Inventory of the Sheldon B. Sosna Papers, 1922-2001 and undated, bulk 1948-1991
[top]Descriptive Summary
TitleSheldon B. Sosna Papers,
1922-2005 and
undated, bulk
1948-1991
Creator
Sosna, Sheldon B.
Extent
8.6 Linear Feet
2600 Items
Repository
2600 Items
Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke
University
Language
English.
[top]
Administrative Information
Access RestrictionsCollection is open for research. However, there may be materials in
the collection to which the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibilities and
Privacy Rights form applies. Patrons must sign an Acknowledgment of Legal
Responsibilities and Privacy Rights form before using the collection.
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.
Also, one phonograph recording in this collection is not immediately
accessible, because it requires further processing before use.
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 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], Sheldon B. Sosna Papers, Rare Book,
Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke University.
Provenance
The Sheldon B. Sosna Papers were received by the Rare Book,
Manuscript, and Special Collections Library as gifts in 2003 and 2004.
Processing Information
Processed by Casey A. Jarrin
Completed January 3, 2005
Accessions 2003-0243 and 2004-0068 were merged into one collection,
described in this finding aid.
Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory:
DACS, EAD, NCEAD guidelines, and local
Style Guide.
[top]
Biographical Note
| 1922 June 14 | Born in Chicago |
| 1942 | Enlisted in the United States Army |
| 1943-1946 | Served three years in U.S. Army, Pacific Theater; achieved rank of Captain |
| 1944 | Married Relma B. Blevins |
| 1946 |
Received BA from Northwestern University (originally class
of 1944, degree delayed by war)
Received MA from University of Chicago
|
| 1946-1948 |
Self-employed
Established sales firm, worked as manufacturers' sales
representative
|
| 1948-1953 | Joined Gershuny Associates, a Chicago-based advertising firm, as Partner and Executive Vice-President; directed Gershuny's subsidiary companies DriJuice Corporation, Texto Products Corporation and Lewis & Clark Films |
| 1953-1958 | Joined the Leo Burnett Company as Senior Copywriter, promoted to Copy Supervisor. Supervised major accounts (Brown Shoe Company, Crane Plumbing, Hoover Company, Kellogg's, Pabst Beer, Pillsbury, Procter & Gamble, Pure Oil); worked as speechwriter for Mr. Burnett |
| 1958-1960 | Joined Grant Advertising, Chicago, as Creative Director. Supervised foreign operations and creative work within Grant's domestic offices, served as agency spokesman; supervised Grant's television production facilities in Chicago and Los Angeles, produced and directed several commercials (Archway Cookies, Comet Rice, Dr Pepper, Old Milwaukee Beer) |
| 1960 | Received American Television Festival Award for "Best Commercial: Health and Beauty Aid" (Bristol-Myers "Ipana" toothpaste commercial) |
| 1960-1963 | Joined Doherty, Clifford, Steers & Shenfield, a New York City advertising firm, as Vice-President and Creative Supervisor; responsible for Bristol-Myers account |
| 1961-1963 | Developed and supervised first two years of Peace Corps advertising and recruiting campaign |
| 1963-1965 | Joined Sullivan, Stauffer, Colwell & Bayles as Vice-President and Copy Supervisor; responsible for American Tobacco Company, Bache & Company Brokerage, Bulova accounts |
| 1965-1968 | Joined Norman, Craig & Kummel; served as Vice-President and Management Supervisor; responsible for American Tobacco Company, Hertz, Revlon accounts |
| 1968-1971 | Joined J.M. Mathes, Inc. as Executive Vice-President |
| 1972 | Became Vice President of Marketing for the supermarket chain Food Fair/Pantry Pride, based in Philadelphia |
| 1978 | Founder and President of The Sosna Company, consulting firm specializing in supermarket advertising and marketing; pioneered frozen food advertising for Keystone Foods |
| 1979-1988 | Contributed regular column to Grocery Marketing Magazine, "Sosna on Advertising" |
| 1981-2000 |
Founder, editor, and publisher of monthly
Supermarket Advertising
Newsletter; established Sosna as a leading voice in the supermarket
advertising industry
Sponsored annual Supermarket Ad Expo at venues across the
country
|
| 2000 | Retired after over fifty years in advertising |
