Inventory of the J. Walter Thompson Company. Ted Wilson Papers, 1966-1977
[top]Descriptive Summary
Repository
Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke
University
Creator
J. Walter Thompson
Company.
Title
J. Walter Thompson Company.
Ted Wilson Papers,
1966-1977
Language of Material
Material
in English
Extent
2.4 Linear Feet
1800 Items
Abstract
1800 Items
The J. Walter Thompson
Company (JWT), founded in 1864, is one of the oldest and largest enduring
advertising agencies in the United States. Ted Wilson was an executive at JWT
from 1947 to 1977.
The Ted Wilson Papers span the years
1966-1977, and comprise correspondence, office files, client files, reports,
and speeches that document Wilson's career as an administrator coping with
JWT's financial difficulties resulting from the world-wide economic hardship of
the mid-1970s. In addition, the papers illustrate Wilson's involvement in the
reorganization of the company, as well as his management of several advertising
account teams, including the New Holland Machine Company and the Phillips
Petroleum Company. The papers mention a variety of JWT company operations,
including company programs such as Communispond (communications consulting),
while touching on a variety of social issues including the employment of
minorities and the Watergate affair.
[top]
Administrative Information
Access RestrictionsCollection is restricted.
Sensitive personnel materials pertaining to individual employment
are closed to non-JWT users for 75 years from the date of the file
creation.
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.
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. Ted Wilson
Papers, Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke
University.
Provenance
The J. Walter Thompson Company Ted Wilson Papers were received by
the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library as a transfer in
1987.
Processing Information
Processed by Richard Collier, Akira Ishii, Brooke Stanley, March
2006
Encoded by Richard Collier
Completed March 2006
Accession is 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
| 1920 Aug. 15 | Born Edward Bohde Wilson II, New York, N.Y. |
| 1942 | Graduated from Wesleyan University (Middletown, Conn.) |
| 1942-1945 | Spent three years in the Army Air Corps, being discharged as a First Lieutenant following service in the European theater with the 9th Air Force |
| 1945-1947 | Worked for Fibre Conduit Company (Orangeburg, N.Y.) |
| 1947 | Joined J. Walter Thompson Company |
| 1956 | Elected Vice-President |
| 1964 | Promoted to Senior Vice-President |
| 1967 | Made Associate Manager of the New York Office and elected to the Board of Directors |
| 1971 |
Elected Executive Vice President and a member of the
Executive Committee
Moved to the Chicago Office as Managing Director
|
| 1972 | Responsibilities expanded to include the Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Hawaii Offices |
| 1973 | Returned to the New York Office as Chairman of the Executive Committee and Director of All Advertising Operations |
| 1974 | Became President and Chief Operating Officer |
| 1975 | Elected Chairman of the Board |
| 1977 | Retired from J. Walter Thompson Company |
Collection Overview
The Ted Wilson Papers span the years
1966-1977, and document Wilson's career as an executive for the J. Walter
Thompson Company (JWT). The papers comprise correspondence, office files,
client files, reports, and speeches that depict Wilson as a skillful
administrator coping with JWT's financial difficulties resulting from the
world-wide economic hardship of the mid-1970s. In addition, the papers
illustrate Wilson's involvement in the reorganization of the company, as well
as his management of several advertising account teams, including the New
Holland Machine Company and the Phillips Petroleum Company. The papers mention
a variety of JWT company operations, including company programs such as
Communispond, while touching on a variety of social issues including the
employment of minorities and the Watergate affair. There is no material in this
collection documenting the early years of Wilson's career or life after his
retirement in 1977. The collection also lacks materials dating from 1971
through mid-1973, the period during which Wilson worked in JWT's Chicago
Office.
The collection is arranged in three series: Client
Files; Correspondence, and
Subject Files.
The Client Files Series documents JWT's
relationship with numerous clients such as
Inter-Continental Hotels, Miles Laboratories, the New Holland
Machine Company, Pan American Airlines, Phillips Petroleum, the Radio
Corporation of America (RCA), Scott Paper Company and Squibb
Beech-Nut.
The Correspondence Series chiefly consists
of outgoing letters and memos written by Wilson and his secretaries,
originating from Wilson's office in New York. The materials concern a broad
range of issues, including the reorganization of JWT, one of the most important
administrative tasks Wilson undertook during his presidency.
The Subject Files Series pertains mainly
to various company operations, and consists of office files, primarily reports
and speeches, originating during the period when Wilson was Associate Manager
in JWT's New York Office. The papers illustrate Wilson's career as an
administrator as well as an advertising executive. Included are uncollated
Review Board records, dating from 1966, for various clients.
Restrictions on access: Sensitive personnel
materials pertaining to individual employee matters are closed to non-JWT users
until 2045. In addition, Review Board records may be read, but cannot be
photocopied.
Related materials within the JWT Archives include the
Accounts Files Collection, the Review Board Records, the Dan Seymour
Papers, and the Don Johnston Papers. The
Biographical Information Files contain a folder for
Wilson consisting of news clippings and other materials.
[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.
- Wilson, Ted, 1920-
- J. Walter Thompson Company.
- J. Walter Thompson Company. New York.
- Phillips Petroleum Company.
- New Holland Machine Company.
- Advertising agencies.
- Advertising agencies--History.
- Advertising agencies--Management.
- Advertising agencies--United States.
- Advertising executives.
- Advertising executives--United States.
- Minorities--Employment--United States--History.
