Search Results

Creator:

Williams, Ralph William  Search this

Breck Company.  Search this

Dial Corporation.  Search this

American Cyanamid Company  Search this

Sheldon, Charles  Search this

Names:

Basinger, Kim  Search this

Gray, Erin  Search this

Hamill, Joan  Search this

Shields, Brooke  Search this

Tiegs, Cheryl  Search this

Extent:

6.5 Cubic feet (16 boxes, 188 pieces of original artwork)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Pastels (visual works)

Advertisements

Business records

Date:

circa 1936-1995

Summary:

The collection documents the development and evolution of the Breck Girl, a highly successful and long-lived advertising campaign whose hallmark was its vision of idealized American womanhood through correspondence, photographs, paintings, and print advertisements.

Scope and Contents:

188 pieces of original advertising art (mostly pastel drawings), and photographs, correspondence, and business records, documenting the development and evolution of the Breck Girls advertising campaign. Original advertising art includes portraits of famous models, such as Cheryl Tiegs, Brooke Shields, Kim Basinger, and Erin Gray. Artists represented include Charles Sheldon and Ralph William Williams. The 2006 addendum consists of approximately one sixth of one cubic foot of papers relating to Cynthia Brown's selection as a Breck Girl, 1988 and her induction into the Breck Hall of Fame.

Arrangement:

Collection divided into four series.

Series 1: Company history, 1946-1990

Series 2: Photographs, 1960-1995

Series 3: Print ads, 1946-1980

Series 4: Original artwork, 1936-1994

Biographical / Historical:

Dr. John Breck is credited with developing one of the first liquid shampoos in the United States, in Springfield Massachusetts in 1908; Breck is also credited with introducing the first ph-balanced shampoo, in 1930. During the early years of the business, distribution remained localized in New England, and the product was sold exclusively to beauty salons until 1946. Advertising for the brand began in 1932, but appeared only in trade publications, such as Modern Beauty Shop.

Edward Breck, son of the founder, assumed management of the company in 1936. Breck became acquainted with Charles Sheldon, an illustrator and portrait painter who is believed to have studied in Paris under Alphonse Mucha, an artist noted for his contributions to Art Nouveau style. Sheldon had achieved some measure of fame for his paintings of movie stars for the cover of Photoplay magazine in the 1920s, and had also done idealized pastel portraits for the cover of Parents magazine. He created his first pastel portraits for Breck in 1936, launching what would become one of America's longest running ad campaigns. When the company began national advertising (and mass distribution) in 1946, the campaign featured Sheldon's 1937 painting of seventeen-year old Roma Whitney, a spirited blonde. Ms. Whitney's profile was registered as Breck's trademark in 1951. When he retired in 1957, Sheldon had created 107 oil paintings and pastels for the company. Sheldon was known to favor ordinary women over professional models, and in the early years of the campaign, the Breck Girls were Breck family members, neighbors or residents of the community in which he worked; company lore holds that nineteen Breck Girls were employees of the advertising agency he founded in 1940. A Breck advertising manager later described Sheldon's illustrations as, "illusions, depicting the quality and beauty of true womanhood using real women as models." The paintings and pastels form a coherent, if derivative, body of work which celebrates an idealized vision of American girlhood and womanhood, an ideal in which fair skin, beauty and purity are co-equal.

Ralph William Williams was hired to continue the Breck Girls campaign after Sheldon's retirement. Between 1957 and his death in 1976, Williams modified the Breck Girl look somewhat through the use of brighter colors and a somewhat heightened sense of movement and individuality. The advertising manager during his tenure recalled that Aat first Williams continued in Sheldon' manner, but in later years, as women became more independent, he would take care to integrate each girl' particular personality; he studied each girl and learned her special qualities. During these years, Breck Girls were identified through the company's sponsorship of America's Junior Miss contests. Williams work includes pastels of celebrities Cybil Shepard (1968 Junior Miss from Tennessee), Cheryl Tiegs (1968), Jaclyn Smith (1971, 1973), Kim Basinger (1972, 1974) and Brooke Shields (1974) very early in their careers.

