J. Walter Thompson Company. Thompson Way/Thompson Total Branding records, approximately 1975-2000 and undated

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Summary

Creator:
J. Walter Thompson Company and John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History
Abstract:
Founded in 1864, the J. Walter Thompson Company (JWT) is one of the oldest and largest enduring advertising agencies in the United States. It is headquartered in New York. Collection consists of training and policy manuals, presentations, other printed materials and videocassettes pertaining to the T-Plan, Thompson Way and Thompson Total Branding programs. Materials appear in English, Spanish and Japanese and include materials from JWT offices in The U.S., Argentina, Australia, Canada, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico and Thailand. Case study information for individual companies include DeBeers, Ford, Nabisco (Ritz crackers), Nabob Coffee, Nestle, Steppenwolf Theater and White Castle. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Extent:
6.0 Linear Feet
Language:
Materials in English, Spanish, Japanese.
Collection ID:
RL.11328

Background

Scope and content:

Consists of training and policy manuals, presentation materials, other printed materials and videocassettes pertaining to the T-Plan, Thompson Way and Thompson Total Branding programs. Materials appear in English, Spanish and Japanese and include materials from JWT offices in The U.S., Argentina, Australia, Canada, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico and Thailand. Case study information for individual companies include DeBeers, Ford, Nabisco (Ritz crackers), Nabob Coffee, Nestle, Steppenwolf Theater and White Castle. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.

Biographical / historical:

JWT's advertising reputation was historically based on a systematic approach to account planning and management. Beginning around 1916, JWT developed a simple mnemonic called the T-Square, a printed or metal draftsman's t-square that bore five key questions to guide account strategy. In the 1920s, account planning was further systematized with the Plan and Data Form, which considered the market situation, consumer base and advertising strategy. During the 1960s the London Office developed what came to be known as the T-Plan. The T-Plan began with a situation analysis that took into account not only the position of the product in the market, but also that of competing products, and undertook a much finer-grained analysis of the consumer base. This information drove actions by two different parties within JWT: the Target Planning Team working on the account, and the Strategy Review Board, a management oversight committee who reviewed and made recommendations on how a campaign should progress. The Thompson Way was launched in 1987, a set of account management tools intended to reinforce JWT's core mission of the time "to deliver greater value from their advertising than any other agency." In 1996, a new version, called Thompson Total Branding, emerged, that incorporated market assessments, product positioning, target audience and brand vision into a comprehensive and integrated brand communications strategy. Thompson Total Branding also sought to reposition the entire agency in terms of global brand communications. The following year, 1997, JWT launched Thompson Total Targeting, which integrated brand communications with marketing database analysis.

Acquisition information:
The J. Walter Thompson Company. Thompson Way/Thompson Total Branding records were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift in 1993-2002.
Processing information:

Processed by Richard Collier, Carmen Pharr, October 2016

Accessions described in this collection guide: 1993-070, 1997-0108, 1998-384, 2002-0132

Arrangement:

Organized into the following series: Thompson Way; Thompson Total Branding; Audiovisual Materials.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Subjects

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Subjects:
Advertising -- Management
Advertising -- History
Advertising -- Handbooks, manuals, etc.
Advertising agencies
Names:
John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History

Contents

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Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

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. Thompson Way/Thompson Total Branding records, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.