Inventory of the J. Walter Thompson Company. Don Johnston Papers, 1964-1996 and undated
[top]Descriptive Summary
Repository
Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke
University
Creator
J. Walter Thompson
Company.
Title
J. Walter Thompson Company.
Don Johnston Papers,
1964-1996 and
undated
Language of Material
Material
in English
Extent
17.5 Linear Feet
12000 Items
Abstract
12000 Items
The J. Walter Thompson
Company (JWT), founded in 1864, is one of the oldest and largest enduring
advertising agencies in the United States. Don Johnston held many positions at
JWT, beginning his career as a trainee in the Detroit mailroom and retiring as
CEO and President.
The Don Johnston Papers span the years
1964-1996 and document his career in various positions with JWT. The collection
includes international and domestic inter-office correspondence, personal and
administrative files, management manuals, presentations, speeches, budgets,
billings and profit reports, and video-cassettes that relate to planning for
JWT projects, committee meetings, marketing research, contracts with clients,
management directives, and JWT's corporate mission and philosophy. The papers
also touch on Joseph O'Donnell's attempted hostile takeover of the JWT Group,
and the purchase of JWT by the WPP Group. Clients represented include: Ford
Motor Company, Unilever, Chevron, General Foods, and Uniroyal Tire. Offices
represented include: Buenos Aires, Toronto, Chicago, Santiago, Detroit, Paris,
Frankfurt, Bombay (Mumbai), London, Tokyo, New York, and Johannesburg.
[top]
Administrative Information
Access RestrictionsCollection is restricted.
Collection may contain materials to which the Acknowledgment of
Legal Responsibilities and Privacy Rights form applies. Patrons must sign this
form before using this collection.
Original audiovisual materials are closed to patron use. Use copies
are available in the 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.
Copyright Notice
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 Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special
Collections Library.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], J. Walter Thompson Company. Don Johnston
Papers, Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke
University.
Provenance
The Don Johnston Papers were received by the Rare Book, Manuscript,
and Special Collections Library as transfers in 1995 and 2003.
Processing Information
Processed by Greg Johnson and Andrea Franzius, May 15, 2006
Encoded by Greg Johnson
Completed June 15, 2006
Accessions 96-021, 96-092, 96-093, 96-112, and 03-0258 were merged
into one collection, described in this finding aid.
Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory:
DACS, EAD, NCEAD guidelines, and our
local
Style Guide.
[top]
Biographical Note
Chronology List| 1927 | Born George Donald Johnston, Elmira, NY |
| 1950 | B.S., Summa Cum Laude, in Journalism and Economics, Michigan State University |
| 1951 | Began career with JWT as a trainee in Detroit Office mail room |
| 1952 | M.A with Honors in International Economics, School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University. Johnston attended on a JWT scholarship. |
| 1952 | Assistant International Account Representative, JWT New York |
| 1953 | Representative, JWT Colombia |
| 1956 | Account Representative and Account Supervisor, JWT New York |
| 1961 | Managing Director, JWT Amsterdam |
| 1964 | Managing Director, JWT Tokyo |
| 1966 | Vice President-Europe, JWT Frankfurt |
| 1967 | Vice President-Europe, JWT London |
| 1971 | Senior Vice President, JWT Latin America |
| 1972 |
Executive Vice President-International JWT New York
Member of Board of Directors and Executive Committee
|
| 1974 | President and CEO of JWT Company |
| 1978 | Chairman of JWT |
| 1980 |
Chairman of newly formed JWT Group Inc.
Chairman of American Association of Advertising
Agencies
Won International Advertising Association Annual
Award.
|
| 1986 | Established Sarita and Don Johnston Professorship in Latin American Studies at Johns Hopkins University |
| 1987 | Retired from JWT |
Upon retirement from the JWT, Johnston was named Chairman of the International Executive Service Corps. Johnston is currently a Trustee Emeritus of Johns Hopkins University.
