MenuInventory of the J. Walter Thompson Company. Bertram Metter Papers, 1908-2000 and undated, bulk 1953-1989
Abstract
Bertram Metter worked for over thirty years as an advertising and marketing executive, most notably as a copywriter, creative director, and Vice Chairman at J. Walter Thompson USA (JWT). In in early years at JWT, Metter worked as a direct response specialist for the Ford Motor Company direct marketing operation. He also served as a primary on the Ford account, during which time he directed print and television promotion for Ford and played a key role in the launching of several new car models.
The Bertram Metter Papers span 1908 to 2000, with the bulk of the collection dating 1953 through the late 1980s. Collection contains materials in a variety of formats, including correspondence, writings, newspaper and magazine clippings, sheet music, printed materials, photographs, and photostats. In addition to materials for the Ford Motor Company, the collection documents Metter's work for other major clients, including the Pepsi-Cola Company (Mexico) and Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company. Bulk of the collection consists of advertising and marketing research, client reports and correspondence, promotional materials, and other professional files. Also contains materials related to Metter's later work as a consultant and author, including drafts of an unpublished book manuscript entitled Breaking the Rules at J. Walter Thompson, a chronicle of his career at JWT.
Descriptive Summary
- Repository
- David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University
- Creator
- J. Walter Thompson Company.
- Title
- J. Walter Thompson Company. Bertram Metter Papers, 1908-2000 and undated, bulk 1953-1989
- Language of Material
- English
- Extent
- 8.7 Linear Feet, 3250 Items
- Location
- For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Collection Overview
The Bertram Metter Papers span 1908 to 2000, with the bulk of the collection dating 1953 through the late 1980s. The collection includes materials in a variety of formats, including correspondence, writings, newspaper and magazine clippings, sheet music, printed materials, photographs, and photostats, that document Metter's thirty years in advertising and marketing, with a focus on his career as a copywriter, creative director, and Vice Chairman at J. Walter Thompson USA (JWT). The collection provides a record of Metter's early work as a direct response specialist for the Ford Motor Company direct marketing operation, and other roles on the Ford account (Metter directed print and television promotion for Ford and played a key role in the launching of several new car models). In addition to Ford materials, the collection documents Metter's work for other major clients, including the Pepsi-Cola Company (Mexico) and Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company. While the bulk of the collection consists of advertising and marketing research, client reports and correspondence, promotional materials, and other professional files, the collection also contains materials related to Metter's later work as a consultant and author, including drafts of an unpublished book manuscript entitled Breaking the Rules at J. Walter Thompson, a chronicle of his career at JWT.
The collection is organized into four series: Professional Files, Writings, Ford Motor Company Account Files, and Other Clients.
The Professional Files Series contains JWT office (non-client) files, memoranda, and publications; industry publications and press clippings; overviews of Metter's professional biography; and limited files on Metter's consulting work for Ross Roy Advertising. The Writings Series contains Metter's writings on the advertising industry; bulk of series is composed of an unpublished book manuscript entitled Breaking the Rules at J. Walter Thompson, comprised primarily of chapter drafts and research. The Ford Series, the largest series in the collection, includes materials relating to the launch and promotion of new models (Escort, Maverick, Mustang, Olympic, Pinto, Thunderbird, and Torino); marketing research and strategic reports; Ford direct mail materials and newsletters; television commercial scripts and storyboards; advertisement clippings and headlines; reproduction prints of early photographs of the Model T from the Ford Archives, Henry Ford Museum; photostats promoting the Ford Erika; and photocopies of sheet music of Ford songs from the early twentieth century. The Other Clients Series includes materials relating to general marketing research; new business acquisition; and promotional campaigns for clients other than Ford, including Firestone, Liggett & Myers, and Pepsi-Cola (Mexico). Large-format materials have been removed from their original series location and relocated to Oversize Materials.
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 open for research.
However, 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.
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 AllContains industry publications, press clippings, correspondence and memoranda, photographs, and non-client files relating to Metter's work at J. Walter Thompson and Ross Roy Advertising. Also includes materials documenting Metter's professional biography. Arranged alphabetically.
Except for Top 100 Agencies By Gross Income article, all folders removed to Oversize Materials, Box OV1.
