J. Walter Thompson Company. Chicago Office. records, 1908-2000 and undated

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Summary

Creator:
J. Walter Thompson Company. Chicago Office
Extent:
161 Linear Feet (50,000 items)
Language:
English.
Collection ID:
RL.00675

Background

Scope and content:

This collection (94-110) (27,000 items, 50 linear feet, dated 1908-1989) consists mostly of vertical files, including office newsletters, speeches and writings, publications, training and planning documents from Chicago and other JWT offices. There are also 78 reels of microfilm of Chicago office ads prior to 1970, as well as significant collections of proof files especially pertaining to major clients like Kraft, Quaker Oats, and Schlitz. In addition, the collection holds several hundred "Aber Reports" dating between 1950-1971, which were market research summations of various product categories. A container list for this accession follows below.

Subsequent additions (96-169, 99-130, 99-239) (8514 items; dated 1970-1998) contain an item-level index to the massive library of research reports maintained by JWT's Chicago Office. Materials are arranged in alphabetical order; the largest alphabetical run is by company name. There are also cards for "X" and "AV" reports, general research reports, and an index to JWT People Profiles. Also included are printed proceedings from international symposia on magazine readership research for 1981, 1983, 1985, 1988, and 1991, including copies of some of the previously unpublished papers and related printed material (1998). These materials reveal the lengths to which advertisers go to gain insight into consumer thinking. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising and Marketing History. A container list for accession 99-130 follows below.

Addition (01-110) (70 items, .2 lin. ft.; dated [1980s]) consists of about 70 color slides depicting people, events, and locations within the company's Chicago offices.

Addition (02-0188) (397 items, 8.7 linear feet; dated 1980-2000 and undated) comprises primarily information on and examples of Thompson Total Branding (TTB), including in the US, England, Jamaica, and Asia. TTB began in 1996 and is JWT's method for addressing client marketing needs. Also includes copies of earlier methodologies, the T-Plan and Thompson Way; employee manuals; training material; J. Walter University intern/trainee manual (2000); information about the Lintas, McCann-Erickson, and Ogilvy and Mather agencies; material from JWT's World Partners Council meetings (Italy, 1995; Mexico, 1997) and marketing seminars held in the agency's Asia-Pacific region; six 3/4" U-matic SP and 11 VHS videocassettes, mainly of presentations and training material (1980s-1990s); 1 audiocassette; 47 color slides; and 208 electronic documents on 2 CD-ROMs. A container list for this accession follows below.

Several accessions of the JWT Chicago Office Records were completely or partially deaccessioned at the request of the JWT Chicago and returned to the JWT Record Center. These involved proprietary research in which the clients still retained an interest. The accessions involved were: 95-016 (10 boxes); 95-015 (7 boxes); 95-018 (2 boxes); 95-017 (1 box); and 99-0130 (28 boxes). For further information, contact Research Services.

Biographical / historical:

Company founded in NY in 1864. The J. Walter Thompson company is one of the world's oldest and largest advertising firms.

Acquisition information:
The J. Walter Thompson Company. Chicago Office. Records was received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift in 1994-2002.
Processing information:

Processed by Rubenstein Library staff; Joshua Kaiser

Completed September 9, 2002

Additions processed by Richard Collier

Last updated August 26, 2004

Encoded by Joshua Kaiser, Ruth E. Bryan, and Richard Collier

This collection is unprocessed: materials may not have been ordered and described beyond their original condition.

Physical location:
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

Using These Materials

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials

Restrictions:

Collection is restricted.

Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.

All or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. There may be a 48-hour delay in obtaining these materials.

Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], J. Walter Thompson Company. Chicago Office. Records, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.