By the 1960s, at the height of its success, Breck held about a twenty percent share of the shampoo market and enjoyed a reputation for quality and elegance. Ownership of the company changed several times (American Cyanamid in 1963; Dial Corporation in 1990). The corresponding fluctuations in management of the company and in advertising expenditures tended to undermine the coherence of the national advertising campaign. In addition, despite William's modifications, the image had become dated. Attempts to update the image misfired, further limiting the brand's coherence and effectiveness. Finally, increased competition and an absence of brand loyalty among consumers through the 1970s and 1980s helped push Breck from its number one position into the bargain bin. The Breck Girl campaign was discontinued around 1978, although there have been at least two minor revivals, first in 1992 with the Breck Girls Hall of Fame, and again in 1995 when a search was begun to identify three new Breck Women. Scope and Content: The 188 pieces of original advertising art (62 oil paintings on board, 2 pencil sketches on paper, and 124 pastels on paper) and related photographs, correspondence and business files in this collection document the development and evolution of the Breck Girl, a highly successful and long-lived advertising campaign whose hallmark was its vision of idealized American womanhood. The collection is a perfect fit with other 20th century Archives Center collections documenting the efforts of American business to reach the female consumer market. The Estelle Ellis Collection (advertising and promotions for Seventeen, Charm, Glamour and House & Garden and many other clients) the Cover Girl Collection (make-up), the Maidenform Collection (brassieres), and the Tupperware Collections offer a prodigious body of evidence for understanding the role women were expected to play as consumers in the 20th century.

These advertising images also offer fertile ground for research into the evolution of popular images of American girlhood and womanhood. The research uses of the collection derive primarily from its value as an extensive visual catalog of the ideal types of American women and girls, arising and coalescing during a period in which 19th century ideals of womanhood were being revisited (the depression, the war years, the immediate post-war period) and continuing, with slight modifications and revisions, through several decades during which those historical ideals were being challenged and revised.

Related Materials:

Several items of packaging, 1930s-1980s are held in the former Division of Home and Community Life (now Division of Cultural and Community Life); an 18k gold Breck insignia pin is in the former.

Provenance:

The Dial Corporation through Jane Owens, Senior Vice President, Gift, June 1998.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Shampoos -- advertising  Search this

Hair -- Shampooing  Search this

advertising -- 20th century  Search this

Feminine beauty (Aesthetics)  Search this

Beauty contestants  Search this

Beauty culture  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs -- Black-and-white photoprints -- Silver gelatin -- 1950-2000

Pastels (visual works)

Advertisements -- 20th century

Business records -- 20th century

Citation:

Breck Girls Collection, ca. 1936-1995, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0651

See more items in:

Breck Girls Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8391c0d4c-0f44-4123-acb3-bd54f8a86aa3

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0651

Creator:

Bunting, George L., Jr.  Search this

Brinkley, Christie  Search this

Ellsworth, Scott, Dr.  Search this

Colonel, Sheri  Search this

Giordano, Lynn  Search this

Ford, Eileen  Search this

Hall, L. C. "Bates"  Search this

Grathwohl, Geraldine  Search this

Huebner, Dick  Search this

Harrison, Fran  Search this

Lindsay, Robert  Search this

Hunt, William D.  Search this

McIver, Karen  Search this

MacDougall, Malcolm  Search this

Noble, Stan  Search this

Nash, Helen  Search this

Noxell Corporation.  Search this

Bergin, John  Search this

O'Neill, Jennifer  Search this

Oelbaum, Carol  Search this

Pelligrino, Nick  Search this

Poris, George  Search this

Roberts, F. Stone  Search this

Tiegs, Cheryl  Search this

Troup, Peter  Search this

Weithas, Art  Search this

Witt, Norbert  Search this

Names:

Noxzema Chemical Company  Search this

Extent:

15.5 Cubic feet (30 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Interviews

Business records

Audiotapes

Bumper stickers

Annual reports

Oral history

Photographs

Press releases

Scrapbooks

Television scripts

Videotapes

Tear sheets

Place:

Hunt Valley (Maryland)

Baltimore (Md.)

Maryland

Date:

1959-1990

Summary:

The Cover Girl Make-Up Advertising Oral History and Documentation Project, 1923-1991, is the result of a year-long study in 1990, which examined the advertising created for Noxell Corporation's Cover Girl make-up products from 1959 to 1990. The objective of the project was to document, in print and electronic media, the history of Cover Girl make-up advertising since its inception in 1959.