| 2001 | Published Dodge #9: How To Never Make a Mistake: Achieving Success in a World That Is Always Looking for Someone to Blame |
Collection Overview
The Sheldon B. Sosna Papers span the years 1922 to 2001, with the bulk
of the material dating from 1948 to 1991. The collection documents Sosna's long
career as an advertising executive and consultant, and contains materials from
a wide variety of formats, including correspondence, writings, printed
material, advertisement proofs and clippings, sketches, scrapbooks, slides,
negatives, and film. The collection primarily provides a record of advertising
campaigns Sosna developed as a copy supervisor, creative director, and
advertising executive at
Gershuny Associates,
Leo Burnett,
Grant Advertising,
Doherty Clifford Steers & Shenfield,
Sullivan Stauffer Colwell & Bayles,
Norman Craig & Kummel, and
J.M. Mathes, from
1948 to 1973; the collection has
limited material relating to the specific agencies for which he worked. In
addition, the collection documents Sosna's later writings, lectures, and
seminars as an independent consultant in retail and supermarket advertising
from the 1970s through 2001, including a complete run of the
Supermarket Advertising Newsletter
(1981-2000) and a copy of his book
Dodge #9: How to Never Make a Mistake: Achieving
Success in a World That Is Always Looking for Someone to Blame (2001).
Major advertising campaigns represented in the collection include:
American Tobacco Company (Bull Durham and Silva Thins
cigarettes);
Bristol-Myers Company;
Bulova Corporation;
Dr Pepper Co.;
Food Fair/Pantry Pride;
Hoover Company;
Ladies' Home Journal;
Martex;
Pabst Brewing Company;
Procter & Gamble;
Pure Oil Company; and
Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co. The collection also
documents Sosna's role as supervisor of the Peace Corps advertising campaign in
its first two years, from
1961 to 1963. Peace Corps
materials include print advertisements;
"Volunteer
Radio Kits"
distributed to broadcasters; one promotional film originally
aired on American television; and a letter from
Robert Sargent Shriver, Jr., first director of the
Peace Corps. The collection is organized into six series: Correspondence, Writings and
Speeches, Printed Materials,
Advertisements, Scrapbooks, and Visual
Materials.
The Correspondence Series includes limited
business correspondence, advertising strategy memoranda, and mailings and
solicitations specifically related to Sosna's supermarket consulting. The
Writings and Speeches Series includes scripts of
lectures and seminars Sosna delivered on retail and supermarket advertising
throughout the United States from
1983 to 1994, limited market and
client reports, and an account of his work with
President Kennedy and
Robert Sargent Shriver, Jr. on an early
promotional film for the Peace Corps. The Printed Materials
Series includes Sosna's professional writings on advertising (including
an installment of
"Sosna on Advertising,"
a long-standing
column featured in
Grocery Marketing Magazine); a copy of his
2001 book
Dodge #9: How to Never Make a Mistake;
client materials (letterhead, brochures, mailings, including Peace Corps
promotional materials); conference programs; and magazines. Most notably, the
series includes a complete set of the
Supermarket Advertising Newsletter, a
monthly serial which Sosna wrote, edited, and published from January 1981
through December 2000. The Advertisements Series
includes original page proofs, newspaper and magazine clippings, and concept
sketches for client advertisements, with an emphasis on consumer/home products,
cigarette, beer, and apparel industries. The Scrapbooks
Series includes six scrapbooks of advertisement clippings, original page
proofs, client brochures, and catalog mailings, primarily documenting clients
in women's apparel and consumer/home products. The Visual
Materials Series includes over 700 seminar slides originally used in
Sosna's presentations on supermarket advertising, a set of color negatives
documenting the
"Pabst Red Beer"
advertising
campaign, and the only existing copy of a promotional film for the Peace Corps
which Sosna wrote, produced, and edited. Large-format materials (clippings,
proofs, sketches) have been removed from their original series location and
relocated to Oversize Materials locations.
Other materials related to this collection may be found in the J.
