MenuInventory of the American Association of Advertising Agencies Records, 1918-1998
Abstract
The American Association of Advertising Agencies, founded in 1917, is the primary advertising industry trade organization.
The American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA) Records span the years 1918-1998 and include correspondence, annual corporate and stockholder reports for member agencies, meeting minutes and speeches, biographical summaries, a subject file, and videotapes that document selected activities and functions of the organization. The collection has been compiled from a number of accessions received over time, and so does not represent a comprehensive archive of the AAAA. Certain aspects of AAAA activities, however, are well represented, including a set of card files that document the professional careers of AAAA members over a 50-year period, and subject files that focus on Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigations into complaints lodged against advertisers and advertising claims produced in a variety of media, with a particular emphasis on the ways that products were advertised during and in conjunction with children's television programming. Other topics touched on include advertising self-regulation, antitrust issues, advertising laws, and deceptive and ethical practices in marketing and advertising.
Descriptive Summary
- Repository
- David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University
- Creator
- American Association of Advertising Agencies
- Title
- American Association of Advertising Agencies Records, 1918-1998
- Language of Material
- English
- Extent
- 45 Linear Feet, 67,000 Items
- Location
- For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Collection Overview
The American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA) Records spans the years 1918-1998 and includes correspondence, annual corporate and stockholder reports for member agencies, meeting minutes and speeches, biographical summaries, a subject file, and videotapes that document selected activities and functions of the organization. The collection has been compiled from a number of accessions received over time, and so does not represent a comprehensive archive of the AAAA. Certain aspects of AAAA activities, however, are well represented, including the card files that document the professional careers of AAAA members over a 50-year period, and subject files that focus on Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigations into complaints lodged against advertisers and advertising claims produced in a variety of media, with a particular emphasis on the ways that products were advertised during and in conjunction with children's television programming. Other topics touched on include advertising self-regulation, antitrust issues, advertising laws, and deceptive and ethical practices in marketing and advertising.
The collection is arranged into four series: Administrative Files, Member Card Files,Vertical Files, and Audiovisual Materials. The Administrative Files Series includes correspondence, member corporate annual and stockholder reports, printed materials, meeting minutes and speeches, and memorabilia. The Member Card Files Series contains approximately 46,000 index cards that briefly document the employment histories of individual members roughly between the years 1920 and 1969. The Vertical Files Series consists of an alphabetical subject file primarily focused on FTC, FCC, and FDA hearings on complaints against advertisers as well as documents and testimonies relating to advertising to children. Also included is a compiled set of writings on advertising during times of recession and war. The Audiovisual Materials Series consists primarily of taped interviews with David Ogilvy and William Bernbach. Original videotapes are closed to patron use. Use copies are currently available for some items. Technical Services staff may need to produce use copies before contents can be accessed. Please contact Research Services staff before coming to use the collection.
Administrative Information
Collections are on the move for the renovation of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Contact Rubenstein Library staff before visiting. Read More »
Access Restrictions
Collection is restricted.
Original audiovisual materials are closed to patron use. Use copies are available for some items. Technical Services staff may need to produce use copies before contents can be accessed.
In addition, 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 David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript 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 David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
Contents of the Collection
Browse List of Series
Collapse All
Expand AllAdministrative Files Series, 1918-1998
Includes correspondence, reports and other printed materials, meeting minutes and speeches, member agency annual and stockholder reports, and memorabilia. Arranged alphabetically.
Consists of index cards for member agency employees. A typical card lists the agency name(s) and the position(s) a specific individual held, and the date each position began. Arranged alphabetically by last name.
Consists of subject files primarily of printed materials. The bulk of materials represent activities relating to children's television advertising, complaints lodged with the Federal Trade Commission, and efforts at advertising industry self-regulation. Arranged alphabetically by topic.
A chronological listing of titles appears at the end of the Detailed Description.
[Includes advertisements for the Humphrey-Muskie, Nixon-Agnew, Eugene McCarthy and Nelson Rockefeller presidential campaigns.]
Restrictions on access: Originals closed to patron use. Use copies are currently available for some items. Technical Services staff may need to produce use copies before contents can be accessed. Please contact Research Services staff before coming to use the collection.