Scope and Contents:

Twenty-two oral history interviews (conducted by Dr. Scott Ellsworth for the Archives Center) and a variety of print and television advertisements, photographs, scrapbooks, personal papers, business records and related materials were gathered by the Center for Advertising History staff. The objective was to create a collection that provides documentation, in print and electronic media, of the history and development of advertising for Cover Girl make-up since its inception in 1959.

Collection also includes earlier material related to other Noxell products, including Noxzema, with no direct connection to the Cover Girl campaign.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into eight series.

Series 1: Research Files

Series 2: Interviewee Files

Series 3: Oral History Interviews

Series 4: Television Advertising Materials

Series 5: Print Advertising Materials

Series 6: Company Publications and Promotional Literature

Series 7: Photographs

Series 8: Scrapbooks

Biographical / Historical:

George Avery Bunting founded the Noxzema Chemical Company in Baltimore, Maryland in 1917. In the 1890s, he left behind a teaching job on Maryland's Eastern shore to move to Baltimore, where he hoped to pursue a career as a pharmacist. He landed a job as errand boy and soda jerk at a local drugstore, where he worked while attending classes at the University Of Maryland College of Pharmacy. Valedictorian of the Class of 1899, Bunting was promoted to manager of the drugstore, which he purchased. Bunting began to experiment with the formulation of medicated pastes and compounds, which he marketed to his customers. In 1909, he began refining a medicated vanishing cream, which he introduced in 1914. "Dr. Bunting's Sunburn Remedy," an aromatic skin cream containing clove oil, eucalyptus oil, lime water, menthol and camphor, was mixed by hand at his pharmacy. Marketed locally as a greaseless, medicated cream for the treatment of a variety of skin conditions, including sunburn, eczema, and acne, the product was renamed "Noxzema" for its reputed ability to "knock eczema." By 1917, the Noxzema Chemical Company was formed. During the 1920s, distribution of the product was expanded to include New York, Chicago, and the Midwest and, by 1926, the first Noxzema manufactory was built in northwest Baltimore to accommodate the demand for nearly a million jars a year.

Having achieved a national market by 1938, Noxzema Chemical Company executives pursued product diversification as a means to maintain the corporate growth of the early years. In the 1930s and 1940s, line extensions included shaving cream, suntan lotion and cold cream, all with the distinctive "medicated" Noxzema aroma.

In the late 1950s, Bill Hunt, director of product development at Noxzema, suggested a line extension into medicated make-up. Creatives at Sullivan, Stauffer, Colwell & Bayles, Incorporated (SSC&B), Noxzema's advertising agency since 1946, suggested that the advertising for the new product focus on beauty and glamour with some reference to the medicated claims made for other Noxzema products. In contrast to other cosmetics, which were sold at specialized department store counters, Noxzema's medicated make-up would be marketed alongside other Noxzema products in grocery stores and other mass distribution outlets. After experimenting with names that suggested both glamour and the medicated claims (including Thera-Blem and Blema-Glow), Bill Grathwohl, Noxell's advertising director, selected Carolyn Oelbaum's "Cover Girl," which conveyed the product's usefulness as a blemish cover-up, while invoking the glamorous image of fashion models. These three elements of the advertising, wholesome glamour, mass marketing, and medicated make-up, remain central to Cover Girl advertising nearly a half-century later.

Beginning with the national launch in 1961, American and international fashion models were featured in the ads. The target audience was identified as women between eighteen and fifty-four and, initially, the "glamour" ads were targeted at women's magazines, while the "medicated" claims were reserved for teen magazines. Television ads featured both elements. Cover Girl advertising always featured beautiful women -- especially Caucasian women, but the Cover Girl image has evolved over time to conform to changing notions of beauty. In the late 1950s and 1960s, the Cover Girl was refined and aloof, a fashion conscious sophisticate. By the 1970s, a new social emphasis on looking and dressing "naturally" and the introduction of the "Clean Make-up" campaign created a new advertising focus on the wholesome glamour of the "girl next door," a blue-eyed, blonde all-American image. In the 1980s, the Cover Girl look was updated to include African-American, Hispanic and working women.