Walter Thompson Company Archives: Competitive Advertisements Collection and the
J. Walter Thompson Company Archives: Corporation Vertical Files. For materials
specifically relating to the agencies
Norman, Craig & Kummel and the
Leo Burnett Company, consult the Robert S. Smith
Papers and the Kensinger Jones Papers, respectively. For materials relevant to
American Tobacco Company advertising, see the
James Buchanan Duke Papers, the Benjamin Newton Duke Papers, and the John M. W.
Hicks Papers. For materials on beer advertising for the
Pabst Brewing Company and
Schlitz Brewing Company, see the Howard Scott
Papers. Materials relevant to
Procter & Gamble Company advertising may be
found in the D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles Advertisements, the D'Arcy
Masius Benton & Bowles Archives, and the Wells Rich Greene, Inc. Records.
Additionally, materials relating to Peace Corps advertising may be found in the
David B. McCall Papers.
[top]
Subject Headings
These are searchable subject entries for this collection. Performing a
search on these subjects in the Duke University online catalog will bring up
other related research materials.
- Sosna, Sheldon B.
- Sosna, Sheldon B., Dodge #9.
- Shriver, Sargent, 1915-
- Supermarket advertising newsletter.
- American Tobacco Company.
- Bristol-Myers Company.
- Bulova Corporation.
- Dr Pepper Co.
- Food Fair Stores, Inc.
- Hoover Company.
- Ladies' home journal.
- Jos. Schlitz Brewing Co.
- Pabst Brewing Company.
- Procter & Gamble Company.
- Pure Oil Company.
- Peace Corps (U.S.)
- Advertising--Beer--United States.
- Advertising--Brand name products--United States.
- Advertising--Cigarettes--United States.
- Advertising--Clothing and dress.
- Advertising--History.
- Advertising executives--United States.
- Groceries--Marketing.
- John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
- Motion pictures.
- Negatives.
- Scrapbooks.
- Sketches.
- Slides.
Detailed Description of Collection
Correspondence Series, 1958-1964 and undated
Includes limited business correspondence, mailings and
solicitations related to Sosna's supermarket consulting, and one folder of
"Advertising strategy memoranda"
that Sosna distributed while Copy Supervisor at
Sullivan, Stauffer, Colwell & Bayles and at
Doherty, Clifford, Steers & Shenfield. Of
particular interest is a
1963 letter from
Robert Sargent Shriver, Jr., first director of
the Peace Corps, thanking
Don Clifford and his staff at Doherty, Clifford, Steers
& Shenfield for their work on early Peace Corps advertising.
Arranged alphabetically.
Box 1
Advertising strategy memoranda,
1958-1964 and undated
Letters
Letter from
Robert Sargent Shriver, Jr.,
1963 July 15
[Appointed by President Kennedy, Shriver served as the first
director of the Peace Corps from
1961-1966.]
Letter from Richard R. Uhl, undated
Mailings and solicitations
The Consumer Network, undated
Supermarket Advertising
Newsletter, undated
Writings and Speeches Series, circa 1965-1994 and undated, bulk 1983-1991
Primarily contains scripts and other materials used for lectures
and seminars Sosna delivered throughout the United States from
1983 to 1994, with an
emphasis on supermarket advertising and marketing. Scripts primarily document
presentations Sosna delivered as an independent consultant to supermarket/food
retailers, specifically for meetings of the
National Grocers Association, the
Grocery Marketing Institute, at
Food Marketing Institute conventions, at state
grocery organization meetings (in California, Indiana, Oklahoma, New Hampshire,
and Florida), and for the annual
"Supermarket
Advertising Seminar"
which Sosna founded in
1983. Also includes limited
market reports on specific retail industries and clients, including
Pabst Red Beer. Of particular interest is one
folder of
"Advertising notes and addenda,"
which documents Sosna's professional career and profiles his prominent clients
of the 1950s and 1960s, most notably his work on an early promotional film for
the
Peace Corps and his meeting with
President Kennedy and
Robert Sargent Shriver, Jr. during the film's
production. Arranged alphabetically.