[top]Collection Overview
The Don Johnston Papers span the years 1964-1996 and document his
career in various positions with JWT. The collection includes international and
domestic inter-office correspondence, personal and administrative files,
management manuals, presentations, speeches, budgets, billings and profit
reports, and video-cassettes materials that relate to planning for JWT
projects, committee meetings, marketing research, contracts with clients,
management directives, and JWT's corporate mission and philosophy. The papers
also touch on Joseph O'Donnell's attempted hostile takeover of the JWT Group,
and the purchase of JWT by the WPP Group. Clients represented include:
Ford Motor Company,
Unilever,
Chevron,
General Foods, and
Uniroyal Tire. Offices represented include:
Buenos Aires,
Toronto,
Chicago,
Santiago (Chile),
Detroit,
Paris,
Frankfurt,
Bombay (Mumbai),
London,
Tokyo,
New York, and
Johannesburg (South Africa).
The collection is organized into four series: Memoranda, Administrative Files,
Personal Files, and Audiovisual Materials.
The Memoranda Series includes business
correspondence to and from Johnston during his career with JWT and mainly
pertains to the day to day operations throughout the worldwide operations of
JWT as a transnational entity.
The Administrative Files Series includes
reports, plans, inter-office correspondence, general administrative files, as
well as information on fund-raising for the JWT archives at Duke University.
The Personal Files Series includes
newspaper and periodical clippings, as well as personal correspondence.
The Audiovisual Materials Series consists
of promotional works and interviews by Johnston during his tenure with JWT.
Related materials within the JWT Archives may be found in these
collections: the Burt Manning Papers, the
Thomas Sutton Papers, the Rena
Bartos Papers, the Harry Clark Papers, the
Joseph O'Donnell Papers, the Greg Bathon Papers and the Denis
Lanigan Papers.
[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.
- Advertising agencies--Management.
- Advertising agencies--United States.
- Advertising agencies--United States--History.
- Advertising agencies--Europe.
- Advertising agencies--Latin America.
- Advertising executives.
- Chevron Corporation.
- Ford Motor Company.
- General Foods Corporation.
- Advertising.
- Grisman, Arnold.
- Johnston, Don, 1927-
- J. Walter Thompson Company.
- J. Walter Thompson Company. Buenos Aires Office.
- J. Walter Thompson Company. Toronto Office.
- J. Walter Thompson Company. Santiago (Chile) Office.
- J. Walter Thompson Company. Paris Office.
- J. Walter Thompson Company. Frankfurt Office.
- J. Walter Thompson Company. Bombay (Mumbai) Office.
- J. Walter Thompson Company. Tokyo Office.
- J. Walter Thompson Company. London Office.
- J. Walter Thompson Company. New York Office.
- J. Walter Thompson Company. Johannesburg Office.
- O'Donnell, Joseph W.
- Unilever (Firm)
- Uniroyal, inc.
- WPP Group plc.
- John W. Hartman for for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
- Photographs (AAT)
- Speeches (AAT)
- Videocassettes (AAT)
Detailed Description of Collection
Memoranda Series, 1974-1984
(17 boxes)
Consists of memoranda to and from Johnston from 1969-1984.
Includes inter-office memoranda as well as inter-business correspondence.
Arranged chronologically.
Box 1
1974
(6 folders)
Box 2
1975
(6 folders)
Box 3
1975 Oct.-1976
Sept.
(6 folders)
Box 4
1976 Oct.-1977
Dec.
(5 folders)
Box 5
1978
(5 folders)
Box 6
1979 June-Sept.
(7 folders)
Box 7
1979 Oct.-1980
Jan.
(7 folders)
Box 8
1979 Jan.-May
(6 folders)
Box 9
1980 Feb.-Sept.
(6 folders)
Box 10
1980 Oct.-1981
Mar.
(6 folders)
Box 11
1981 Mar.-June
(7 folders)
Box 12
1981 July-Dec.
(7 folders)
Box 13
1982 Jan.-May
(5 folders)
Box 14
1982 June-1983
Jan.
(5 folders)
Box 15
1983 Feb.-Sept.
(5 folders)
Box 16
1983 Oct.-1984
June
(6 folders)
Box 17
1984 July-Dec.
(4 folders)
General Administrative Files Series, 1964-1996 and undated
(2 boxes)
Includes general files, client files, correspondence between
Johnston and various JWT offices, historical material on JWT, reports and
speeches. The series is organized into five subseries--Administrative Files, Client
Files, Historical,
Inter-Office Correspondence, and Projects, Reports
and Speeches--and alphabetically therein.
