A Technique for Producing Ideas

jwtyoung Inventory of the J. Walter Thompson Company. James Webb Young Papers, 1927-1984 Processed by Donna Longo DiMichele and Daniel L. Daily; machine-readable finding aid created by Stephen Douglas Miller 1997

This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.

Aleph Number: 001112749

Machine-readable finding aid derived from MS Word. Date of source: April 30, 1993. Description is in English. 12-31-2005 PUBLIC "-//Duke University::David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library//TEXT (US::NDD::::J. Walter Thompson Company. James Webb Young Papers)//EN" "jwtyoung.xml" converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02.xsl (sy2003-10-15). Also, the top level of the finding aid (above the dsc) changed to conform to current Rubenstein Library and NC EAD standards as laid out in the Inventory Style Guide and in the NCEAD Best Practice Guidelines. Within the dsc, dates for series were normalized. These changes were made by Michelle Belden. Also, container TYPE and LABEL attribute values were standardized according to the Rubenstein Library EAD 2002 manual and the NCEAD eadlocal.ent by Ruth E. Bryan. The tag list inside index was changed to indexentry by Ruth E. Bryan. June 29, 1998 Updated to EAD Version 1.0 from EAD Beta by Stephen Miller Inventory of the J. Walter Thompson Company. James Webb Young Papers, 1927-1984 The John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing HistoryDavid M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript LibraryDuke UniversityDurham, North Carolina

Descriptive Summary J. Walter Thompson Company. James Webb Young Papers, 1927-1984 J. Walter Thompson Company. 1.2 Linear Feet ca. 275 Items Duke University. David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library

Durham, North Carolina 27708-0185

For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog. English. Administrative Information Access Restrictions

Access to the originals is restricted. Photocopies are available for general use.

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 the J. Walter Thompson Company Archives have not been transferred to Duke University. For further information, see the section on copyright in the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

Provenance

The papers of James Webb Young were transferred to the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library from the J. Walter Thompson Company in 1987.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], J. Walter Thompson Company Archives: James Webb Young Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

Processing Information

Processed by: Donna Longo DiMichele and Daniel L. Daily

Processing of this collection was supported in part by gifts from the J. Walter Thompson Company Fund and the John and Kelly Hartman Foundation.

Encoded by Stephen Douglas Miller

This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.

Biographical Note 1886, Jan. 20 Born in Covington, Ky. 1907 Appointed Advertising Manager and Book Designer of the Western Methodist Book Concern, Covington, Ky. 1907 Married Elizabeth Johnson 1912 Joined the J. Walter Thompson Company Cincinnati Office as a copywriter 1913 Promoted to Manager, J. Walter Thompson Company Cincinnatti Office 1916 Appointed Vice President of the J. Walter Thompson Company 1917 Appointed Senior Vice President in charge of the Western Division of the J. Walter Thompson Company 1927 Traveled to Europe to open J. Walter Thompson offices in Europe 1928 Retired from the J. Walter Thompson Company and lived on a ranch near Pena Blanca, N.M. 1928-1964 Consultant and Director of J. Walter Thompson Company 1931 Appointed Professor of Business History and Advertising, School of Business, University of Chicago 1939-1941 Founded the War Advertising Council, which later became the Advertising Council. 1940 Published A Technique for Producing Ideas 1964 Retired again from the J. Walter Thompson Company 1973, Mar. 6 Died, Santa Fe, New Mexico

In addition to his roles in the J. Walter Thompson Company, Young developed for the Creel Committee for Public Information a propaganda plan to be implemented on the Western Front during World War I and held a number of public and private positions, including President of the Board of Trustees of the Laboratory of Anthropology, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Collection Overview

The James Webb Young Papers chiefly consist of correspondence, memoranda, reports, and publications and span the years 1927-1984. These materials provide insights into Young's career as well as the operational aspects of the J. Walter Thompson Company, especially the early development of their international branch offices.

From the perspective of James Webb Young's entire career in advertising, this collection reflects a small portion of his contributions to the J. Walter Thompson Company and the advertising business as a whole, for which he was awarded in 1945 the Gold Medal for a distinguished career in advertising. While these papers represent Young's pioneering work in establishing the J. Walter Thompson Company abroad as well as reflect some his contributions to public service advertising and advertising strategy, primarily through The Compleat Angler, A Footnote to History, and other works in the Publications category, they are an incomplete record of his distinguished career.

The International Branch Notebooks category primarily contains correspondence, minutes, memoranda, research reports and tables which pertain to the organization and initial operations of J. Walter Thompson branch offices abroad, particularly in London, Africa, South America, and Europe during the late 1920s and early 1930s. A substantial amount of this material focuses upon J. Walter Thompson's advertising for General Motors, especially for markets in Europe and South America. Though Young officially retired in 1928, he served as Consultant and director (1928-1964) and became a key figure in establishing the earliest international branch offices for the J. Walter Thompson Company. Among the correspondents in this series are Sam Meek, Stanley Resor, and Henry C. Flowers.

