Inventory of the J. Walter Thompson Company. Frankfurt Office. Denis Lanigan Papers, 1958-1964
[top]Descriptive Summary
TitleJ. Walter Thompson Company. Frankfurt Office.
Denis Lanigan Papers,
1958-1964
Creator
J. Walter Thompson Company. Frankfurt Office.
Extent
4.5 Linear Feet
ca. 3,375 Items
Repository
ca. 3,375 Items
Duke University Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special
Collections Library
Languages
English,
and German.
[top]
Administrative Information
Access RestrictionsCollection is open for research.
However, patrons must sign the Acknowledgment of Legal
Responsibility and Privacy Rights form before using this collection.
Also, all or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in
Duke University's Library Service Center. Consequently, there may be a 24-hour
delay in obtaining these materials.
Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the Rare
Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library to use this collection.
Use Restrictions
The copyright interests in the J. Walter Thompson Company Archives
have not been transferred to Duke University. For further information, see the
section on copyright in the Regulations and Procedures of the Rare Book,
Manuscript, and Special Collections Library.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], J. Walter Thompson Company. Frankfurt
Office. Denis Lanigan Papers, Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections
Library, Duke University.
Provenance
The Denis Lanigan Papers were transferred to the Rare Book,
Manuscript, and Special Collections Library from the J. Walter Thompson Company
(JWT) Frankfurt Office in 1995.
Processing Information
Processed by: Sylvia Pfeiffenberger
Completed December 1996
Encoded by Stephen Douglas Miller
Processing of this collection was supported in part by gifts from J.
Walter Thompson GmbH (JWT's Frankfurt Office), the J. Walter Thompson Company
Fund, and the John and Kelly Hartman Foundation.
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.
[top]
Biographical Note
| 1926 January 25 | Denis George Lanigan born in London, England |
| 1939-1944 | Attended Drayton Manor School |
| 1945-1948 | Served in the Royal Air Force |
| 1950 | Received Master of Arts Degree in Economics from Kings College, Cambridge |
| 1950-1952 | Worked in Bank of England Overseas and Foreign Department |
| 1952-1956 |
Joined Marketing Department of JWT
Worked as an Account Representative for Unilever
|
| 1957 January | Transferred to JWT-Frankfurt as Management Supervisor |
| 1959 March | Moved to New York Office as Account Supervisor for Unilever |
| 1959 October 5 | Married Jean Sanderson |
| 1960-1964 | Worked at JWT-Frankfurt as Joint Manager |
| 1964-1966 | Appointed Director of JWT-London, responsible for coordinating Unilever accounts worldwide |
| 1966 February | Succeeded Tom Sutton as Managing Director of JWT-London |
| 1969 | Elected Senior Vice-President of JWT parent corporation |
| 1974 | Named Executive Vice-President of JWT-Europe and elected to Board of Directors |
| 1975 March | Became Chairman of JWT-London Group Subsidiaries |
| 1976 October | Promoted to Chairman of JWT United Kingdom Group and President of European Division |
| 1980 August | Became a Vice Chairman in New York Office, responsible for finance and personnel worldwide |
| 1982 January | Named Vice Chairman-Chief Operating Officer, JWT-New York |
| 1982 | Elected to the Board of Directors of JWT Group, Inc. |
| 1986 Dec. | Retired from JWT |
Denis and Jean Lanigan had two children, Mark born in 1960 and Katherine in 1962. Mr. Lanigan currently resides in London.
[top]Collection Overview
The papers of Denis Lanigan, former advertising executive of the J.
Walter Thompson Company, span the years 1958 to 1964, with the bulk of the
material dating from 1959 to 1960 and from 1963 to 1964. The papers primarily
document activities of JWT's Frankfurt Office during the years Lanigan served
as Joint Manager. Specific topics covered are efforts to increase and improve
the use of television and print advertising in Europe, especially England and
Germany; to improve coordination of international JWT Offices to better serve
client interests; to increase European business; and to handle a variety of
personnel, public relations, and marketing concerns. The papers consist of
typed and handwritten correspondence, telexes and telegrams, memoranda, notes,
reports, one photograph, press releases, speeches, contracts, newsletters,
clippings, product samples, collateral literature and advertisements. Clients
of the company represented in the collection include Chesebrough-Pond's,
Findus, Ford, Johnson Wax (or Johnson-Gruenol), Kaufhof, Kraft, Lever-Sunlicht,
Pan American Airlines, Pepsi, Rowntree, Singer, Triumph, Warner-Lambert, Wick,
and others. Correspondents include clients; executives from JWT offices such as
George Black, David Campbell-Harris, Bill Hinks, Constance B. Ivie, Don
Johnston, Jens von Leutzendorff, Sam Meek, D. M. Saunders, Lubertus Smilde,
Norman Strouse, Thomas Sutton, and Edward G. Wilson; media consultants such as
Eric Boden; and persons affiliated with various companies and organizations.