Box 1
Client/Market reports
Advertising notes and addenda,
circa 1965 and undated
"Air Step: In Search of a Brand
Image"
report, undated
Cole Products Corporation:
"Cole-Spa"
brochure, undated
Pabst Red Dinner Beer
"Pabst Red Dinner Beer"
report, undated
"Red Beer Concept
Research,"
1967 May
Seminar/Lecture scripts
Advertising/Marketing strategy lecture notes,
undated
Associated Wholesale Groceries seminar,
1991
(2 folders)
FEDCO seminar:
"How Advertising Works to Make
People Buy,"
1991
(2 folders)
Indiana Food Retailers: Advertising seminar,
undated
Indiana Retail Grocers Association: Advertising
seminar,
1990
NAGWA advertising meeting:
"The Future of Supermarket
Advertising,"
1987
National Grocers Association
Advertising presentation,
1985
(2 folders)
Futures seminar,
1987
Oklahoma Grocers,
1986
Seminar slide notes - Misc., undated
Seminar for Store Owners
Notebook,
1985
(2 folders)
Scripts,
1985
(2 folders)
Box 2
"Supermarket Advertising and the
Consumer,"
copresented by Sosna and
Mona Doyle (President, The Consumer
Network, Inc.),
1989
Supermarket Ad Expo,
1994
Supermarket Advertising Seminar
St. Louis seminar, undated
1983
seminar
Agenda
Scripts
(2 folders)
Slide notes/notecards
1984-1985
seminar
(2 folders)
Supermarket Retailer Forum: Popai meeting, Chicago,
1992 Oct.
Printed Materials Series, circa 1944, 1952-2001 and undated, bulk 1981-2001
Includes Sosna's professional writing on advertising, a copy of
Sosna's book
Dodge #9: How to Never Make a Mistake
(2001), client materials
(letterhead, mailings, brochures), conference programs, and a limited set of
magazines from
1952. The bulk of the series is
composed of a complete set of
The Supermarket Advertising
Newsletter, a monthly publication Sosna edited and published from
1981-2000, along with an
incomplete subject index of the newsletter. Of particular note in the series
are Peace Corps
"Radio Kits"
distributed to
broadcasters in
1962-1963. The
"Volunteer Radio Kit"
for
1963 includes a phonograph
record of public service announcements for the Peace Corps featuring the voice
of sportscaster
Bob Delaney. Also includes two comics that refer
to the Peace Corps which appeared in the
New York Post comic strip
"Pogo"
in
1962. Arranged alphabetically;
complete set of
Supermarket Advertising Newsletter
arranged chronologically by month/year.
[Technical Services staff need to produce a use copy of the
phonograph record before its contents can be accessed. Please consult with
Research Services staff before coming to use this series.]
Box 2
Article:
"A cure for the copycat
syndrome,"
in
"Sosna on Advertising"
column,
Grocery Marketing Magazine,
1985 Mar.
Book:
Dodge #9: How to Never Make a Mistake:
Achieving Success in a World That Is Always Looking for Someone to
Blame,
2001
[Book published in paperback by Hats Off Books, Tucson,
Arizona.]
Client Materials
Abbell Hotels, undated
Dr Pepper: article in
Printers' Ink,
"Hal Stebbins on copy"
column,
1959 Mar.
Intercontinental Industries, undated
Lewis & Clark, Inc.: letterhead,
undated
Ochs Paper Company, undated
Pabst Brewing Company:
"How to ruin a hotel clerk's
day"
[pamphlet], undated
Pantry Pride/Food Fair,
1974 and undated
Peace Corps
Comic Strip:
"Pogo,"
New York Post,
1962
Peace Corps News,
1962 Jan.
Recruiting Radio Kit,
1962
Volunteers Radio Kit,
1963
[Among other materials, includes record album entitled
"Peace Corps Volunteers/The
Advertising Council Public Service Announcements.]"
[Format: phonograph record (33 1/3 speed / 7-inch EP).
Technical Services staff need to produce a use copy before contents can be
accessed. Please contact Research Services.]
