Inventory of the Compton Advertising, Inc. Records, 1915-1956 and undated

Abstract

Compton Advertising, Inc. was founded in 1937, formed out of the former company Blackman Advertising, Inc. In the 1980s Compton merged with, and was eventually absorbed by, Saatchi & Saatchi.

The Compton Advertising, Inc. Records cover the years 1915-1956 and includes proofs of house advertisements and brochures promoting Blackman Advertising, Inc.; its successor Compton Advertising, Inc.; and the Blackett, Sample & Hummert, Inc. agency. Contains an album of mounted photographs; and credentials charts intended for new business presentations. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.

Descriptive Summary

Repository: David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University
Creator: Compton Advertising, Inc.
Title: Compton Advertising, Inc. Records, 1919-1956 and undated
Language of Material: English
Extent: 2.0 Linear Feet, 100 Items
Location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.

Collection Overview

Administrative Information

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Collection is open for research.

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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

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Blackett, Sample & Hummert, Inc.

Magazine advertisements, 1934-1935

Box 1

New business credentials, circa 1936

Box 1

Photograph album of personnel, circa 1936

(3 folders)

Box 1

Blackman Company

House advertisements, 1920, 1924-1932

(4 folders)

Box 1 (continued)

Blackman-Ross Company

House advertisements appearing in Printer's Ink, 1915-1920

(2 folders)

Box 1 (continued)

Compton Advertising, Inc.

Advertisements, 1940-1956

[Primarily house advertisements; includes one advertisement for Proctor & Gamble's Duz detergent.]

Box 1 (continued)

Historical Note

Blackman Company: The Blackman Company was founded by Oscar Blackman and Frank Hermes in 1908, and became known for its 60-year handling of the Procter & Gamble company beginning in the 1920s. In 1935, the company was purchased by its employees Richard Compton (President), Leonard Bush and Alfred Stanford, and two years later was renamed Compton Advertising, Inc. After a period of marked growth during the 1950s and 1960s, Compton merged in 1977 with the Saatchi & Saatchi agency, and was ultimately bought out by that company in 1982. In 1984 Compton was renamed Saatchi, Saatchi & Compton; in 1986, the company was renamed Saatchi & Saatchi.

Blackett-Sample-Hummert: The Blackett-Sample-Hummert Company was founded in 1923 in Chicago. Beginning in the late 1920s, the company became known for its work on behalf of Procter & Gamble soap products, producing daytime radio dramas promoting the products; these became known as soap operas. Some twenty years later, in 1948, the company relocated to New York City, a hub of television broadcasting. The company eventually became known as Dancer Fitzgerald Sample and was purchased by Saatchi & Saatchi for $75 million in 1986. The two companies merged soon after to form the subsidiary company Saatchi & Saatchi DFS Compton.