Gross income of Ross Roy Advertising is highlighted in each table.
Includes leading article on WPP sale of Lord, Geller, Federico, Einstein: 'Conspiracy': Sorrell claims breakaway is a plot to force LGFE sale.
Includes Agency Report Card: Grading the Performances inserts for 1983 and 1984.
Folder removed to Oversize Materials, Box OV1.
Includes articles on Creative Directors in top management positions and Metter's appointment to Vice Chairman of JWT USA.
Folder removed to Oversize Materials, Box OV1.
Metter photo and brief essay, Future Advertising: Great Expectations, pages 8-9.
Includes circled quote from Bertolt Brecht.
Includes article Building Believability into TV Commercials.
March 1982 issue includes article, The Strange Case of Marie Luisi, on JWT executive Luisi and financial scandals.
Includes articles on JWT Direct Network(direct marketing) and WPP takeover of Lord, Geller, Federico, Einstein in 1988.
Folder removed to Oversize Box OV1.
See page 41, Outstanding Ads--1965 Newspaper, Ford Campaign by J. Walter Thompson.
Contains blurb on Metter's son: J. Walter Thompson's creative director Bert Metter's son is a graduate of the Hart School of Music (Hartford Conservatory) and a professional musician.
Folder removed to Oversize Materials, Box OV1.
German-language advertising and marketing journal.
Includes advertisements from The New York Times and Wall Street Journal: How come a big, conservative ad agency is creating America's most outstanding advertising? and Main Street ranks Madison Avenue.
Folder removed to Oversize Materials, Box OV1.
Features photo insert of Metter as Executive VP.
Memoranda on Ryder, Goodyear, and Hertz accounts.
Memoranda on Toys R Us, HBO, and Ryder accounts.
On success of Ford direct mail.
Includes memoranda on Goodyear and Sears client accounts; also on JWT House Ad and Business Week article.
James Webb Young (1886-1973) was an advertising professor, consultant, and executive associated with JWT for over fifty years; he also served as Chairman of the War Advertising Council from 1945-1947 and advocated for its post-war transition to The Advertising Council.
Includes biographical timeline detailing Webb's career.
Strouse served as the third CEO of JWT from 1960-1967, and Chairman of the Board from 1967 until his retirement in 1968, the culmination of over forty years at JWT.
Includes articles on Multinationality and Mexico; JWT Frankfurt/Pepsi; Dan Seymour (fourth president of JWT); Madison Avenue's Super Bowl.
Folder removed to Oversize Materials, Box OV1.
Compilations of articles from Advertising Age, ADWEEK, The Economist, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal; most notably, cover article from The New York Times Magazine, Brits Buy Up the Ad Business.
Promotions listed chronologically.
Writings Series, 1953-1989 and undated
Contains writings by Metter on the advertising industry, along with and one speech by JWT executive Burt Manning. Bulk of series is composed of drafts and research for an unpublished book manuscript, working title Breaking the Rules at J. Walter Thompson, an account of JWT's transformations throughout the late 1970s and 1980s. Of particular research value are several folders of sources for Chapter 2 of this manuscript (reports outlining the history of JWT; a New York Times article announcing the original JWT donation to Duke University) and chapter drafts/press clippings documenting the WPP takeover of JWT in 1987. Book manuscript arranged by chapter, therein alphabetically.
(Stanley Resor was the CEO of JWT from 1916 until he retired in 1961.)
See page 24.
Photocopied chapter from published book. Metter's notes in margin indicate this book was a best seller published in 1957.
Blurb on the original donation of JWT archives to Duke University.
Some clippings removed to Oversize Box OV1.
Alternate chapter titles: The Me and Only and Mr. Fixit.
Some clippings removed to Oversize Box OV1.
Some items removed to Oversize Box OV1.
Some items removed to Oversize Box OV1.
Some items removed to Oversize Box OV1.
Some items removed to Oversize Box OV1.
Some items removed to Oversize Box OV1.
Includes Directors Report on Coverage of Events, February 1987.
Some items removed to Oversize Box OV1.
Includes clippings and memoranda on Metter's resignation from JWT.
Some items removed to Oversize Box OV1.
Contains Harvard Business Review issue, including essay The Dark Side of CEO Succession, by Manfred F.R. Kets De Vries.