Specialjoy, Inc., undated
Spectoculars (Intermares Inc.), undated
J. Spencer & Company, undated
Staffin-Johns Mattresses,
1952 and undated
Conference Programs,
1983-1985, 1995-1997
Magazines
Kiwanis Magazine,
1952 Apr.
Life Magazine Mailing Plan,
undated
Newsweek,
1952 July 21
V.F.W. Magazine,
1952 Apr.
Box 3-4
Supermarket Advertising Newsletter,
1980-2000
Inaugural Mailings,
1980-1981
Subject Index,
1987
Supermarket Advertising
Newsletter,
1981 Jan.-2000 Dec.
(monthly serial, complete set)
(22 folders)
Advertisements Series, 1922, 1951-1973 and undated
Divided into two groupings: Clippings and Proofs, and Sketches and
Concepts. Includes original page proofs, newspaper and magazine clippings, and
concept sketches for client advertisements, with an emphasis on the
consumer/home products, cigarette, beer, and apparel industries. Key clients
represented include
American Tobacco Company (Bull Durham
Cigarettes),
Bristol-Myers,
Bulova,
Dr Pepper,
Food Fair/Pantry Pride,
Hoover,
Ladies' Home Journal,
Martex,
Pabst Brewing Company,
Procter & Gamble, and
Pure Oil Company. Of particular interest is one
folder of early Peace Corps advertisements Sosna developed while at
Doherty, Clifford, Steers & Shenfield.
Series also includes two uncredited cigarette advertisements [Bull Durham
(1922) and Fatima (undated)] presumably intended as marketing research for
Sosna's work in cigarette advertising, and one folder of Spanish language
concept boards for beverage advertisements (uncredited and undated). Arranged
alphabetically by client within each grouping.
Box 5
Clippings and Proofs
Abbell Hotels (Stanley, Alexandria, Paramount,
Willard, Summit),
1952-1953 and undated
Advertising Management Co.,
1972
Allstate Insurance,
1957 and undated
[Folder removed to Oversize Materials, Box OV1]
American Meat Institute,
1955
American Tobacco Company
[Folder removed to Oversize Materials, Box OV1]
Bull Durham Cigarettes
Historical advertisement,
1922
Proofs,
1967-1968 and undated
(2 folders)
Silva Thins,
1968-1969 and undated
Apparel Misc.,
1953 and undated
Archway Cookies,
1959
[Folder removed to Oversize Materials, Box OV1]
Bauer & Black
[Some items removed to Oversize Box OV1]
Bandages and first aid,
1953-1954
Stockings,
1952-1954
Better Vision Institute,
1961 and undated
"Bike"
Athletic
Supporters,
1954
Bristol-Myers (Mum and Ipana),
1961-1962 and undated
[Some items removed to Oversize Box OV1]
Brown Shoe Company, undated
[Some items removed to Oversize Box OV1]
Bulova,
1964-1965
Cole Products Corporation: Cole Spa Drink Dispenser,
1952-1953 and undated
(2 folders)
Comet Rice,
undated
[Folder removed to Oversize Materials, Box OV1]
Crane Company (heating and utilities),
1955 and undated
Dormay Products, undated
Dr Pepper,
1959-1960
[Includes laminated advertisements and clipping from the
groundbreaking
"FREE! Genuine Dr Pepper bottle
cap"
campaign.]
DriJuice Corporation: InstaLemon,
1953 and undated
Emulsol Corporation, undated
Englander Beds,
1956
Fabrico Manufacturing Corporation, undated
Food Fair/Pantry Pride,
1973 and undated
Grant Advertising,
1955, 1958
[Some items removed to Oversize Box OV1]
Herbert-Levy (apparel), undated
Hoover Appliances,
1955-1957 and undated
[Some items removed to Oversize Box OV1]
International Harvester,
1955
[Folder removed to Oversize Materials, Box OV1]
Ladies' Home Journal,
1960
[Some items removed to Oversize Box OV1]
[Includes advertisements featuring President Kennedy and
Winston Churchill.]
