J. Walter Thompson Company. Jack Peters papers, 1965-1989 and undated

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Summary

Creator:
J. Walter Thompson Company
Abstract:
The J. Walter Thompson Company (JWT), founded in 1864, is one of the oldest and largest enduring advertising agencies in the United States. Jack Peters worked at JWT 31 years and served as Chief Operating Officer and President of JWT-USA (1984-1987) and JWT-Worldwide (1986-1987). The Jack Peters Papers span the years 1965-1989 and document Peters' career, especially his role in JWT's international offices, and with the Ford Motor Company advertising account. The collection includes general files related to JWT policies, procedures and personnel, advertising research reports, correspondence files, campaign proofs and launch materials, files related to media campaign strategies, presentation notes and scripts. The collection also contain marketing plans, evaluations and reports for a number of JWT's domestic and international offices, including Argentina, Canada, South Africa as well as offices in Europe and Asia. Represented clients include Eastman Kodak, Ford, Goodyear, Kellogg, Kraft, Miller beer, Twentieth Century Fox, Unilever, and Warner-Lambert.
Extent:
41 Linear Feet
30,750 Items
Language:
Material in English, German, Japanese, Spanish
Collection ID:
RL.00738

Background

Scope and content:

The Jack Peters Papers span the years 1965-1989 and document Peters' career, especially his role in JWT's international offices, and with the Ford Motor Company advertising account. The collection includes general files related to JWT policies, procedures and personnel, advertising research reports, correspondence files, campaign proofs and launch materials, files related to media campaign strategies, presentation notes and scripts. The collection also contain marketing plans, evaluations and reports for a number of JWT's domestic and international offices, including Argentina, Canada, South Africa as well as offices in Europe and Asia. Represented clients include Eastman Kodak, Ford, Goodyear, Kellogg, Kraft, Miller beer, Twentieth Century Fox, Unilever, and Warner-Lambert.

Biographical / historical:
Chronology List
Date Event
1931 Aug. 5
Born John Edwards Peters, Highland Park, Ill.
1952-1954
U.S. Army, Intelligence Division.
1956
B.S. in Business, Miami (Ohio) University.
1956
Joined JWT as Account Manager.
1972
Senior Vice President of JWT-USA and JWT-London.
1975
Executive Vice President and Account Director of JWT-USA in the New York office.
1977
Graduated from the Advanced Management Program, Harvard University.
1980
Vice Chairman of JWT-USA.
1984-1987
President and Chief Operating Officer of JWT-USA.
1986-1987
President and Chief Operating Officer of JWT-Worldwide.
1987
Dismissed from JWT, following a failed buy-out attempt, and subsequently retired.
1993 Aug. 5
Died, Greenwich, Conn.

After Leaving JWT, Peters ran an aviation company in Westchester, Conn.; practiced scuba diving (resulting in 200 dives in the Caribbean and Pacific Oceans); and served memberships in the American Bonanza Society and the American Soaring Society. On his birthday in 1993, Peters was shot and killed by a family friend while swimming at his home in Greenwich, Conn.

Acquisition information:
The Jack Peters Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift in 1993.
Processing information:

Processed by Jessica Wood, October 2009

Encoded by Jessica Wood, October 2009

Accession 93-011 is described in this finding aid.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into 11 series: Administrative Files; Client Files; Correspondence and Memoranda; International Offices; Meetings; New Business; Personnel Files; Reports; Subsidiaries; Writings and Speeches; and Oversize Materials. Administrative Files contains general memoranda, correspondence, policy information, and other files related to the organization and administration of JWT domestic and international offices, as well as to company policies on television and print media. Client Files contains correspondence, proofs, presentation notes and scripts, campaign ideas and clippings related to various JWT-USA and international clients, and especially the Ford Motor Company. Correspondence and Memoranda contains correspondence primarily between Jack Peters and various JWT employees, as well as general JWT office memoranda. International Offices contains correspondence, meeting reports, travel documentation, presentation files, audit information, information on features of various markets in specific regions, as well as general administrative memoranda for JWT's international offices. Meetings contains charts, presentation scripts, memoranda and logistical information, and notes pertaining to various JWT meetings and general advertising events. New Business contains scripts, plans, meeting files, and research related to JWT new accounts prospects, including scripts of general agency presentations, marketing and acquisitions plans, and new business reports from JWT regional domestic offices. Personnel Files includes materials on JWT personnel organization and management, employee biographies, transfers and statistics, as well as files on individual salaries, benefits and loans. Reports contains charts and prose reports covering topics such as advertising techniques, research, media, industries, and demographics. Also includes annual reports and operations reviews documenting the performance of various aspects of the JWT-USA's financial and organizational performance. These reviews include billings, expenditures, and profits, salaries, personnel, specific clients, and the company's public relations in the respective past year. Subsidiaries contains contracts, monthly statements, correspondence notes, charts, minutes, and other documents pertaining to JWT's domestic and European subsidiaries. Writings and Speeches contains scripts and notes relating to presentations and speeches given by Jack Peters and other JWT employees, primarily on JWT initiatives and status. Oversize Materials contains large-format items removed from previous series. Includes several proofs from Ford campaigns in various countries.

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

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Restrictions:

Collection is restricted.

Files relating to personnel records are closed for 25 years from the date of the individual employee's death, or 40 years from the date of termination if the date of death cannot be determined.

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. The library may require up to 48 hours to retrieve these materials for research use.

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

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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. Jack Peters Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.