Approximately 70 percent of the collection is in English and the
remainder is in German, with the exception of very small amounts of French,
Italian, and Dutch. English is the sole language of the
Articles Series and the
Layton Awards Series, and
the predominant language in the
Correspondence Series, the
Other JWT Offices Series,
and the
Meetings Series. English
and German are used in roughly equal amounts in the
Clients Series, the
New Business Series and the
Marketing and Research/Abteilung
Marktforschung Series. German is the predominant language in the
Memoranda/Haus-Mitteilungen
Series.
The
Correspondence Series
documents Lanigan's transition from JWT's New York Office to the Frankfurt
office, coordination between the Frankfurt and London Offices, Frankfurt's
day-to-day operations, German and American attitudes toward advertising, and
reviews of a German-made film on U.S. advertising called
" Bilder aus der neuen
Welt"
(
"Pictures from the New
World)."
The film profiles JWT, Benson and Mather, Dr. Dichter, Ogilvy,
and McCann-Erickson advertising agencies. The series also contains information
on accounts, including market strategies, difficulties in dealing with the
European management of Playtex, the coordination of Unilever, acquisition of
the Pan Am account in Vienna, and the production of television ads for various
clients. Correspondents from the New York office include Paul Albright, George
Black, Aldis Butler, M. Lee Calvert, Robert Carman, Malcolm Davis, Peter
Dunham, Robert Hawes, William Hinks, Connie Ivie, Sam Meek, O'Neill Ryan,
Norman Strouse, Clifford Snyder, and Lubertus Smilde, and from the London
office Thomas G. Hardie and D.M. Saunders. Other correspondents in this series
include persons affiliated with various media consulting firms; economic
research organizations; the advertising agencies Troost and McCann-Erickson;
and Booz, Allen, and Hamilton International; and organizations such as
Advertiser's Weekly, the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany, and the
Gesellschaft Werbeagenturen.
The
Other J. Walter Thompson Offices
Series consists of correspondence between Denis Lanigan and executives
from JWT's international offices. Files for the London and New York Offices
contain the most material, while Amsterdam, Milan, and Paris are also
substantial among the thirty-five offices documented. Topics include aspects of
film production for clients, the impact of legislation and public perception on
advertising internationally, training and personnel matters, Frankfurt Office
visitors, and international public relations for JWT. Some issues that are
covered specifically include 1962 total advertising expenditures in the UK;
Lord Robens' speech on advertising and politics; a major German exhibit on
advertising and the consumer (“Der umworbene Mensch”); information on outdoor
advertising in Italy; market research on the German beer and bread markets; the
need for establishing a JWT Office in Vienna; the development, testing and
introduction of new Lever products in Germany such as CD and SIGNAL; efforts to
improve the overall quality of film advertising in Germany including the
unsuccessful attempt to recruit well-known theater director Peter Zadek; and an
evaluation of the need for better assessing client conflicts of interest,
arising in part from the conflict between Canada Mink and the Swedish SAGA Mink
as JWT clients in Europe. Correspondents from the London Office include James
Archibald, Jeremy Bullmore, Christopher Cross, Bill Hinks, Norman Basset, Carl
Ivens, Elizabeth Oxley, Michael Patmore, Douglas Saunders, and Tom Sutton; and
from the New York Office, Gordon Conley and Edward Wilson among others. Current
and prospective accounts discussed in this series include Alcan, Brinkmann,
Bristol Myers, Burroughs, Braemar, Brillo, Canada Mink, Champion,
Chesebrough-Ponds, Dunlop, Eastman Kodak, Findus, Ford, Kaufhof, Kelloggs,
Kraft, Lintex, Lux, Merrill Lynch, Nestle, Oxo, Singer, Scott, Therachemie,
Triumph, and Vic's (UK name of Vick's/Wick).
The
Clients Series consists of
materials pertaining to JWT's day-to-day work for its clients, including market
strategies, campaign development, and the production of advertisements. It
includes background information on JWT's relationship with Ford in Germany and
Switzerland, a review of Kraft advertising in Germany, and information on
special promotions for Pepsi in Europe. Well-documented accounts in this series
include: Chesebrough Pond's, Dunlop, Ford, Intercontinental Hotels, Johnson
Wax, Litton Industries, Kaufhof, Kraft, Maggi, Merrill Lynch, Norda, Playtex,
Pepsi, SAGA, SIGNAL (a Lever product), Triumph, Warner-Lambert, and
Wrigley.