Some items removed to Oversize Box OV1.
Some items removed to Oversize Box OV1.
Includes news clippings on the WPP takeover of JWT.
Some items removed to Oversize Box OV1.
Some items removed to Oversize Box OV1.
Some items removed to Oversize Box OV1.
Contains materials on JWT executives Don Johnston, Jack Peters, and Burt Manning, among others.
Some items removed to Oversize Box OV1.
Includes original correspondence with Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke University, related to manuscript research and original 1987 JWT donation.
Contains advertising concepts (for Ford in general and particular car models), advertising and marketing research, Ford direct mail materials and newsletters, television commercial scripts/storyboards, photographic materials, one folder of historical sheet music (for Ford songs from the 1910s and 1920s), and limited advertisement proofs and headlines. Series is divided into three main categories--car models, marketing research, and photographic materials - and comprises the largest series in the collection. Includes materials on the Ford Escort/Erika, Maverick, Mustang, Olympic, Pinto, Thunderbird, and Torino, arranged alphabetically by model. General marketing research contains Blue Books, Ford Blue Books, marketing/advertising research and strategy, budgeting policies, Ford advertising brochures, and some technical data on cars; arranged chronologically by model year, alphabetically therein. Also includes reprints of historical photographs of the Model T Ford (from the Ford Archives, Henry Ford Museum) and photostats of the Ford Erika (original name for the Ford Escort; by the late 1980s, the Erika/Escort became the best-selling small car in the United States).
Mitsubishi competitive advertisement removed to Oversize Box OV1.
Includes one draft along with final report.
Features Charlie Brown characters.
Includes Metter's handwritten notes.
1 item (advertisement proof for Ford Mustang, with Metter's notes about their respective magazine accounts) removed to Oversize Materials, Box OV1.
Folders removed to Oversize Materials, Box OV1.
Includes advertisements for 1967 Ford and 1968 Thunderbird, and mock Gord advertisement featuring Gordon MacKenzie.
Folder removed to Oversize Materials, Box OV1.
Folder removed to Oversize Materials, Box OV1.
Folder removed to Oversize Materials, Box OV1.
Includes Buyer's Digest of New Car Facts For 1964, originally mailed with January 1964 newsletter and included in that folder.
Survey of the 1968 model year's first day introduction at dealers.
One table of comparative/competitive slogans, 1965-1968, removed to Oversize Box OV1.
Report drafted to address anticipated Ford and/or General Motors strike.
Includes reports: Automobile Market Segment Percentages, 1957-1970, 1971 Model Early Buyer Study, 4-Door Pinto and Vega, Consumer Reactions to Three Alternative Maverick (Print & TV) Campaigns.
Full report included in the appendix to NAAO Assignment: 'Focusing the Spotlight on Ford' (folder in Box 10).
Includes Warranty Information booklets.
Includes photographs reprinted from the Ford Archives, Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Features the Model T in particular, many photographs included in the Ford Times.
Photocopies of sheet music for popular songs promoting early Ford cars: The Ford: March Two-Step, On the Old Back Seat Of The Henry Ford, The Little Ford Rambled Right Along, Hurrah For Henry That Builds the Famous Ford, and Henry Ford. Music from the Ford Archives, Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.
Contains materials in a variety of formats--headlines, press clippings, television commerical scripts and storyboards, marketing research and notes--relating to JWT clients other than Ford, most notably Pepsi-Cola (Mexico) and Liggett & Myers. Other clients represented by fewer materials are Bristol Myers, Firestone, Hertz, Lever, and Listerine. Also includes general marketing research and new business materials Metter generated at JWT and as a consultant. Of particular interest is a memorandum outlining procedure for the use of musical compositions in radio and television productions. Arranged into three categories--general marketing research, JWT clients, and new business--and alphabetically therein.
Materials primarily in English.
Storyboards moved to Oversize Materials, Box OV1.
Includes Newsweek direct mail materials as part of Metter's client portfolio.
Primarily includes oversize clippings from the Professional Files Series and Writings Series; also contains large-format materials from the Ford Motor Company Account Files Series and Other Clients Series. Arranged within original series, therein alphabetically.