Historical Note
| Date | Event(s) |
|---|---|
| 1900 | American Advertising Agents' Association |
| 1911 | Association of New York Advertising Agents; William H. Johns (George Batten Company and founder of Audit Bureau of Circulations), Chairman |
| 1912-1916 | Regional advertising associations |
| 1916 | Affiliated Association of Advertising Agencies |
| 1917 | American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA) formed with 111 charter members and 5 regional councils (New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Southern) AAAA instrumental in formation of the Division of Advertising, Committee of Public Information, to support the war effort through recruiting, liberty bond, and Red Cross promotion |
| 1917-1919 | William H. Johns, President (position later renamed Chairman) |
| 1917-1927 | James O'Shaughnessy, Executive Secretary (position later renamed President) |
| 1918 | Agency Service Standards adopted Media Rate Card established to publish and standardize member advertising rates |
| 1919-1928 | Advertising Agencies Corporation formed to support the war effort and other public service programs |
| 1920 | Standard order blanks, copyright protected forms to document member advertising services |
| 1921 | Uniform 15% commission rate; eventually adopted as an industry standard |
| 1924 | AAAA Standards of Practice |
| 1926 | U.S. President Calvin Coolidge delivered keynote address at the 10th Annual Meeting |
| 1928-1943 | John Benson, AAAA President |
| 1931 | Creative Code adopted to regulate advertising content |
| 1936 | AAAA and Association of National Advertisers (ANA) jointly form the Advertising Research Foundation to foster advertising-related market research |
| 1942 | War Advertising Council |
| 1944-1961 | Frederic R. Gamble, AAAA President |
| 1945 | Committee to Address Objectionable Advertising |
| 1946 | AAAA Interchange of Opinion, a forum where members could register complaints of objectionable advertising |
| 1960 | AAAA and ANA joint Committee for the Improvement of Advertising Content, aimed at industry self-regulation |
| 1962-1977 | John Crichton, AAAA President |
| 1967 | AAAA Educational Foundation, to foster advertising-related research at the university level |
| 1971 | National Advertising Review Board |
| 1973 | Multicultural Advertising Internship Program (MAIP), to encourage minority entry into the advertising profession |
| 1978 | William R. Hesse, AAAA President |
| 1979-1988 | Leonard S. Matthews, AAAA President |
| 1983 | AAAA Educational Foundation and Educational Foundation of the American Advertising Foundation merge to form Advertising Educational Foundation |
| 1986 | Media Advertising Partnership for a Drug-Free America |
| 1989-1993 | John E. O'Toole, AAAA President |
| 1994-Present | O. Burtch Drake, AAAA President |
| Circa 1995 | AAAA and ANA jointly form Coalition for Advertising Supported Information and Entertainment (CASIE) to address issues relating to interactive media and internet advertising, including online privacy |
Historical timeline compiled from Marsha Appel, American Association of Advertising Agencies, in Advertising Age Encyclopedia of Advertising (N.Y.: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2003) and other sources.
Subject Headings
- American Association of Advertising Agencies.
- United States. Federal Communications Commission.
- United States. Federal Trade Commission.
- United States. Food and Drug Administration.
- Advertising--Moral and ethical aspects.
- Advertising--United States--History.
- Advertising--United States--History--20th century.
- Advertising and children.
- Advertising laws--United States.
- Antitrust law.
- Corporation reports.
- Deceptive advertising--United States.
- Marketing--Ethics--United States.
- Television advertising.
- Television advertising and children.
- Minutes.
- Speeches.
- Videotapes.
- John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Related Material
Related materials within the Hartman Center collections include the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) Archives, the Bates Worldwide Inc. Records, the J. Walter Thompson Co. Advertising Vertical File, the J. Walter Thompson Co. Information Center Records and the McGraw-Hill Marketing Information Center Records. For materials pertaining to advertising during wartime, see also the War Effort Mobilization Campaigns Poster Collection, the J. Walter Thompson Co. World War II Advertising Collection, the Advertising Council Records, the Charles W. Hoyt Company Records, the R.C. Maxwell Co. Records, the Strobridge Lithographing Company Advertisements, the Howard Scott Papers, and the J. Walter Thompson Co. Publications Collection. For materials relating to television advertising, see also the J. Walter Thompson Co. John Devine Papers, and the D'arcy Masius Benton & Bowles Records. For materials relating to advertising and children, see also the J. Walter Thompson Co. Chicago Office Records Non-Proprietary Research Reports.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], American Association of Advertising Agencies Records, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
Provenance
The American Association of Advertising Agencies Records were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library as a gift in 1995-2002.
Processing Information
Processed by Richard Collier, Arthur Fraas, Caitlin Harding, September 2006
Encoded by Richard Collier
Completed October 2006
Accessions 95-125, 95-131, 96-017, 96-019, 96-043, 96-075, 98-320, 2002-005, and 2006-013 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.