Lester Wunderman papers, 1940-2010 and undated

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Summary

Creator:
Wunderman, Lester
Abstract:
Lester Wunderman is an advertising executive primarily in the direct marketing industry, founder of an agency in his name now a subsidiary of Young & Rubicam, and a noted collector of Dogon (Mali) art works. The Lester Wunderman Papers span the years 1946-2010 and include writings, speeches, correspondence, reports, photographs, audiocassettes, videocassettes, 16mm films, and other materials relating to Wunderman's career in direct marketing and direct-mail advertising, his work on Boards of Directors and Trustees, and as a consultant. Included are drafts, proofs and correspondence relating to Wunderman's 1996 book Being Direct: Making Advertising Pay. Advertising agencies represented in the collection include Caspar Pinsker, Maxwell Sackheim, Wunderman Cato Johnson, Wunderman Ricotta & Kline and Young & Rubicam. Also included are correspondence, photographs, negatives and other materials relating to Wunderman's collection of Dogon (Mali) art works, carvings and sculptures, and their use in museum exhibits, catalogs and books on African art. Firms and institutions represented in the collection include American Express, Children's Television Workshop (Sesame Street, Electric Company), Columbia House record club, Ford (including Lincoln-Mercury and Merkur), IBM, Jackson & Perkins mail order nursery, Mitchell Madison Group, Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.), National Observer Correspondence Schools (Famous Artists School, Famous Writers School) and Time, Inc. magazines. Languages present include Spanish, French, Danish, German and Japanese, and have not been translated into English. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Extent:
62 Linear Feet
Language:
Material in English French, Spanish, Danish, German, Japanese
Collection ID:
RL.01417

Background

Scope and content:

The Lester Wunderman Papers span the years 1946-2010 and include writings, speeches, correspondence, reports, photographs, audiocassettes, videocassettes, 16mm films, and other materials relating to Wunderman's career in direct marketing and direct-mail advertising, his work on Boards of Directors and Trustees, and as a consultant. Included are drafts, proofs and correspondence relating to Wunderman's 1996 book Being Direct: Making Advertising Pay . Advertising agencies represented in the collection include Caspar Pinsker, Maxwell Sackheim, Wunderman Cato Johnson, Wunderman Ricotta & Kline and Young & Rubicam. Also included are correspondence, photographs, negatives and other materials relating to Wunderman's collection of Dogon (Mali) art works, carvings and sculptures, and their use in museum exhibits, catalogs and books on African art. Firms and institutions represented in the collection include American Express, Children's Television Workshop ( Sesame Street , Electric Company ), Columbia House record club, Ford (including Lincoln-Mercury and Merkur), IBM, Jackson & Perkins mail order nursery, Mitchell Madison Group, Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.), National Observer Correspondence Schools (Famous Artists School, Famous Writers School) and Time, Inc. magazines. Languages present include Spanish, French, Danish, German and Japanese, and have not been translated into English.

Biographical / historical:
Chronology List
Date Event
1920 June 22
Born, New York, N.Y.
1939
Co-founder, with brother Irving, Coronet Advertising Service
1942-1947
Vice President, Caspar Pinsker Advertising Agency
1947
Joined Maxwell Sackheim & Co. advertising agency; eventually promoted to Executive Vice President
1958
President and Founder, Wunderman Ricotta & Kline (WRK)
1961 Oct. 1
Speech to Hundred Million Club (precursor to Direct Marketing Club of New York); first documented use of the term "direct marketing" in a speech by Wunderman
1967
Mail Order Man of the Year, Advertising Club of New York
MIT speech, elaboration of the "direct marketing" concept before the American Marketing Association; speech later read into the Congressional Record
1973
WRK merged with Young & Rubicam
1973-1976
Travels to Africa; photography of Dogon life and sculpture
1977
Chairman, WRK
1981
Frontiers of Direct Marketing published
1982
Direct Marketer of the Year, Direct Marketing Day in New York
Circa 1982-1989
Chairman, Visiting Committee of the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas, Metropolitan Museum of Art
1983
Direct Marketing Association Hall of Fame
1984
Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Brooklyn College, City University of New York
1985
Focus Award, Montreux Symposium of Direct Marketing
Circa 1986-1992
Trustee, Children's Television Workshop
1987
WRK name change to Wunderman Worldwide
1988
Special Exhibition of Wunderman's Dogon art collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art, N.Y., and the Louvre, Paris
1992
Wunderman Worldwide merger with Cato Johnson to form Wunderman Cato Johnson
1994
Edward N. Mayer, Jr. Award for Educational Leadership, Direct Marketing Educational Foundation
1996
Being Direct: Making Advertising Pay published
Wunderman LLC consulting firm
1997
Lifetime Achievement Award, Direct Marketing Day in New York
1998
Advertising Hall of Fame
1998
Retired from Wunderman Cato Johnson
2001
Wunderman Cato Johnson renamed Wunderman, NY; Wunderman named Chairman Emeritus
2004
Being Direct: Making Advertising Pay , second edition, published
2010
Chairman Emeritus, Visiting Committee, Rockefeller Wing at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, N.Y.

In addition, Wunderman has been involved in a range of professional and personal activities:

Education: Adjunct Professor of Marketing, Columbia University School for Continuing Education; Visiting Clinical Professor of Direct Marketing, School for Continuing Education, New York University; Chairman, Executive Committee, Center for Direct Marketing, New York University; Editorial Review Board, Journal of Direct Marketing , Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University; Lectured on direct marketing, primitive art, communications and advertising. Attended New York University, City University of New York, Brooklyn College, Columbia University.

Professional organizations: Director, The Advertising Council; Board of Directors, Direct Marketing Association; Secretary/Treasurer, American Association of Advertising Agencies; Founding Chairman, DMA International Strategic Forum on Direct Marketing; Director, The Marketing Consortium; Founder, Lester Wunderman Instituut, Amsterdam. Co-Founder (with Cornell Capa and Jacqueline Kennedy), International Center of Photography

Specialist in Dogon (Mali) art: Assembled the largest privately held collection of Dogon art, which toured several museums before a large portion of the collection was donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Louvre; the collection formed the illustrations on several books on African art.

Humanitarian work: Administrative Council, UNESCO International Fund for the Promotion of Culture; Co-Chairman, Friends of Leopold Senghor Foundation; President, Wunderman Foundation, which funds research in developing regions. Member, UNICEF, Paris.

Acquisition information:
The Lester Wunderman Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift in 2010 and 2021.
Processing information:

Processed by Richard Collier, 2010 and 2024;

Accessions 2010-0189, 2021-0053 are described in this finding aid.

Arrangement:

The collection has been arranged into the following series: Administrative Files; Accounts; Children's Television Workshop; Dogon Art; Meetings and Travel; Metropolitan Museum of Art; Printed Materials; Publicity; Samples of Direct Marketing Items; Speeches; Writings; Memorabilia; Oversize Materials; Audiovisual Materials.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

Using These Materials

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Using These Materials

Restrictions:

Collection is restricted.

Collection contains fragile audiovisual formats that may need to be reformatted before use. Contact Research Services for access.

Terms of access:

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:

[Identification of item], Lester Wunderman Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University

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