Includes leading article on WPP sale of Lord, Geller, Federico, Einstein: 'Conspiracy': Sorrell claims breakaway is a plot to force LGFE sale.
Includes articles on Creative Directors in top management positions and Metter's appointment to Vice Chairman of JWT USA.
Includes articles on JWT Direct Network(direct marketing) and WPP takeover of Lord, Geller, Federico, Einstein in 1988.
Contains blurb on Metter's son: J. Walter Thompson's creative director Bert Metter's son is a graduate of the Hart School of Music (Hartford Conservatory) and a professional musician.
Advertisements on best-liked TV campaigns, taglines include: How come a big, conservative ad agency is creating America's most outstanding advertising? and Main Street ranks Madison Avenue.
Includes advertisements for 1967 Ford and 1968 Thunderbird, and mock Gord advertisement featuring Gordon MacKenzie.
Historical Note
| Date | Event(s) |
|---|---|
| 1927 Aug. 14 | Born in New York, NY |
| 1949 | B.A. Brooklyn College |
| 1952 | M.A. Columbia University |
| 1953-1956 | Copy chief, New York Mirror, Advertising Promotion Department |
| 1956-1959 | Copy chief, Newsweek Magazine (New York), Circulation Department |
| 1960-1991 | Joined the J. Walter Thompson Company (JWT), New York; initially hired as a direct response specialist in charge of the Ford direct mail operation |
| 1965-1973 | Vice President, JWT |
| 1969 | Creative Supervisor, JWT |
| 1973-1978 | Senior Vice President, JWT |
| 1974 | Creative Director, JWT |
| 1978 | Became Executive Vice President, JWT |
| 1980 | Received A.M.P., Harvard University (Advanced Management Program, Harvard Business School) |
| 1980 | Board of Directors, JWT USA |
| 1982 | Executive Creative Director, JWT USA |
| 1984 | Vice Chairman, JWT USA |
| 1986-1987 | Chairman, Board of Directors, JWT USA |
| 1987 | Resigned from JWT USA Became advertising and marketing consultant, primarily to the Ross Roy Group ( Bloomfield Hills, MI) |
| 1988 | Rehired as Chairman, Board of Directors, JWT USA after the company was bought by WPP Group, plc ( Great Britain) |
| 1991 | Retired from JWT |
| 1991- | Ongoing consultant to JWT |
After Burton J. Manning, Metter became only the second creative director at JWT to rise to the level of Chairman, Board of Directors. In the midst of a management crisis that hit the financially ailing company, Metter resigned in 1987. Metter was rehired as Chairman in 1988; his primary tasks were to coordinate new business efforts for JWT USA, provide additional strategic advice for ongoing accounts, and focus on general management and creative troubleshooting.
During his time with JWT, Metter won numerous creative awards, including Clios, Cannes Film Festival awards, Advertising Age 100 Best TV Commercials, and others. He published several articles about the advertising business in Advertising Age and other industry publications.
Subject Headings
- Metter, Bertram, 1927-
- J. Walter Thompson Company.
- J. Walter Thompson Company. New York office.
- J. Walter Thompson Company. North America.
- Advertising--United States.
- Advertising--Automobiles--United States.
- Advertising--Brand name products.
- Advertising--Cigarettes.
- Advertising--History.
- Advertising--Research.
- Advertising agencies--Management.
- Advertising agencies--United States.
- Advertising executives--United States.
- Copy writers--United States.
- Marketing research--United States.
- Ford Motor Company.
- Ford Motor Company--Marketing.
- Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company.
- Pepsi-Cola Company--Mexico.
- Clippings.
- Sheet music.
- Photographs.
- Photostats.
- John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Related Material
Other materials related to this collection may be found elsewhere in the J. Walter Thompson Company Archives, including: Account Files; Competitive Advertisements Collection; Domestic Advertisements Collection; Corporation Vertical Files; and Review Board Records.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], J. Walter Thompson Company. Bertram Metter Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
Provenance
The Bertram Metter Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library as a transfer in 1987.
Additions were received in 2003.
Processing Information
Processed by Andrea Franzius and Casey A. Jarrin, September 2005
Encoded by Andrea Franzius and Casey A. Jarrin
Completed November 2005
Accessions 2003-0219 and 2003-0242 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.