Administrative Files Subseries, 1964-1986
AAA (Agency Art Association),
1974
Account teams,
1974
Advertising agency correspondence,
1980
Annual reports,
1973-1978
(6 folders)
Board of Directors,
1975-1976
Client/Agency review,
undated
Client retention reports,
1978-1981
Corporate advertising,
1975-1978
Diners/Fugazy,
1974-1975
Executive committee,
1975-1978
(3 folders)
Flagship,
1974
Formal reporting,
1974
Box 19
IMG (International Management Group),
1973-1979
(3 folders)
JWT Group,
1986
JWT subsidiaries
AMRB (Axiom Market Research Bureau),
1976
Deltakos,
1974-1975
(4 folders)
Diogenes,
1975
Interlease,
1975-1976
Lintas,
1972
Lord, Geller, Federico,
1976
Synapse,
1974
Univas,
1979
London Office, 1972 and undated
[Includes a poster of London Board of Directors; materials pertaining to a Latin American Managers' meeting in London; a visitor's guide to Soho.]
Managers manual,
undated
(2 folders)
Media,
1974-1977
Meek, Sam,
undated
Meek (1895-1981) was Vice President in Charge of International
Operations until his retirement in 1964.
Mission and philosophy,
1964-1981
Multinational account management,
1978-1979
Recruiting,
1979-1980 and
1984
Box 20
Standard operating procedure,
1980
Technology,
1974 and
undated
Troutbeck meetings,
1980-1981
Contains memoranda about the meetings in 1980 and 1981 at the
Troutbeck Inn in Amenia, N.Y. to discuss the creation and implementation of the
JWT Group.
Client Files Subseries, 1971-1988 and undated
20th Century Fox,
1981-1983
Amtorg,
1974
Braun,
1972-1973
(2 folders)
Burger King,
1976 and 1988
(2 folders)
Chevron,
1977
Congoleum,
1979
Continental Car,
1974
DeBeers,
1972-1983
Emery,
1981
Florida Grapefruit Association,
1982
Ford Motor Company
General,
1973-1974
Audit,
1976-1978
(2 folders)
Europe,
1982-1982
(4 folders)
Germany,
1985-1986
International,
1985
Letter of Terms,
1973
Box 21
Permanent File,
undated
(2 folders)
General Foods,
1976-1978
(2 folders)
Gilette,
1975
Goodyear,
1981
Heineken/Guinness,
1973
Institute of Life Insurance,
1974-1975
Joh. Jacobs and Co.,
1974
Kellogg's,
1974-1975
Kodak,
1983
Kraft,
1974
Labatt's,
1974
Lever Brothers,
1972
Mentholatum,
1974
Metropolitan Life Insurance Co.,
1975
Box 22
Nestlé,
1982
Orkin,
1976
Pearle,
1981
Pillsbury,
1983
R.J. Reynolds,
1980
Ryder,
1983
Scott,
1979
S.C. Johnson,
1970s and
undated
Schlitz,
1978
TWA,
undated
Unilever,
1971-1973
1971-1973
(12 folders)
Box 23
1974
(3 folders)
Uniroyal,
1973
(2 folders)
United States Marine Corps,
1974
Vereinigte Papierwerke,
1973
Warner-Lambert,
1974
Inter-Office Communication Subseries, 1969-1982
Argentina,
1978
Canada,
1977-1978
(3 folders)
Chicago,
1978
Box 24
Chile,
1973-1974
(2 folders)
Detroit,
1977-1978
Europe,
1976 and
1978-1982
(3 folders)
Far East,
1978-1981
(3 folders)
France,
1974-1975
(2 folders)
Frankfurt,
1977-1980
(2 folders)
Box 25
India,
1970s
(5 folders)
International:
General,
1970s
(4 folders)
Europe,
1970s
(2 folders)
Box 26
Memoranda,
1970s
(2 folders)
Seminars,
1969-1973
Japan,
1973-1974
Latin America,
1976-1980
(3 folders)
London,
1978-1981
Madrid,
1979-1980
South East Asia,
1976
South Africa,
1979
Treasure, John,
1973-1978
Treasure was Chairman of JWT London from 1967-1974.
U.S. Inter-office,
1975
Projects, Reports, and Speeches Subseries, 1973-1996 and undated
JWT Reports and Projects
Advertising and Black America,
1977 and
undated
Advertising and Spanish speaking
America,
undated
Box 27
Chile
Informe de la visite a Chile,
1973-1974
Entirely in Spanish.