In January 1970, SSC&B bought 49% of the Lintas Worldwide advertising network. After SSC&B was acquired by the Interpublic Group of Companies in 1979, the entire Lintas operation was consolidated under the name SSC&B/Lintas in 1981. With the Procter & Gamble buy-out of the Noxell Corporation in September 1989, the cosmetics account was moved to long-time P&G agency Grey Advertising, in order to circumvent a possible conflict of interest between P&G competitor Unilever, another Lintas account. In 1989 SSC&B/Lintas, Cover Girl's agency since its launch in 1961, lost the account it helped to create and define, but the brand continues to dominate mass-marketed cosmetics.

This project is the result of a year-long study of advertising created for the Noxell Corporation's Cover Girl make-up products, 1959-1990. The effort was supported in part by a grant from the Noxell Corporation. The target audience was identified as women 18-54, and initially, the "glamour" ads were targeted at women's magazines, while the "medicated" claims were reserved for teen magazines. Television ads featured both elements. Cover Girl advertising has always featured beautiful women (especially Caucasian women), but the Cover Girl image evolved over time to conform with changing notions of beauty. In the late 1950s-1960s, the Cover Girl was refined and aloof, a fashion conscious sophisticate. By the 1970s, a new social emphasis on looking and dressing "naturally" and the introduction of the "Clean Make-up" campaign created a new advertising focus on the wholesome glamour of the "girl next door," a blue-eyed, blonde all-American image. Through the 1980s, the Cover Girl look was updated to include African-American and Hispanic models and images of women at work.

Related Materials:

Materials in the Archives Center

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana (AC0060)

N W Ayer Advertising Agency Records (AC0059)

Separated Materials:

"The Division of Home and Community Life, Costume Collection (now Division of Cultural and Community Life) holds eighty-six cosmetic items and one computer that were also donated by the Noxell Corporation in 1990 in conjunction with the oral history project. These artifacts include lipstick, manicure sets, brushes, make-up, eye shadow, blush, powder puffs, eyelash curler, nail polish, and mascara. See accession number 1990.0193.

"

Provenance:

Most of the materials in the collection were donated to the Center for Advertising History by the Noxell Corporation, 1990. All storyboards and videoscripts, and a large collection of business records and proofsheets were donated by George Poris in June 1990. All mechanicals were donated by Art Weithas in June 1990. (These contributions are noted in the finding aid).

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but a portion of the collection is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Rights:

Copyright and trademark restrictions.

Topic:

Women in advertising  Search this

advertising -- 1930-1940 -- California  Search this

Cosmetics -- advertising  Search this

Endorsements in advertising  Search this

Beauty culture  Search this

advertising -- 1950-2000  Search this

African American women -- Beauty culture  Search this

Modelling -- 1950-1990  Search this

Sex role in advertising  Search this

Radio advertising  Search this

Television advertising  Search this

Genre/Form:

Interviews -- 1950-2000

Business records -- 20th century

Audiotapes

Bumper stickers

Annual reports

Oral history -- 1990-2000

Photographs -- Black-and-white photoprints -- Silver gelatin -- 1950-2000

Press releases

Scrapbooks -- 20th century

Television scripts

Videotapes

Tear sheets

Citation:

Cover Girl Advertising Oral History & Documentation Project, 1959-1990, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Sponsor:

The project was supported in part by a gift from the Noxell Corporation.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0374

See more items in:

Cover Girl Advertising Oral History and Documentation Project

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep89b09e4c7-64e7-4074-b65e-0d097966d1e3

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0374

Creator:

Ellsworth, Scott, Dr.  Search this

Zinn, Manfredo  Search this

Marx, Dick  Search this

Nunez, Raul  Search this

Winfield, Darrel  Search this

Kwan, William  Search this

Kwong, Goddard  Search this

Adams, Hall  Search this

Landry, Jack  Search this

Arguelles, Rafael  Search this

Fockler, Knut  Search this

Philip Morris, Inc.  Search this

Gil, Felipe  Search this

Jarrard, Tom  Search this

Names:

Leo Burnett, Inc.  Search this

Extent:

17.4 Cubic feet (53 boxes, 1 map-folder)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Color slides

Commercials

Audiotapes

Videotapes

Posters

Proofs (printed matter)

Newsletters

Articles

Slides (photographs)

Place:

Brazil -- advertising

Argentina -- advertising

China -- advertising

Hong Kong -- advertising

Switzerland -- advertising

West Germany -- advertising

Dominican Republic -- advertising

Date:

1926-1988

Scope and Contents:

The Marlboro Oral History and Documentation Project is the result of a two-year effort supported in part by a gift from Philip Morris, Inc. Sixty oral history interviews and a variety of television commercials, print advertising, promotional materials, packaging, and industry publications were gathered to document Marlboro cigarette advertising. The bulk of the collection focuses on the period between 1954 and 1986, and examines the "Marlboro man", "Settle Back" and "Marlboro Country" campaigns. The collection is a rich source of information for researchers interested in advertising and marketing history, issues of smoking and health, and the export of both tobacco and American cultural symbols abroad. The core of the collection is a series of interviews conducted during 1985-1987 by Dr. Scott Ellsworth, an independent scholar and oral historian. The broad range of interviewees included executives of Philip Morris, advertising agency personnel from Leo Burnett, photographers, production staff, sales and marketing personnel, and Marlboro cowboys. Twenty-seven interviews were conducted overseas, in Argentina, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Hong Kong, Switzerland, and West Germany. Conducted primarily with Marlboro licensee and affiliate staff, the interviews focus on the marketing and advertising history of Marlboro in the six nations. These interviews and others conducted with executives of Philip Morris International in New York City also address the history of Marlboro advertising in Africa, the Middle East, China, Eastern Europe and elsewhere in Europe and Latin America. The interviews cover events from the 1930s through the 1980s. They focus on the theory and development of Marlboro advertising, its content and creation, and its modifications over the years. The foreign interviews also discuss the structure of the local cigarette marketplace, marketing and advertising techniques, and the use and modification of Marlboro advertising for different cultures. Finding aids to the oral histories include abstracts of each interview indicating the major topic discussed, a cumulative index to personal names and topics in the interviews, and brief biographical and scope notes.

Arrangement:

Dthe collection is divided into seven series.

Series 1: Research Files, 1943-1987

Series 2, Interviewee Files, 1986

Series 3; Oral History Interviews, 1986

Series 4: Advertising Materials, 1926-1986

Series 5: Promotional items and packaging, 1926-1986

Series 6: Publications and Research Material, 1960-1988

Series 7: Travel Slides Generated by Project Team, 1926-1986

Biographical / Historical:

The history of Marlboro cigarettes offers insight into one of the great advertising and marketing success stories of the 20th century. Marlboro cigarettes were marketed from the Victorian era through the first half of this century as a women's cigarette, with tag-lines that aimed to appeal to female smokers, such as "Marlboro - Mild As May." In 1955, two transformations occurred which would affect both profitability and brand recognition: the addition of an integrated filter and the re-invention of the market through the debut of the "Marlboro Man" advertising campaign. The original Marlboro Man campaign featured close-up images of all kinds of men using the product -- the cowboy was one, along with lifeguards, sailors, drill sergeants, construction workers, gamblers and other types suggestive of a masculine spirit and rugged independence. By 1963, the "Marlboro Country" campaign began. This campaign focused on the cowboy and his symbolic canon: boots, hats, horses, and western landscapes. By the mid-1980s, Marlboro was the best-selling brand in the United States and the world, and the Marlboro cowboy was among the most widely recognized of American cultural symbols. Sold in over 180 nations, both the cigarettes and the ad campaign had become a global phenomena.

Provenance:

The collection was donated to the Archives Center by Philip Morris, Inc. in 1986.

Restrictions:

The materials in the Marlboro Collection are made available for research according to the established practices and principles of the Archives Center and the National Museum of American History.