Leo Burnett Advertising: Twentieth Anniversary
commemorative broadside and advertisement,
1955
[Folder removed to Oversize Materials, Box OV1]
Leo's Advance Theatrical Shoe Co., undated
Liggett & Myers Tobacco Co.: Fatima Cigarettes
(historical advertisement), undated
Manhattan (sportswear and furnishings),
1963-1964
[Some items removed to Oversize Box OV1]
Martex,
1970-1971
[Some items removed to Oversize Box OV1]
Pabst Brewing Company
Old Tankard Ale,
1957
[Folder removed to Oversize Materials, Box OV2]
Pabst Blue Ribbon
Newspaper advertisements - Various,
1956-1957 and undated
[Folder removed to Oversize Materials, Box OV2]
"Pabst Blue Ribbon
Touch"
campaign,
1956 and undated
[Folder removed to Oversize Materials, Box OV2]
"Pabst is the
name"
campaign,
1957 and undated
"What'll You
Have"
campaign,
1956 and undated
[Folder removed to Oversize Materials, Box OV2]
Various,
1956-1957
Peace Corps,
circa 1962-1963
Procter & Gamble: Camay Soap,
1957
[Some items removed to Oversize Box OV2]
Pure Oil Company,
1954, 1957 and undated
[Some items removed to Oversize Box OV2]
Schlitz Brewing Company: Old Milwaukee Beer,
1958
[Folder removed to Oversize Materials, Box OV2]
Specialjoy, Inc.,
1951-1952 and undated
Spectoculars (Intermares, Ltd.), undated
Staffin-Johns Mattress, undated
Tea Council,
1957
[Folder removed to Oversize Materials, Box OV2]
U.S. Tobacco Company: Encore cigarettes,
1961
[Folder removed to Oversize Materials, Box OV2]
Box 6
Sketches and Concepts
American Tobacco Company: Half and Half cigarettes,
undated
"Appointment"
hosiery, undated
[Folder removed to Oversize Materials, Box OV2]
Bache & Co., undated
Bulova,
1964
DriJuice Corporations: InstaLemon,
1953
Martex:
"Lady
Pepperell"
designs, undated
[Folder removed to Oversize Materials, Box OV2]
Pabst Brewing Company
Pabst Red, undated
"What'll You Have"
advertisement, undated
Pure Oil Company, undated
[Folder removed to Oversize Materials, Box OV2]
Spanish language advertisements (Alvear, Philips,
Schweppes), undated
Tennyson Menthol cigarettes, undated
[Folder removed to Oversize Materials, Box OV2]
Scrapbooks Series, 1947-1971 and undated, bulk 1948-1958
Contains six large scrapbooks of advertisement clippings, page
proofs, client brochures and catalog mailings that primarily document Sosna's
early advertising career, with a focus on women's apparel and consumer/home
products. Arranged chronologically by scrapbook.
[All material from Scrapbooks 4 and 5 has been rehoused in folders
for preservation purposes. Other scrapbooks remain intact. All material
retained in original order as received from donor.]
Box 7
Scrapbook 1,
1947-1949 and undated
Includes over 100 newspaper clippings of advertisements for
Globe Fur and Novelty Company, a Chicago-based furrier marketed as
"Chicago's Largest Fur House."
[Scrapbook contains brittle pages which require careful
handling.]
Box 8
Scrapbook 2,
1948-1950 and undated
Includes advertising clippings and mailings for women's apparel
and home construction. Apparel clients include Archie Zimmett; Bernstein, Cohen
& Company;
"Famous Full Fashioned"
Hosiery
Mills; Globe Fur and Novelty Company; Gold Maid Hosiery Company; Herbert Levy;
McBreen Shoe Company;
"Misteri"
hosiery; Morry
Silver; Sycamore Coats; U.S. Millinery Corporation; and Women's &
Children's Wear Association. Construction clients include Aerosol Engineers,
Aluminum Building Materials Corporation, Atlas Construction Company, and
"Perm-Alloy"
metal siding.
[Scrapbook contains brittle pages which require careful
handling.]
Box 9
Scrapbook 3,
1948-1950 and undated
Includes advertising clippings and catalog mailings, primarily
representing women's apparel and home products. Apparel clients include Archie
Zimmett; Berstein, Cohen & Company; Crane and Abrams; McBreen Shoe Company;
and several clippings for
"Royal Maid"
featured
in
Women's Wear Daily. Home products
clients include Atlas Construction Company;
"Frig-O-Matic"
Company;
"Freez King"
freezer (E.C.A. Manufacturing Co.); and
"Weathermaster"
windows.
[Scrapbook contains brittle pages which require careful
handling.]
Box 10
Scrapbook 4,
1949-1950 and undated
(14 folders)
Includes clippings, mailings, catalogs and brochures documenting
Sosna's early advertising work in Chicago. Also includes a press release
announcing the
"Good Design"
exhibition
sponsored jointly by The Merchandise Mart and the Museum of Modern Art, and two
unlabeled/undated black and white fashion photographs.
