The Bertram Metter Papers span 1908 to 2000, with the bulk of the collection dating 1953 through the late 1980s. The collection includes materials in a variety of formats, including correspondence, writings, newspaper and magazine clippings, sheet music, printed materials, photographs, and photostats, that document Metter's thirty years in advertising and marketing, with a focus on his career as a copywriter, creative director, and Vice Chairman at J. Walter Thompson USA (JWT). The collection provides a record of Metter's early work as a "direct response specialist" for the Ford Motor Company direct marketing operation, and other roles on the Ford account (Metter directed print and television promotion for Ford and played a key role in the launching of several new car models). In addition to Ford materials, the collection documents Metter's work for other major clients, including the Pepsi-Cola Company (Mexico) and Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company. While the bulk of the collection consists of advertising and marketing research, client reports and correspondence, promotional materials, and other professional files, the collection also contains materials related to Metter's later work as a consultant and author, including drafts of an unpublished book manuscript entitled "Breaking the Rules at J. Walter Thompson," a chronicle of his career at JWT.
The collection is organized into four series: Professional Files, Writings, Ford Motor Company Account Files, and Other Clients.
The Professional Files Series contains JWT office (non-client) files, memoranda, and publications; industry publications and press clippings; overviews of Metter's professional biography; and limited files on Metter's consulting work for Ross Roy Advertising. The Writings Series contains Metter's writings on the advertising industry; bulk of series is composed of an unpublished book manuscript entitled "Breaking the Rules at J. Walter Thompson," comprised primarily of chapter drafts and research. The Ford Series, the largest series in the collection, includes materials relating to the launch and promotion of new models (Escort, Maverick, Mustang, Olympic, Pinto, Thunderbird, and Torino); marketing research and strategic reports; Ford direct mail materials and newsletters; television commercial scripts and storyboards; advertisement clippings and headlines; reproduction prints of early photographs of the Model T from the Ford Archives, Henry Ford Museum; photostats promoting the Ford Erika; and photocopies of sheet music of Ford songs from the early twentieth century. The Other Clients Series includes materials relating to general marketing research; new business acquisition; and promotional campaigns for clients other than Ford, including Firestone, Liggett & Myers, and Pepsi-Cola (Mexico). Large-format materials have been removed from their original series location and relocated to Oversize Materials.
Chronology
| Date |
Event |
| 1927 Aug. 14 | Born in New York, NY |
| 1949 | B.A. Brooklyn College |
| 1952 | M.A. Columbia University |
| 1953-1956 | Copy chief, New York Mirror, Advertising Promotion Department |
| 1956-1959 | Copy chief, Newsweek Magazine (New York), Circulation Department |
| 1960-1991 | Joined the J. Walter Thompson Company (JWT), New York; initially hired as a "direct response specialist" in charge of the Ford direct mail operation |
| 1965-1973 | Vice President, JWT |
| 1969 | Creative Supervisor, JWT |
| 1973-1978 | Senior Vice President, JWT |
| 1974 | Creative Director, JWT |
| 1978 | Became Executive Vice President, JWT |
| 1980 | Received A.M.P., Harvard University (Advanced Management Program, Harvard Business School) |
| 1980 | Board of Directors, JWT USA |
| 1982 | Executive Creative Director, JWT USA |
| 1984 | Vice Chairman, JWT USA |
| 1986-1987 | Chairman, Board of Directors, JWT USA |
| 1987 | Became advertising and marketing consultant, primarily to the Ross Roy Group ( Bloomfield Hills, MI) Resigned from JWT USA |
| 1988 | Rehired as Chairman, Board of Directors, JWT USA after the company was bought by WPP Group, plc ( Great Britain) |
| 1991 | Retired from JWT |
| 1991- | Ongoing consultant to JWT |
After Burton J. Manning, Metter became only the second creative director at JWT to rise to the level of Chairman, Board of Directors. In the midst of a management crisis that hit the financially ailing company, Metter resigned in 1987. Metter was rehired as Chairman in 1988; his primary tasks were to coordinate new business efforts for JWT USA, provide additional strategic advice for ongoing accounts, and focus on general management and creative troubleshooting.
During his time with JWT, Metter won numerous creative awards, including Clios, Cannes Film Festival awards, Advertising Age 100 Best TV Commercials, and others. He published several articles about the advertising business in Advertising Age and other industry publications.