Rights:

In making these materials available for research, the Smithsonian Institution makes no claims of ownership of the copyrights or related rights. All responsibility for infringement of legal authorship rights and or copyright is assumed by the user of the materials. In addition, the user indemnifies and holds harmless the Smithsonian Institution for all claims, actions, damages, judgments and expenses that may result from use of these materials. In addition, the donor has imposed restrictions on reproduction or broadcast of collection materials by third parties. The reproduction or broadcast of print ads and television commercials in the collection is subject to prior written consent from: Nancy Lund, Vice President, Marketing,Philip Morris International, 120 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017;(917) 663-5000

Occupation:

Cinematographers  Search this

Topic:

T.V. commercial producers  Search this

Photographers  Search this

Accountants  Search this

advertising -- Cigarettes -- 20th century  Search this

Cowboys -- 20th century  Search this

Advertising, Newspaper -- 20th century  Search this

Smoking -- 1940-1990  Search this

Travel photography -- 1940-1990  Search this

Photography, Advertising -- 20th century  Search this

Advertising photography  Search this

Advertising campaigns -- 20th century  Search this

Cigarette industry -- 20th century  Search this

Cigarettes -- advertising -- 20th century  Search this

Advertising agencies -- 20th century  Search this

Television advertising -- Cigarettes -- 1940-1990  Search this

Advertising, magazine -- 20th century  Search this

Art directors  Search this

Copy writers  Search this

Genre/Form:

Color slides -- 1960-1990

Commercials

Audiotapes -- 1980-1990

Videotapes

Posters

Proofs (printed matter)

Newsletters

Articles

Slides (photographs) -- 1950-2000

Citation:

Marlboro Oral History and Documentation Project, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0198

See more items in:

Marlboro Oral History and Documentation Project

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8f7c0f552-962a-4574-bdd1-3955d34fce16

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0198

Manufacturer:

Alka-Seltzer  Search this

Creator:

Doyle Dane Bernbach.  Search this

Jack Tinker & Associates.  Search this

Names:

Miles Laboratories, Inc.  Search this

Miles, Franklin, Dr.  Search this

Interviewee:

Beals, Richard  Search this

Case, Eugene  Search this

Chaplin, Charles  Search this

Lawrence, Mary Wells  Search this

Interviewer:

Griffith, Barbara S., Dr.  Search this

Extent:

7 Cubic feet (17 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Videotapes

Audiocassettes

Publications

Commercials

Motion pictures (visual works)

Audiotapes

Business records

Place:

Elkhart (Ind.) -- 1950-1990

Date:

1953-1987

Summary:

The Alka-Seltzer Oral History and Documentation Project is a result of a one year effort supported, in part, by Miles Laboratories, Incorporated. Twenty-four oral history interviews and a variety of related materials were gathered to document Alka- Seltzer advertising, primarily from the mid-1950s to the 1980s. The project covers "Speedy" Alka-Seltzer, "Oh what a relief it is," "The Blahs," "Alka Seltzer on the rocks," and "I can't believe I ate the whole thing" campaigns

Scope and Contents:

Oral histories with individuals associated with Alka-Seltzer and its advertising campaigns are at the core of the Alka-Seltzer Documenation and Oral History Project. Conducted by Smithsonian Institution staff, the oral histories primarily examine Alka-Seltzer's innovative and memorable print and television commercials. Abstracts exist for each interview.The collection also includes background information, archival materials from Miles Laboratories, Inc., television commercials, storyboards, and company publications.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged in 8 series.

Series 1: Research Files, circa 1930-1986

Series 2: Interviewee Files, 1986-1987

Series 3: Oral Histories, 1986-1987

Subseries 3.1: Original Interviews

Subseries 3.2: Reference Cassettes

Subseries 3.3: Master Audio Tapes

Series 4: Miles Archives Materials, 1931-1980

Subseries 4.1: Marketing Research and Sales Data

Subseries 4.2: Alka-Seltzer Storyboards and History (Photocopies)

Subseries 4:3: Miles Advertising History and Oral History Program(photocopies)

Series 5: Company Publications, 1960-1986

Series 6: Photographs, circa 1950-1985

Series 7: Alka-Seltzer Posters, 1967-1986

Series 8: Audiovisual Materials

Subseries 8.1: Original Masters

Subseries 8.2: Reference Videos

Biographical / Historical:

The Alka-Seltzer Oral History and Documentation Project is a result of a one year effort supported, in part, by Miles Laboratories, Incorporated Twenty-four oral history interviews and a variety of related materials were gathered to document Alka- Seltzer advertising, primarily from the mid-1950s to the 1980s. The project covers "Speedy" Alka-Seltzer, "Oh what a relief it is," "The Blahs," "Alka Seltzer on the rocks," and "I can't believe I ate the whole thing" campaigns.