[For preservation purposes, scrapbook pages removed from binder;
materials foldered in original sequential order.]
[One oversize item removed from folder 10 of 14 (photocopy of
full-page advertisement from
Chicago Sun-Times for Weathermaster
"ALSCO"
combination windows). Item relocated to
Box 11.]
Box 11
Scrapbook 4,
1949-1950 and undated
Weathermaster
"ALSCO"
combination windows,
1949
[Oversize item relocated from Box 10, folder 10.]
Scrapbook 5,
1954-1959 and undated
Bache & Co., undated
Bauer & Black: Curad Bandages,
1954
Bristol-Myers: Ipana toothpaste sketches,
undated
(4 folders)
Crane Company, circa 1955
[Some items removed to Oversize Box OV2]
KVP Company, undated
Mott's Applesauce, undated
Procter & Gamble: Camay,
1957
[Some items removed to Oversize Box OV2]
Scrapbook 6,
1954-1971 and undated
Includes advertising clippings and proofs housed within original
scrapbook mylar pages. Clients represented include Bache & Co.;
Bristol-Myers; Crane Company; Eastman Kodak; Grant Advertising;
Ladies' Home Journal; Manhattan;
Martex; Pure Oil Company; Sugar Information, Inc.; and United States Tobacco
Company (Encore cigarettes).
Visual Materials Series, circa 1961-1962, 1967-1990s and undated
Arranged into three subseries: Slides, Negatives, and Film.
Contains over 700 slides Sosna used for seminar presentations conducted from
the late 1970s through the 1990s, primarily focused on retail marketing
strategy and supermarket advertising. Slides organized in three categories --
"Seminars,"
"Supermarket advertisements,"
and
"Other"
-- therein arranged alphabetically by
subject/title.
"Seminars"
include slides which
directly accompanied Sosna's seminar presentations on advertising and marketing
strategy, and consist primarily of text.
"Supermarket
advertisements"
slides include advertisements and supermarket circulars
promoting event/holiday sales and specific product sales, likely used within
seminar presentations yet not associated with any particular seminar. Series
also includes one folder of color negatives documenting the
1967
"Pabst Red"
beer campaign and one film reel
entitled
"The Peace Corps"
which Sosna
wrote, produced, and edited,
circa 1961-1962. The film reel
features
President John F. Kennedy,
Robert Sargent Shriver (Director of the Peace
Corps from 1961-1966), and
Dave Garroway (then host of NBC's
"Today Show"
). According to documents included
in the collection, the film originally aired on American television stations
and was
"seen by forty million people"
(See
Writings and Speeches Series, folder one:
"Advertising notes and addenda, circa 1965 and
undated"
). The collection holds the last remaining copy of this film.
[Original film reel closed to use. Use copy available in the
collection.]
Box 12
Slides Subseries, 1970s-1990s
Seminars
"Budgeting for Advertising"
"Getting the Reader to
Want"
"How To Sell Your Advertising
Ideas"
"How To Win With
Advertising"
"How You Can Make the Most Out of
Advertising"
"Information & Reward"
(shoppers' trends)
"Market Profile Data Chart"
"Supermarket Advertising and the
Consumer"
"Supermarket Futures: 90s and
Beyond"
Titles and headings
"Using Radio"
"Using TV"
"What Shoppers Think"
Supermarket advertisements
Event promotions
"Back to
School"
/
"Kids"
sales
"Dollar Day"
promotions
Earthquake preparation/Environmental
concerns
"Grand Opening"
Holiday and anniversary sales
Special Olympics sales
Superbowl sales
Product sales
"Best"
promotions
Canned foods
Dairy/Eggs
Diet foods
Ethnic/Regional foods
"Free"
promotions
"Fresh"
promotions
Frozen foods
"Lowest Price"
advertisements
"Lucky"
/
"Food Lion"
store
promotions
Meat/Fish
Produce
"Ralphs"
/
"Vons"
store
promotions
Sales (miscellaneous)
(4 folders)
Features slides which promote multiple products in a
single advertisement, and therefore do not fit within one particular category
above.