In the Publications category are works written by Young, some of which were privately printed by the Piñon Press in Coapa, New Mexico. The works published by the Piñon Press have been individually cataloged and can be searched by author and title. The Publications category includes editions of A Technique for Producing Ideas and How to Become an Advertising Man. As a whole, these works reflect aspects of Young's advertising philosophy and strategies, and partially document his involvement in public service advertising in the United States as well as his early career from an autobiographical perspective.

Subject Headings

These are searchable subject entries for this collection. Performing a search on these subjects in the Duke University Libraries online catalog will bring up other related research materials.

Resor, Stanley Meek, Sam. Flowers, Henry C. General Motors Corporation--Advertising. Advertising--Automobiles. Advertising--Biography. Advertising, Public Service-- United States. Advertising-- Europe. Advertising-- South America. Young, James Webb, 1886-. Piänon Press. John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History. Contents of Collection Use Copies International Branch Notebooks, 1927-1930

Includes correspondence, memoranda, research reports, minutes, tables, and surveys, which reflect the exigencies of establishing offices abroad as well as the strategies, policies, and protocols to be followed by these offices. Included are estimated billings for the London office. Arranged chronologically, by year.

1 Notes on JWT Foreign Branch Management, 1927-1929 (3 folders) Miscellaneous Data Having to do with Organization and Early Operations of Foreign Offices, 1928-1930 Miscellaneous Data Concerning Organization of Foreign Offices, 1928-1931 (2 folders) Publications, 1950-1959

Divided into two subseries: Advertising and Autobiographical.

Publications: Advertising, 1950-1953

Contains works written by Young and privately printed by the Piñon Press in Coapa, New Mexico. These works reflect his philosophy of advertising as well as his role in developing propaganda to be used on the Western Front during World War I (A Footnote to History) and his understanding of American capitalism during the early years of the Cold War (A Story Still Untold). Arranged alphabetically by title.

1 The Compleat Angler, 1953 A Footnote to History, 1950 Mirror For a Lady, 1954 Pills For the Angels, 1952 A Story Still Untold, 1951 Publications: Autobiographical, 1955-1956.

Contains photocopies of five books, privately printed by The Piñon Press of Coapa, New Mexico. The works, as a whole, provide a sketch of Young's childhood and adolescence as well as his early career and his eventual advancement from a copy writer to a vice president in the J. Walter Thompson Company. Arranged in the order of the author's chapter numbers.

Ego-Biography: Chapter I-Boyhood, 1955 His Girl and His Dinner: Chapter II of An Ego-Biography, 1956 The Itch for Orders: Chapter III of An Ego-Biography, 1957 Hometown Boy Makes Good: Chapter IV of An Ego-Biography, 1958 Full Corn in the Ear: Chapter V of An Ego-Biography, 1959 Original Copies International Branch Notebooks, 1927-1930.

Please see the description under Use Copies: International Branch Notebooks, 1927-1930. (RESTRICTED)

2 Notes on JWT Foreign Branch Management, 1927-1929(2 folders) Miscellaneous Data Having to do with Organization and Early Operations of Foreign Offices, 1928-1930 Miscellaneous Data Concerning Organization of Foreign Offices, 1928-1931(2 folders) Publications, 1950-1984.

Divided into two subcategories: Advertising and Autobiographical. (RESTRICTED)

Publications: Advertising, 1950-1984.

Contains the originals of the use copies noted above as well as English and foreign language editions of A Technique for Producing Ideas. There are multiple copies for some of the works. Arranged alphabetically by title. (RESTRICTED)

Como Criar Ideias, Fourth Edition, 1960 The Compleat Angler, 1953 Eine Technik Zum Produzieren von Ideen, 1975 A Footnote to History, 1950 How to Become an Advertising Man, 1979 Mirror For a Lady, 1954 Pills For the Angels, 1952 3 A Technique for Producing Ideas, Third Edition, Forward by William Bernbach, 1982 A Technique for Producing Ideas, Third Edition, 1984 A Technique for Producing Ideas, Fourth Edition, 1960 A Story Still Untold, 1951 Publications: Autobiographical, 1955-1959.

Please see the description under Use Copies: Publications: Autobiographical. Multiple copies of each work are present. Arranged in the order of the author's chapter numbers. (RESTRICTED)

Ego-Biography: Chapter I-Boyhood, 1955 His Girl and His Dinner: Chapter II of An Ego-Biography, 1956 The Itch for Orders: Chapter III of An Ego-Biography, 1957 Hometown Boy Makes Good: Chapter IV of An Ego-Biography, 1958 Full Corn in the Ear: Chapter V of An Ego-Biography, 1959 Oversize Materials 1-2 International Branch Notebooks, 1927-1931 (2 folders)