The papers of Wallace W. Elton span the years 1909 to 1990, although the bulk of the material dates from the 1940s to the 1960s. They consist of correspondence, memoranda, financial records, advertisements, military records, reports, photographs, drawings and other artwork, diaries, scrapbooks, memorabilia, printed material, and clippings. The collection documents the career of Elton; advertising history, especially agency management and the role of the creative director; and the automobile industry, especially advertising campaigns. Clients of the J. Walter Thompson Company represented in the collection include Chesebrough-Pond's, Ford Motor Company, and Pan American World Airways.
The papers of Lucile Turnbach Platt, former employee of the J. Walter Thompson Company's Personality Department, span the years 1926 to 1930; some Items are undated. The materials primarily document the creation of a testimonial advertising campaign for Simmons beds and boxsprings, and Beautyrest mattresses. The papers illustrate the selection of spokespersons, photographing of them and their home interiors, travel arrangements, delivery and removal of beds, and payment for their services. The materials chiefly consist of office memoranda and other correspondence among Platt, other JWT staff and product spokespersons. The collection also includes photographs and negatives, a few samples of advertisements, lists of women approached to participate, unsigned copies of contracts, and drafts of testimonials. Most of the files relate to soliciting very prominent American and foreign women to endorse Simmons products, including Eleanor Roosevelt, Mrs. Charles Crocker, Mrs. John Sargent Pillsbury, Mrs. Perry Tiffany, Mrs. Robert T. Vanderbilt, and Mrs. John W. Wanamaker III, among many others. Endorsers were paid between $1,000 and $5,000 for permission to use their names, photographs, and testimonials. Photographs of bedrooms were shot on location in the women's homes. The materials are arranged with miscellaneous Simmon's account files first, alphabetically by title, then files are arranged alphabetically by the spokesperson's name.
The papers of Sidney A. Olson date to 1957. They consist of reports and artwork created during a trip to identify production locations in Asia and the Middle East for the Ford Motor Company television campaign, " Proved and Approved Around the World." The reports describe highlights of the areas visited and include observations of local political and social conditions.
The Review Board Records, J. Walter Thompson Company's New York Office's primary mechanism for controlling the quality of its services, span the years 1947 and 1953-1976 (bulk 1956-1974). Senior-level creative, account, and management personnel composed the Review Board. It provided guidance to account teams, which were assigned to manage advertising for particular clients, and ensured that client campaigns reflected the cumulative wisdom of the Company's most experienced employees. Frequent changes in the Review Board system make a brief description of its operations impossible, but generally, five to eight creative, account, and management personnel comprised a Review Board for each advertising account. Clients' different brands might have a separate Review Board for each product. Individual Review Board members usually had responsibility for a dozen or more accounts. The procedures called for meetings at least once a year and every time account representatives considered a major campaign. The records consist of meeting minutes, correspondence, memoranda, and reports. Clients represented include Lever Brothers, Liggett and Myers, Scott Paper Company, Warner-Lambert, Standard Brands, Ford Motor Company, Chesebrough-Ponds, Eastman Kodak and a number of others.
The James Webb Young Papers chiefly consist of correspondence, memoranda, reports, and publications and span the years 1927-1984. These materials provide insights into Young's career as well as the operational aspects of the J. Walter Thompson Company, especially the early development of their international branch offices.
Treasurer's Office Records span the years from 1928-1952, although the bulk of the material dates from 1928 to the 1940s. The collection documents the financial operations of JWT offices around the world and to a lesser extent in the United States. The materials consist of correspondence, financial records, and legal documents relating to the activities of JWT's Treasurer's Office. Correspondents include Earle Clark (Treasurer, 1921-39), Donald C. Foote, (Assistant Treasurer in charge of accounting and budgeting in JWT's international operations, 1937-52), Luther O. Lemon (Assistant Treasurer and Comptroller, 1937-46; Treasurer, 1946-57), and Sam Meek (Vice President in charge of International Operations 1930-64); senior staff members in domestic and international offices; JWT's legal counsel; and representatives from numerous financial institutions. Multinational clients represented in the International Offices Series are the Eastman Kodak Company, the Kellogg Company, the Gillette Company, RCA, and Reader's Digest. International offices well-documented include those in Antwerp, Berlin, Bombay, Bucharest, London, and Mexico City. Records for many of JWT's offices are not included in the Treasurer's Office Records, which indicates that the files in their present form may be incomplete.
Correspondence, memos, reports, speeches, and printed items relating to Stridsberg's career at the J. Walter Thompson Company. Documentation includes reports and pamphlets that address television advertising to men and children, brand advertising, public service campaigns, the role of research in advertising, tobacco marketing, JWT's international offices and clients. Also included are texts of speeches by Rena Bartos and other JWT officers, and Stridsberg's reminiscences of his years at J. Walter Thompson Company in the 1960s and 1970s, especially regarding Ralph Nader and the Ford Motor Company as well as international cigarette marketing. The printed material includes issues of a serial, Motivations (1956-1957), and other bulletins published by Ernest Dichter's Institute for Motivational Research. Audiovisual materials include radio compilation cassettes produced by the Radio Advertising Bureau and other entities; 16mm films Coca-Cola campaigns by McCann-Erickson agency (undated) and a 1976 reel from Dancer Fitzgerald Sample. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
The Papers of Granger Tripp span the years 1958-1984. They chiefly consist of presentations and speeches, but also include correspondence, memoranda, publications, and clippings, as well as a manuscript score for the Kodak song "The Times of Your Life," photographs, and audiovisual material.
The J. Walter Thompson Company World War II Advertising Collection documents the war-related activities of the J. Walter Thompson Company (JWT) advertising agency during 1940-1948, including a few post-war assessments. In particular, it shows JWT's contributions to the war effort by its in-house documentation and work on government, civilian, and war-supporting charitable organization accounts. Materials include lists, memos, press releases, correspondence, notes, and advertisement tearsheets and proofs. Many of the materials in this collection are products of campaigns conducted under the auspices of the War Advertising Council, as well as those sponsored by civilian clients. These advertisements and pamphlets supported food rationing, fuel and rubber conservation, the purchase of War Bonds, the United Services Organization (USO), military recruitment, and women's employment in war-related jobs. Other advertisements arose from JWT's work in 1941 and 1942 for the Navy Relief Society. Items produced by the JWT London Office supported British War Relief (Ministry of Food, 1940-1941) and the Food Facts series (recipes and cooking tips for foods available despite rationing).
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.
Collection created by the JWT Chicago Office Information Center as a reference and research tool for business use. The term "non-proprietary" is JWT's term for research prepared or collected by the company but not on behalf of specific clients. The collection includes market and consumer research reports arranged alphabetically by subject. A small number of items represent JWT research done, but most were created by market research firms (e.g., Yankelovich, Elmo Roper and Associates), cable TV stations (e.g., MTV Networks), or magazines (e.g., Seventeen, Good Housekeeping), and others. Topics include consumer demographic analyses for the United States, especially of food and beverage products and restaurant services. Marketing to women is a major subject; there is also information on marketing to men, baby boomers, teens, and children. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising and Marketing History. (02-256)