The
New Business Series documents
Frankfurt's strategies to acquire new clients. The series includes both
successful and unsuccessful new business presentations for the following
companies and organizations: Beecham/Ribena, Constructa, Dow Chemical, Eastman
Kodak, Famous Artist Schools, FAZ, Horlicks, Jopa, Langeberg Sales, Oetker,
Osram, Philips, Lever, SEL, Singer, and the World Coffee Promotion
Committee.
The
Memoranda/Hausmitteilungen
Series offers insight into the internal policy and communications of the
Frankfurt Office. The series specifically documents shifts in the Marketing
Department's organization and training, information on television advertising,
art-buying, the company's media archive, personnel policies, and daily
operations. Clients discussed in this series include Findus, Florida Citrus
Growers, Nordsee, RCA, SIGNAL, and Scott.
The
Meetings Series documents
Lanigan's participation in JWT European Managers' Meetings. Topics discussed at
the meetings include JWT's international public relations, management
coordination of international accounts, ideas for new business presentations,
the economic implications of the European common market, and interoffice
communication and exchange of personnel.
The
Articles Series contains
advertising and promotional plans for JWT agricultural clients (California
Raisin Advisory Board, Pineapple Growers Association, Olive Advisory Board).
Other topics include copy research and grocery trade; advertising effects on
economic growth; and international advertising markets and campaigns.
The
Marketing and Research/Abteilung
Marktforschung Series documents research projects, correspondence
(primarily with the New York Office), and memoranda of Frankfurt's Marketing
and Research division (Abteilung Marktforschung).
The
Layton Awards Series
consists of materials relating to the annual Layton Awards for British
advertising, an event sponsored by the graphics firm C and E Layton.
For related material, see other collections
in the J. Walter Thompson Company Archives, especially the papers of other
Frankfurt office executives, the Frankfurt advertisements collection, and the
Frankfurt video collection.
[top]
Subject Headings
These are searchable subject entries for this collection. Performing a
search on these subjects in the Duke University Libraries online catalog will
bring up other related research materials.
- Lanigan, Denis, 1926-
- Kraft Foods Company.
- Pepsi-Cola Company.
- Advertising executives.
- Advertising--Management.
- Advertising agencies--Germany.
- Advertising--Germany.
- Television advertising.
- John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Detailed Description of Collection
Correspondence, 1959-1964(bulk 1959-1960)
Consists of letters to and from
Lanigan as well as copies of correspondence
from or to other executives of the
Frankfurt Office, including
Peter Gilow. Also contains interoffice
communications such as notes, memoranda, and reports, as well as some personal
correspondence.
1959, March-Sept.Whitbread
1959-1960,A-Z
(4 folders)
1959-1960,A-Z
(4 folders)
1963-1964,A-Z
(4 folders)
Other J. Walter Thompson Offices, 1958-1964(bulk 1959-1960, 1963-1964)
Constitutes
Denis Lanigan's incoming and outgoing
correspondence with over thirty-five JWT offices worldwide. It contains
letters, telexes and telegrams, memoranda, notes, clippings, client lists,
printed materials, policy statements, reports, drafts of speeches, and meeting
minutes.
Amsterdam,
1959-1960,
1963-64
J. Walter Thompson Amsterdam Newsletter,
" JWT News -
Amsterdam,"
1960-1964(transferred to JWT
Newsletter Collection)
Antwerp,
1959-1960,
1963-1964
J. Walter Thompson Antwerp Newsletter,
" JWT Company
Belgian Bulletin,"
1960-1961(transferred to JWT
Newsletter Collection)
Bombay,
1960,
1963
Buenos Aires,
1963
Calcutta,
1959-1960
Cape Town,
1959,
1963-1964
Caracas,
1963
Chicago,
1959-1960,
1963-1964
Columbo,
1960,
1963
Detroit,
1960,
1963
Durban,
1960
Johannesburg,
1959-1960
Karachi,
1960
Lima,
1960,
1964
London:
1958 Dec.-1959 Sept.
1959-1960,A-Z
(7 folders)
1963-1964,A-Z
(4 folders)
Box 2
Los Angeles,
1959-1960,
1963
Madras,
1963
Manila,
1960,
1963
Mexico City,
1963
Milan:
1959-1960
1963-1964
J. Walter Thompson Milan Newsletters,
" Notizario J.W.T.
