Search

The Information Center Records span the years from the 1890s to 1987 with the bulk dating from the 1940s to 1987. Reports, memoranda, clippings, financial papers, and printed materials that relate to specific J. Walter Thompson Company accounts and offices and to advertising strategies comprise the majority of the collection and are found in the Vertical Files Series and Communications Committee Reports Series. The Information Center Records provide information about a wide variety of J. Walter Thompson accounts, specific details about its operation of domestic and international offices, and an in-depth view of how specific products were evaluated and promoted. The history of the J. Walter Thompson Company, the organization of multinational advertising agencies, and advertising research and marketing are also represented in this collection.

The papers of Howard Henderson, a J. Walter Thompson Co. advertising executive, span the years 1867 to 1978, although the bulk of the material dates from 1954 to 1960. The collection documents the history of the J. Walter Thompson Company (JWT). In particular it illustrates changes in the company's advertising philosophy through 1960; JWT's marketing strategies (especially the use of new findings in the fields of psychology, sociology, and anthropology); historical company and client relationships; structural relations and internal policies; analyses of advertising media; the company's adaptation to the changed business situation during World War II; and the career of Henderson and his deep personal involvement with clients, colleagues, and contacts outside of advertising. The material consists of correspondence, office files, memoranda, notes, account histories, advertisements, reports, charts, scripts, clippings, and printed materials. Clients represented include Andrew Jergens, Chesebrough-Pond's (1930s and 1940s especially), Eastman Kodak International, General Cigar, U.S. Playing Card Company (1930s and 1940s especially), NATO, Union Central Life Insurance, Arbuckle, U.S. Brewers Foundation, and Standard Brands (Fleischmann Yeast).

Alphabetical files of miscellaneous information about hundreds of mainly U.S. corporations, some of them domestic and many multinational. The fullest documentation tends to be for companies that are or have been JWT clients (notably Kraft, Quaker Oats, Sears, Ford, Northern Telcom, Gerber, Kellogg, Philip Morris, Oscar Mayer, Kemper, S.C. Johnson, McDonnell Douglas, Jos. Schlitz, 7-Up, and others) and several that are or were major competitors of JWT clients (e.g. AT&T, McDonald's, General Motors, among others). Files contain widely diverse formats of information including internal JWT unpublished reports and memoranda; many articles clipped from magazines (especially trade press) and newspapers; articles printed from computer databases; company publications and annual reports; historical booklets and articles; three vinyl record albums; and miscellaneous items. The richest files tend to be those for major JWT Chicago office accounts, with by far the greatest amount and diversity of information on Kraft. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising, and Marketing History.

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.