Advertising - Overview
Advertising is meant to persuade, and the themes and techniques of that persuasion reveal a part of the nation's history. The Museum has preserved advertising campaigns for several familiar companies, such as Marlboro, Alka-Seltzer, Federal Express, Cover Girl, and Nike. It also holds the records of the NW Ayer Advertising Agency and business papers from Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Carvel Ice Cream, and other companies. The Warshaw Collection of Business Americana comprises thousands of trade cards, catalogs, labels, and other business papers and images dating back to the late 1700s.
Beyond advertising campaigns, the collections encompass thousands of examples of packaging, catalogs, and other literature from many crafts and trades, from engineering to hat making. The collections also contain an eclectic array of advertising objects, such as wooden cigar-store Indians, neon signs, and political campaign ads.
"Advertising - Overview" showing 308 items.
Page 1 of 31
- No Image Available
Earl S. Tupper Papers, ca. 1914-1982
- Notes
- In 1937 Tupper began working for DuPont, but left after a year and in 1938 formed the Earl S. Tupper Company. His company advertised the design and engineering of industrial plastic products, but later invented and marketed a popular product for home use, Tupperware
- Summary
- Papers documenting inventor Earl S. Tupper; his invention, Tupperware; and the Tupper Company
- Cite as
- Earl S. Tupper Papers, ca. 1914-1982, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1914
- 1982
- ca 1914-1982
- 20th century
- author
- Tupper, Earl Silas 1907-
- Creator
- Tupper Corporation
- Subject
- Tupper, Glenn O
- Tupper, Miles
- Tupperware (Firm)
- Local number
- 1992.3213 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
The Silent Revolution [black & white advertisement; tear sheet]
- Summary
- Advertising proof sheet with text describing advantages of advertising in The (National) Farm Journal because of its wide readership, as a market for many types of consumer products; with eight drawings of rural scenes, vehicles, and interiors
- Cite as
- N W Ayer Advertising Records, 1889-1972, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
- Date
- 1929
- 1920-1930
- advertiser
- Farm Journal, The (periodical)
- Local number
- AC0059-0000093 (AC Scan)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
The "Pepsi Generation" Oral History and Documentation Collection, 1938-1986
- Notes
- In 1983, as part of the 20th anniversary of the "Pepsi Generation" umbrella advertising campaign, Pepsi-Cola donated to the Archives Center approximately 200 flat advertising and promotional items (see Collection #92). The Archives Center accepted these items and proposed an oral history project to document the story of the "Pepsi Generation."
- The Archives Center embarked upon this project in the Spring of 1983. A professional oral historian, Dr. Scott Ellsworth, conducted 29 interviews over one and a half years with 26 people involved in Pepsi advertising, including bottlers, advertising executives, producers, directors, a songwriter, a performer, a publisher, the president of Pepsi, the chairman of the board, and two former Pepsi presidents
- The interviews focus primarily on the "Come Alive, You're In The Pepsi Generation" advertising campaign, Pepsi's adoption of youth-oriented advertising; campaign execution; television commercial production; background of the idea for the "Think Young" campaign and the company's response to the "Pepsi Generation"campaign
- Summary
- Research files: Materials collected by the Archives Center to provide background for the project team and materials produced by Pepsi-Cola, including an almost complete run of Pepsi-Cola World, the company publication,and various trade literature, both advertising and soft drink industry
- Interviewee files: Abstracts for each interview, indexes to each interview, master index to the collection, brief biographical statements on each interviewee, and additional information, such as resumes, articles, etc
- Oral history interviews: form the bulk of the collection. They contain rich material on the relationship between Pepsi and its ad agency, how television commercials are produced, the early days of television and the bottlers' role in advertising. Approximately 100 television advertisements, 1946-1984, which illustrate many subjects that the interviewees mention in the interviews. These commercials also show developments in television such as changes in editing techniques, greater spontaneity in acting, and the increased use of action scenes. A list of the commercial titles and running times is available
- The series also includes a video program produced as part of a small exhibit composed of 12 ads with voice-overs of seven interviewees; jingles used in a "pitch" for an ad campaign; international Pepsi jingles; and several versions of music for the "Girlwatchers" Diet Pepsi campaign
- Cite as
- The "Pepsi Generation" Oral History and Documentation Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1938
- 1938-1986
