J. Walter Thompson Company. Thomas Sutton papers, 1965-1975 and undated
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Summary
- Creator:
- J. Walter Thompson Company
- Abstract:
- The J. Walter Thompson Company (JWT), founded in 1864, is one of the oldest and largest enduring advertising agencies in the United States. Thomas Sutton was an executive in charge of JWT's international operations during the 1960s-1970s. The Thomas Sutton Papers span the years 1965-1975 and document Sutton's career, especially his role in JWT's international expansion and the establishment of global advertising markets. The papers provide insight into JWT's international financial matters--budgets, salary structure, stock incentive plans and market shares--as well as personnel policies, client relations, product launches, television advertising projects and marketing research and strategies, seen from the perspective of Sutton's position as JWT chief executive for international operations. The papers also contain marketing plans, evaluations and reports for a number of JWT's international offices, that provide a detailed glimpse into JWT's operations within the respective countries' economic and socio-political contexts. The offices represented include Amsterdam, Bogotá, Brussels, Buenos Aires, Caracas, Ceylon, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Johannesburg, Karachi, Lima, London, Mexico City, Milan, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, San Juan, Santiago, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Vienna and Zürich. Key clients include the Honda Motor Company, Eastman Kodak Company, Ford Motor Company, the Hertz Corporation, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg Company, Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company, Nestlé, Pan American World Airways, PepsiCo, Inc. and Unilever (Lever Brothers).
- Extent:
- 6.6 Linear Feet
4950 Items - Language:
- Material in English , Spanish , Portuguese
- Collection ID:
- RL.00752
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The Thomas Sutton Papers span the years 1965-1975 and document Sutton's career, especially his role in JWT's international expansion and the establishment of global advertising markets. The papers include correspondence, printed materials, business reports, advertising brochures, photographs, statistical documents, and pamphlets that provide insight into JWT's international financial matters--budgets, salary structure, stock incentive plans and market shares--as well as personnel policies, client relations, product launches, television advertising projects and marketing research and strategies, seen from the perspective of Sutton's position as JWT chief executive for international operations. The papers also contain marketing plans, evaluations and reports for a number of JWT's international offices, that provide a detailed glimpse into JWT's operations within the respective countries' economic and socio-political contexts. The offices represented herein include Amsterdam, Bogotá, Brussels, Buenos Aires, Caracas, Ceylon, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Johannesburg, Karachi, Lima, London, Mexico City, Milan, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, San Juan, Santiago, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Vienna and Zürich. Key clients include the Eastman Kodak Company; Ford Motor Company; the Hertz Corporation; Honda Motor Company; IBM; Johnson & Johnson; Kellogg Company; Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company; Nestlé; Pan American World Airways; PepsiCo, Inc.; and Unilever (Lever Brothers). While most of the files are in English, some of the documents are written in Spanish and Portuguese.
The collection is organized into three Series--the General Office Files Series; the Central and South American Office Files Series; and the Annual Marketing Plans and Reports Series.
The General Files Series contains correspondence, memoranda and periodical reports on JWT management and marketing, JWT's international offices and operations, as well as on other international advertising agencies. Topics include capital expenditures, fees and commissions, management salary and bonus policies, and stock incentive plans. The correspondence on international new business includes clients such as Hertz, Honda, and IBM. Arranged alphabetically.
The Central and South American Offices Files Series contains correspondence and reports on JWT budgets, market shares, profits, marketing research and product launches, as well as newsletters and some newspaper clippings pertaining to individual country offices of JWT throughout Latin America. The documents reflect the communication between JWT personnel and the dealings between JWT and its large international clients such as Ford, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg's, Kodak, Lever, Liggett & Myers, Pan American World Airways, Pepsi-Cola, and Nestle, as well as prospective clients like Siemens and local clients in Central America and South America. The documents provide insights into JWT's operation in the expanding advertising markets of Central and South America. This series also includes assessments of the respective countries' economies, census data, and the competition in the advertising market. Moreover, it shows the increasing importance of television advertising in the Latin American market. Organized alphabetically.
Annual Marketing Plans and Reports Series contains status and planning reports from JWT's international operations. The documents assess the respective country's economy, politics, and the advertising and media market as a context for presenting a review of the JWT's offices' financial and organizational performance that includes billings, expenditures, and profits, salaries, personnel, specific clients, and the company's public relations in the respective past year. This analysis of strengths and weaknesses provides the bases for a discussion of the targets and objectives for the respective next year. Arranged alphabetically.
Restriction on access: Sensitive personnel materials pertaining to individual employee matters are closed to non-JWT users until 2043. Those items have been physically removed to Restricted Materials. Fragile original materials have been relocated to Removed Materials. Use Copies are available to patrons.
Additional information on JWT's international advertising operations may be found in the J. Walter Thompson Co. London Office Records, the J. Walter Thompson Co. Frankfurt Office Records, the Harry Clark Papers, the Arthur Stridsberg Papers, and the Shirley F. Woodell Papers. In addition, files relating to Thomas Sutton may be found in the Denis Lanigan Papers and the Peter Gilow Papers.