- Italia"
and
"Qui...Thompson
-Italia"
(transferred to the JWT Newsletter Collection)
Montevideo,
1960,
1963
Montreal,
1960
New Delhi,
1960,
1963
New York:
1959
1963-1964,A-Z
(5 folders)
J. Walter Thompson New York Newsletter,
" JWT Company
News,"
1959-1962(transferred to JWT
Newsletter Collection)
Paris,
1958-1960,
1963-1964
J. Walter Thompson Paris Newsletter,
" Informations JWT
Paris,"
1961and
1963(transferred to JWT Newsletter
Collection)
Rio de Janeiro,
1960,
1963
Salisbury,
1960
San Francisco,
1959-1960,
1963-1964
San Juan,
1960-1961,
1963
Santiago de Chile,
1963
Sydney,
1960,
1963
J. Walter Thompson Sydney Newsletter,
" JWT Company
Australian News"
(transferred to JWT Newsletter Collection)
Tokyo,
1960,
1963
Toronto,
1959-1960,
1963-1964
Vancouver,
1963
Vienna:
Correspondence,
1963,A-Z
Memoranda/Haus-Mitteilungen,
1963-1964
Zurich,
1963-1964
Clients Series, 1959-1964(bulk 1959-1960, 1963-1964)
Comprised of call reports (Kontaktberichte), market research,
minutes (Protokolle), clippings, invitations, contracts, letters of terms,
purchase orders, articles, speeches, bills, ads, graphs, and correspondence
with and regarding JWT clients.
1959-1960,A-T
(3 folders)
1963-1964
1963-1964,A-W
(2 folders)
1963-1964,A-Fi
1963,
Ford
(2 folders)
1963-1964,H-K
Box 3
1963-1964,M-Pe
1963-1964,Po-T
New Business Series, 1963-1964
Comprised of correspondence, notes, sample contracts, charts,
memos, public relations action proposals, articles, advertisements, speeches,
proxies, consumer surveys, and research policy statements relating to the
acquisition of new business accounts for JWT.
1963-1964,A-Z
(5 folders)
Memoranda/Haus-Mitteilungen, 1959-1962
Consists of internal correspondence, statements of company policy,
drafts of speeches, newsletters, other publications of JWT's Presse- und
Informationsdienste (media and information services), and lists of print media
in the company archive. Also includes the charter of the “JWT Dinner-Club,” an
organization for JWT's male executives.
1959-1960
(4 folders)
"JWT Report
Frankfurt,"
1959 Apr.-1962 Feb.,and
"Common Market
Newsletter,"
1960
J. Walter Thompson London Newsletter,
" Round the
Square,"
1960, Oct.(transferred to JWT Newsletter
Collection)
Meetings Series, 1962-1964
Comprised of agendas, minutes, memos, correspondence, and one
photograph relating to European Managers' Meetings. Includes a list of dates
and locations of all European Managers' Meetings that took place from
1958to
1964.
European Managers Meeting:
1962, Feb.,London
1962, June,Frankfurt
1962, Oct.,Milan
1963, Jan.,Amsterdam
J. Walter Thompson Amsterdam Newsletter,
" JWT News -
Amsterdam,"
1963(transferred to JWT Newsletter
Collection)
1963, June,
Frankfurt
(2 folders)
1963, Oct.,
Brussels
1964, Feb.,
London
Articles Series, 1958-1961
Includes JWT Research Department's bulletins, JWT news releases,
speeches, writings, copies of JWT house advertisements, a report on copy
research, clippings, articles, newsletters, and an international advertising
convention's program.
1958-1962
(4 folders)
Marketing and Research/Abteilung Marktforschung Series, 1959-1960
Comprised of European Research Meeting minutes, research projects,
speeches, reports, minutes (Protokolle), correspondence, and memoranda.
Includes a
1960speech by
Norman H. Strouse which introduced a series of
marketing seminars; monthly reports on work for clients and products such as
Dunlop,
Elida,
Ford,
Kraft,
Lux,
Nordsee,
Pepsi,
Ponds, and
Wick; and a memo on the
1960 Esomar Conference.
1959-1960,Correspondence
1959-1960,Memoranda
Layton Awards Series, 1960-1962
Contains notes, invitations, letters, exhibit catalogs, rules and
entry forms, speeches, articles and correspondence relating to the Layton
Awards. Includes a
1960 speech by
Prince Philip criticizing the current state of
British advertising.
1960-1962
(3 folders)