- 1930-1990
- 1980-2000
- collector
- Archives Center, NMAH, SI
- interviewer
- Ellsworth, Scott Dr
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Marion Harper Papers, ca. 1916-1989
- Notes
- Harper won distinction as founder of Interpublic, once the world's largest advertising agency conglomerate, and as an innovator in the use of research to produce effective advertising. His meteoric career terminated soon after he was deposed as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Interpublic at age 53
- Harper devoted his remaining 20 years to other interests. Author of "Getting Results from Advertising"; served as chairman of the American Association of Advertising Agencies and the American Research Foundation; received the Parlin Award of the American Marketing Association for contributions to the advancement of marketing; elected to the Market Research Council's Hall of Fame
- Summary
- Notes, clippings, published and unpublished manuscripts on business and marketing; but primarily personal materials
- Cite as
- Marion Harper Papers, ca. 1916-1989, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1916
- 1916-1989
- ca 1916-1989
- 20th century
- 1930-1950
- author
- Harper, Marion (advertising executive) 1916-1989
- Subject
- McCann-Erickson
- advertising agency
- Interpublic
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Herbert M. Faust Papers, 1918-1949
- Notes
- Herbert M. Faust spent more than 24 years with the Curtis Publishing Company, 1918-1943. He left Curtis Sept. 1943 to join the War Production Board as a "dollar-a-year" man but was quickly transferred to the Federal payroll. The function of the War Production Board was to exercise general direction over the war procurement and production programs of all Federal departments and agencies. Mr. Faust served as Director of the Salvage Division of the War Production Board. During his tenure, there was a very heavy emphasis on paper salvage and much of the material in his papers relates to it. In Nov. 1944, Mr. Faust became manager, central division, Mutual Broadcasting System, Detroit, Michigan
- Summary
- Papers relate to Mr. Faust's diverse career, including information on advertising in the 1920s, including two marketing studies from 1920 & 1922 of Sabetha, Kansas; his War Production Board experience, 1943-1944, which demonstrates the magnitude of that operation, its contribution to the war effort, and the extensive involvement of the American public in the salvage effort; and correspondence relating to his employment with and retirement from the Mutual Broadcasting Company, 1945-1948. These papers constitute a personal record of a successful career which reached its peak with important wartime civilian service
- Cite as
- Herbert M. Faust Papers, 1918-1949, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1918
- 1918-1949
- 1940-1950
- 1900-1950
- 1930-1950
- author
- Faust, Herbert M (salesman manager)
- donor
- Crocker, Judith A.
- Subject
- Curtis Publishing Company
- United States. War Production Board
- Mutual Broadcasting Company
- Saturday Evening Post
- Local number
- 1991.3066 (NMAH Acc. No.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Landor Design Collection, ca. 1930-1994
- Notes
- Walter Landor was a noted industrial designer
- Summary
- Collection documents the career of designer Walter Landor and the significant body of commercial imagery and packaging produced by Landor Associates design firm. Contains corporate and business records of Landor Associates, personal papers of Landor, oral history interviews, films, videotapes, and other audiovisual resources
- Cite as
- Landor Design Collection, ca. 1930-1994, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1930
- 1994
- ca 1930-1994
- 1980-2000
- 20th century
- creator
- Landor Associates
- author
- Landor, Walter
- Subject
- Mair, Francis M (commercial artist) 1916-1991
- Local number
- 1993.3206 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Rob and Julie Strasser Collection, 1970-1990
- Summary
- Videotapes, internal and external company publications, product catalogs and business files relating to Nike's domestic and international marketing and promotions
- Cite as
- Rob and Julie Strasser Collection, 1970-1990, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1970
- 1970-1990
- 1950-2000
- collector
- Strasser, Robert (marketing executive)
- Strasser, Julie
- creator
- Nike, Inc
- Subject
- Blue Ribbon Sports
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
[Trade catalogs from Boyd's City Dispatch]
- Date
- 1900s
- Company Name
- Boyd's City Dispatch
- Record ID
- SILNMAHTL_8773
- Data source
- Smithsonian Institution Libraries
- No Image Available
[Trade catalogs from Buckley, Dement & Co.]
- Date
- 1900s
- Company Name
- Buckley, Dement & Co.
- Record ID
- SILNMAHTL_8921
- Data source
- Smithsonian Institution Libraries
- No Image Available
[Trade catalogs from California Packing Corp.]
- Date
- 1900s
- Company Name
- California Packing Corp.
- Related companies
- Del Monte
- Record ID
- SILNMAHTL_9148
- Data source
- Smithsonian Institution Libraries
- Next Page