- John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
 | List of Series in Collection | |||||||
 |  | Client Files Series (Restricted), 1970 | ||||||
| | Correspondence Series, 1970-1977 | ||||||
| | Subject Files Series, 1966-1970 (Restricted) | ||||||
 | | Restricted Materials. 1965-1970 | ||||||
Detailed Description of Collection
Client Files Series (Restricted), 1970
(1 box)
Consists of reports, news clippings, and some advertisements
pertaining to particular JWT clients. The folders also include the Review Board
records from 1970 for many of the individual clients in this series. Those for
various clients from 1966 are filed in the Subject Files
Series. The series is arranged alphabetically by client.
Sensitive personnel materials pertaining to individual employee
matters are closed to non-JWT users until 2045. Those items have been
physically removed to Restricted Materials Series; a
dummy folder, indicated by a title enclosed in brackets, has been substituted
for the original material. In addition, Review Board reports may be read, but
cannot be photocopied.
Box 1
Easter Seal campaign
Eaton Yale & Towne
Inter-Continental Hotels
Miles Laboratories (Parts removed to
Restricted Materials)
National Association of Home
Builders
Pan American
Phillips Petroleum
RCA
Saga Mink
Samsonite
Scott Paper Corporation
Squibb Beech-Nut
Textron
Correspondence Series, 1970-1977
(2 boxes)
Consists of Wilson's letters, mostly dating from his years as
President and Chairman of the Board, and touching on a variety of subjects,
ranging from personal matters to company business to historical events such as
the
Watergate affair during
Richard Nixon's presidency. The series
contains a copy of Wilson's letter (April 22, 1974) in which he writes to a
judge regarding
Dwight Chapin, a former Nixon aide. The series
also includes materials that reveal Wilson's views on the reorganization of the
company, one of the most important administrative tasks Wilson undertook during
his presidency. Materials in the series also depict Wilson as an advertising
professional. For example, A memo to the Burger King account team, dated Aug.
5, 1976, contains Wilson's suggestions that reflect his experience with
advertising campaigns. In addition, materials such as Wilson's memo written on
Nov. 4, 1975 highlight concerns over contemporary social issues including the
employment of minorities. JWT attempted to expand its minority work force
through company programs such as the Jobs Training Program, under which JWT
hired and educated
"hard-core unemployable"
young minorities. Arranged chronologically.
Sensitive personnel materials pertaining to individual employee
matters are closed to non-JWT users until 2045. Those items have been
physically removed to Restricted Materials; a dummy
folder, indicated by a title enclosed in brackets, has been substituted for the
original material.
Box 2
1970, 1973 June-Dec., 1974-1976
(17 folders)
[1970-1977: Removed to
Restricted Materials]
(2 folders)
Box 3
1977
(4 folders)
Subject Files Series, 1966-1970 (Restricted)
(2 boxes)
Contains materials relating to various aspects of company
operations as well as a number of JWT programs including Communispond, New
Products Development, and Name Development. The other materials include market
reports and studies (such as the 1970 Mail Order Study) and Review Board
reports for various clients (other Review Board reports for 1970 can be found
in the Clients Series). One of the most extensive
files, for the Creative Department, contains one year's worth of detailed
weekly work flow reports. Some materials do not directly relate to advertising,
and reflect the broad responsibility Wilson had as an administrator. These
include a published court document of a lawsuit brought against JWT by a former
JWT executive. Arranged alphabetically.
Sensitive personnel materials pertaining to individual employee
matters are closed to non-JWT users until 2045. Those items have been
physically removed to Restricted Materials Series; a
dummy folder, indicated by a title enclosed in brackets, has been substituted
for the original material. In addition, Review Board reports may be read, but
cannot be photocopied.
Box 3
Communispond program,
1970
Program begun by JWT executive Kevin Daley in 1970 to address
the public communications needs of business, such as for presentations and
announcements.
Corporate direction,
1969
Creative Department,
1970
(2 folders)
Drug abuse program,
1969-1970
Group dental insurance,
1970
Information Center,
1970
International,
1970 (Parts removed to
Restricted Materials)
Jobs training program,
1966, 1969-1970
(2 folders)
JWT World gallery,
1967-1968
Legal Brief,
1970
Management Committee,
1967, 1970
(2 folders)
Media,
1967-1970 (Parts removed to
Restricted Materials)
Media Reports,
1966
MPO-JWT cost-plus arrangement,
1969-1970
Box 4
Name development program,
1970
New business,
1966 (Parts removed to
Restricted Materials)
New products development program,
1970
New York Office administration,
1966
[Personnel position reports,
1969: Removed to Restricted
Materials]
Professional forum,
1966
Recruitment,
1965-1966 (Parts removed to
Restricted Materials)
Research
General,
1965-1966
Mail order,
1969
Medical,
1966
Review Board records for various clients,
1965-1966 (No photocopying
of documents)
(2 folders)
Speeches and articles,
1965-1966
(2 folders)
Box 4
Study,
An Application of Creative Research
Techniques to Personnel Problems at J. Walter Thompson,
1970
Study of motivational and retention issues concerning
secretaries and clerks at JWT.
Restricted Materials. 1965-1970
(1 box)
Restriction on access: Sensitive
personnel materials pertaining to individual employee matters are closed to
non-JWT users until 2045.
Client Files Series, 1970
Miles Laboratories,
1970
Subject Files Series, 1965-1970
International,
1970
Media,
1967-1970
New business,
1966
Personnel position reports,
1969
Recruitment,
1965-1966