- Biographical / historical:
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Chronology Date Event 1923 Feb. 9 Born Thomas Schulhof, in Berlin (of Austrian Jewish descent, the Schulhof family relocated to England to escape the Nazis, and changed its name to Sutton during World War II)1948 Received M.A. in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from St. Peter’s College, Oxford University1949 Research officer at British Market Research Bureau (BMRB), a subsidiary of J. Walter Thompson Co. (JWT) London1951 Left JWT to work as Advertising and Market Research Manager for Pasolds Limited, a textile manufacturer1952 Returned to JWT London, and sent to Frankfurt, Germany, as Managing Director; charged with reopening the JWT office in Germany which had ceased operations in 19341960 Returned to England to assume position of Managing Director, JWT London1966 Executive Vice President, International1966-1972 Executive Vice President at JWT New York, responsible for all 37 of JWT’s international operations1970 International Advertising Man of the Year Award1972 Stepped down from New York post to become General Manager for JWT Japan in Tokyo1980 Executive Vice President, JWT's Asia-Pacific operations1981 Dec. Executive Vice President, JWT Group1983 Dec. 31 Retired as Executive Vice President of J. Walter Thompson Company and a member of its Board of Directors, and as Executive Vice President of JWT Group, Inc.1994 Dec. 9 Died at the age of 71Sutton received several honors during his lifetime. In Great Britain he served on the Council of Institute of Practictioners in Advertising and headed their Development Committee. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Historical Statistical Society and a fellow of the Institute of Statisticians. In the United States, Sutton was a member of the Advisory Board of International Business Program of Rutgers University.
- Acquisition information:
- The J. Walter Thompson Company Thomas Sutton Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a transfer in 1987.
- Processing information:
-
Processed by Richard Collier, Andrea Franzius, Ashley Urquhart, April 2006
Encoded by Richard Collier
Completed April 2006
Accession is described in this finding aid.
- Physical location:
- For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Subjects
Click on terms below to find related finding aids on this site. For other related materials in the Duke University Libraries, search for these terms in the Catalog.
- Subjects:
- Advertising agencies -- South Africa
Advertising agencies -- Puerto Rico
Advertising agencies -- Switzerland
Advertising agencies -- Spain
Advertising agencies -- Netherlands
Advertising agencies -- Mexico
Advertising agencies -- Perú
Advertising agencies -- Pakistan
Advertising agencies -- Colombia
Advertising agencies -- Chile
Advertising agencies -- Canada
Advertising agencies -- Brazil
Advertising agencies -- France
Advertising agencies -- Europe
Advertising agencies -- Employees
Advertising agencies -- Denmark
Advertising agencies -- Germany
Advertising agencies -- Great Britain
Advertising agencies -- Italy
Advertising agencies -- Japan
Advertising agencies -- Belgium
Advertising agencies -- Austria
Advertising agencies -- Australia
Advertising agencies -- Argentina
Television advertising
Marketing research
Advertising agencies -- Venezuela
Advertising agencies -- United States
Advertising -- Research
Advertising -- History -- 20th century - Format:
- Photographs
- Names:
- J. Walter Thompson Company. Brussels Office
J. Walter Thompson Company. Bogotá Office
J. Walter Thompson Company. Santiago (Chile) Office
J. Walter Thompson Company. Amsterdam Office
International Business Machines Corporation
Honda Motor Company
Hertz Corporation
Ford Motor Company
Eastman Kodak Company
J. Walter Thompson Company. Frankfurt Office
J. Walter Thompson Company. Johannesburg Office
J. Walter Thompson Company. Karachi Office
J. Walter Thompson Company. Lima Office
J. Walter Thompson Company. Buenos Aires Office
J. Walter Thompson Company. Caracas Office
J. Walter Thompson Company. Ceylon Office
J. Walter Thompson Company. Copenhagen Office
J. Walter Thompson Company. Paris Office
J. Walter Thompson Company. Rio de Janeiro Office
J. Walter Thompson Company. San Juan Office
J. Walter Thompson Company. London Office
J. Walter Thompson Company. Mexico City Office
J. Walter Thompson Company. Milan Office
J. Walter Thompson Company. New York Office
J. Walter Thompson Company
J. Walter Thompson Company. Zürich Office
John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History
J. Walter Thompson Company
J. Walter Thompson Company. Tokyo Office
J. Walter Thompson Company. Sydney Office
J. Walter Thompson Company. Vienna Office
J. Walter Thompson Company. Toronto Office
PepsiCo, Inc.
Pan American World Airways, Inc.
Unilever (Firm)
Kellogg Company
Johnson & Johnson
Nestlé
Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company
Sutton, Thomas (Thomas Francis)
Contents
Using These Materials
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Using These Materials
- Restrictions:
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Collection is restricted.
Sensitive personnel materials pertaining to individual employee matters are closed to non-JWT users for 75 years from the date of the file creation.
Fragile originals are closed to patron use. Consult Use Copies in files.
Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.
All or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. There may be a 48-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.
- Terms of access:
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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.
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- Preferred citation:
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[Identification of item], J. Walter Thompson Company Thomas Sutton Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.