Report on Chile,
1973-1974
Consumers in Crisis,
1974
Desensitization of America to Violence,
1976
(3 folders)
Dialog,
1974
Diversification and Business
project,
1974
Duke University, JWT archives,
1990
Contains fund-raising letters written by Johnston and other
former and current JWT executives on behalf of the Hartman Center at Duke
University.
Future Environment for Advertising,
1977
JWT Consumer Advertising,
1974
Managing a JWT Office for Profit and Performance,
1978
(3 folders)
Presentations at the Fifth JWT World Management Meeting in
1978. Presenters included Denis Lanigan, Burt Manning, and Marie Luisi.
Clients, Client Relations, and
Client Service: Their Effect on the Agency Performance and Profit and How to
Manage Them
Growth and Return on JWT
Investment
Is There a Crisis in Branding in the
U.S.?
JWT: Reputation and
Reality
People--A New York Office
Perspective
Product and Profit: You Can't Have
One Without the Other
Profit
Reshaping JWT for Future Needs and
Opportunities
The New Medium: Television in the
1980's
Yes, But What
Responses?
"Managing the Agency,"
circa 1978
Media Buying: Recommendations for a
JWT Test Market in Europe,
1972
Rena Bartos research surveys,
1973-1974
Research and Media,
1977-1981
(2 folders)
[Spain--
"Las ramblas de Barcelona"
moved to Oversize Folder 1.]
Box 28
T-Plan,
1972-1974
(3 folders)
Women--Lorrell Burke study,
1974
Speeches
Don Johnston speeches,
1977-1996 and undated
(5 folders)
JWT Executive Speeches,
1974-1983
Includes speeches by Denis Lanigan, John Treasure and Wayne
Fickinger.
Personal Files Series, 1973-1987 and undated
Contains personal correspondence that related mainly to the
hostile takeover attempt of JWT by Joseph O'Donnell, the WPP takeover of JWT,
and Johnston's retirement from JWT. Organized into two subseries--JWT History and Personal
Correspondence--and alphabetically therein.
Original correspondence from notable individuals is closed to
researchers. Photocopies can be found in the respective folders.
Historical Subseries, 1973-1987 and undated
Articles and interviews,
1973-1974
Going private,
1974
JWT history,
1983
Replacing Tom Sutton,
1970s
Box 29
Succession planning,
1984-1985
WPP takeover
"JWT treachery,"
1986-1987
Photos with Joe O'Donnell,
undated
WPP Takeover,
1987
Personal Correspondence Subseries (RESTRICTED), 1976-1987
Autographed letters,
1978-1985
[Contains photocopies of letters written by
Jacqueline Onassis,
Henry Kissinger, and
Jimmy Carter to Johnston. Originals are
closed to patron use.]
Correspondence from outside directors,
1976-1980
(2 folders)
Correspondence from retired directors,
1976-1982
(3 folders)
Johnston's retirement from JWT
Client responses to retirement,
1987
JWT responses to retirement,
1987
Personal responses to retirement,
1987
Post takeover letters,
1987
Other letters,
1974-1977
(2 folders)
Restricted material, 1978-1985
Autographed letters,
1978-1985
Contains letters written by
Jacqueline Onassis,
Henry Kissinger, and
Jimmy Carter to Johnston.
Restriction Note: Original letters are closed to patrons. Use
copies can be found in box 29.
Audiovisual Materials Series, 1987 and undated
(3 boxes)
Consists of video tapes of presentations given by Johnston.
Originals and Reference Master copies are closed to patron use.
Originals (CLOSED)
OR1.
"CEO Closeup: Don Johnston,"
undated.
VHS.
Use Copy UC1 in Box 32.
OR2.
"Don Johnston: The Best Thompson
Yet,"
1987. VHS.
Use Copy UC2 in Box 32.
OR3.
"The Thompson Way,"
undated.
VHS.
Use Copy UC3 in Box 32.
Reference Master copies (not for reference use)
Video materials
Format: BetacamSP. Created: 2006.
MC1-MC3
Use copies
Video materials
Format: DVD. Created: 2006.
UC1-UC3
Oversize Materials
1 Folder
Folder 1
JWT Spain--
"Las ramblas de Barcelona"
, 1974
[Photographs and art with essay on Barcelona's main street. Text in Spanish.]
