the Denis Lanigan Papers and the Peter Gilow Papers.