Other
Graphic designs
"Prince"
Spaghetti
Sauce: Mona Lisa campaign
Negatives Subseries, 1967
Pabst Blue Ribbon:
"Pabst
Red"
beer campaign, 1967
[Includes four 8"x10" color negatives used in the
"Pabst Red"
campaign.]
Film Reel Subseries, circa 1961-1962
Original Copy:
"The Peace Corps,"
circa 1961-1962
[Format: black-and-white 16mm film. TRT: 27 minutes.]
[Original closed to use. Use copy in Box 12.]
Box 12
Master Copy
[Format: BetacamSP. Created: 2005.]
[Not for reference use.]
Use copy
[Format: DVD. Created: 2005.]
Oversize Materials
Primarily includes oversize materials from the Advertisements Series, organized into
"Clippings and Proofs"
and
"Sketches and Concepts"
Subseries. Also
contains two folders from the Printed Materials
Series and four folders of material removed from the Scrapbooks Series, Scrapbook 5. Clients represented
include the
American Tobacco Company;
Bristol-Myers;
Hoover appliances;
Ladies' Home Journal;
Martex;
Pabst Brewing Company;
Proctor & Gamble;
Pure Oil Company; and
Schlitz Brewing Company. Materials of
particular interest include an advertisement proof for
Ladies' Home Journal featuring
President Kennedy, with the tag-line
"Will women love
him or leave him?"
; a 1952 flip-chart prepared for the
American Larder Supply Company entitled
"Now...Eat Better Food and Spend Less For
It"
; and a pamphlet distributed by the War Advertising Council at the
close of World War II. Arranged within original series, therein alphabetically
by client.
Box OV1
Advertisements Series, 1954-1971 and undated
Clippings and Proofs
[See also Box 5]
Allstate Insurance,
1957 and undated
American Tobacco Company
Half and Half and Montclair cigarettes,
1963-1965
Silva Thins cigarettes,
1967-1968 and undated
Archway Cookies,
1959
Bauer & Black: Curad bandages/tape,
1954 and undated
Bristol-Myers: Ipana toothpaste,
1961
Brown Shoe Company,
1957
Comet Rice, undated
Grant Advertising, undated
Hoover,
1955-1956 and undated
International Harvester,
1955
Ladies' Home Journal,
1960
[Includes advertisement proof featuring President
Kennedy with the tag-line
"Will women love him or leave him?"
]
Leo Burnett Advertising: twentieth anniversary
commemorative broadside and advertisement,
1955
[Includes original office memorandum attached to
broadside.]
Manhattan (sportswear),
1963-1964
Martex,
1971 and undated
Box OV2
Pabst Brewing Company
Old Tankard Ale,
1957
Pabst Blue Ribbon
Newspaper advertisements, various,
1956-1957 and
undated
"Pabst Blue Ribbon
Touch"
campaign,
1956 and undated
"What'll You
Have"
campaign,
1956 and undated
Procter & Gamble Company: Camay soap,
1957
Pure Oil Company,
1955-1957 and undated
Oversize_folder
OV1
Pure Oil Company:
"Barge-A-Comin'"
contest,
1955
Box OV2
Schlitz Brewing Company: Old Milwaukee beer,
1958
Tea Council,
1957
U.S. Tobacco Company: Encore cigarettes,
1961
Sketches and Concepts
[See also Box 6]
"Appointment"
hosiery, undated
Martex:
"Lady
Pepperell"
designs, undated
Pabst Brewing Company: Pabst Red,
undated
Pure Oil Company, undated
Tennyson Menthol cigarettes, undated
Box OV2
Printed Materials Series, circa 1944, 1952
Client Materials
American Larder Supply Company,
" Strategic Flip-Chart: Now...Eat
Better Food and Spend Less For It,"
1952
War Advertising Council,
"Restatement of Policy"
pamphlet,
circa 1944
Box OV2
Scrapbooks Series, 1954-1959 and undated
Scrapbook 5,
1954-1959 and undated
[See also Box 11]
Crane Company,
1955
Hoover appliances,
1955, 1957 and undated
Proctor & Gamble: Camay soap,
1957
Schlitz Brewing Company: Old Milwaukee beer,
1959