Miles Laboratories, Incorporated, the maker of Alka-Seltzer, and Wade Advertising of Chicago established a light-hearted advertising approach with the iconic puppet "Speedy", which had a tablet for a body and a smaller one for a hat. Speedy came to life through stop motion animation, a technique in which each of the puppet's movements was captured on a separate frame of film. The voice of Richard Beals made "Speedy" a distinctive character.

"Speedy" was a mainstay of Alka Seltzer advertising until 1964, when Miles,Incorporated took the account to Jack Tinker & Partners in New York. The agency's work for Alka-Seltzer embodied what came to be called advertising's "creative revolution," replacing the "talking heads" and "hard sell" of earlier advertising with humor, wit, and engaging storylines, even within the limits of a 30 second television spot. In 1969, the Alka Seltzer account went to Doyle, Dane, Bernbach, an agency which changed the look of print advertising during the early years of the "creative revolution." In 1970, Alka-Seltzer moved agencies to Wells, Rich, Greene, where the product's advertising came under the direction of Mary Wells Lawrence. Ms. Lawrence had worked on the Alka Seltzer account while at Tinker and continued Alka Seltzer's reputation for innovative and captivating work. In 1984 they shifted to McCann Erickson.

Provenance:

Collection donated by Miles Laboratories in 1988 and created by the Smithsonian Institution in 1986 and 1987.

Restrictions:

Researchers may use reference copies only. The interview with Charles Chaplin is restricted and may not be copied or quoted until his death.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

advertising -- History -- 1950-1990  Search this

Pharmaceutical industry -- 1950-1990  Search this

Television advertising  Search this

Medicine  Search this

Broadcast advertising  Search this

Business -- History  Search this

Genre/Form:

Videotapes

Audiocassettes

Publications -- Business

Commercials

Motion pictures (visual works) -- 20th century

Audiotapes -- 1950-2000

Business records -- 1950-2000

Citation:

Alka-Seltzer Oral History and Documentation Project, 1953-1987, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0184

See more items in:

Alka-Seltzer Documentation and Oral History Project

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8e8d1c49b-5195-455a-8b65-8d475f101290

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0184

Creator:

Sunshine, Sara  Search this

Spanish Advertising and Marketing Service  Search this

Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies  Search this

Extent:

3.5 Cubic feet (3 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Storyboards

Video recordings

Posters

Photographs

Advertisements

Audio cassettes

Clippings

Date:

1962 - 2000

Summary:

The Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies Collection includes advertisements, research, and publications produced by SAMS (Spanish Advertising and Marketing Service), which was founded by Luis Diaz Albertini in 1963.

Scope and Contents:

The collection documents the work of SAMS (Spanish Advertising and Marketing Service). It contains advertising campaign materials such as print advertisements, storyboards, proofs of print advertisements, point of purchase advertisements, audio recordings of radio advertisements, and video footage of television commercials. SAMS created advertising for manufacturers of tobacco, movies, cosmetics, watches, toothpaste, cleansers, food products, and alcoholic beverages, to name a few. SAMS was founded during a time in which the "Spanish speaking" consumer was of growing significance in the American market, and American advertisements increasingly catered to and targeted this audience.

The collection contains extensive explanatory notations written by Sara Sunshine, a Cuban immigrant, who created advertising print, audio, and visuals from the 1960s to 1990s and founder of the co-founder of Spanish Advertising and Marketing Services, the nation's first Latino ad agency.

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into seven series.

Series 1: Storyboards and Scripts, 1970-1995

Series 2: Advertisements, 1962-1974

Series 3: Publications, 1976-1988

Series 4: Marketing Research, 1962-1984

Series 5: Packaging, 1962

Series 6: Ephemera, 1980-1989

Series 7: Audiovisual Materials

Biographical / Historical:

Luis Diaz Albertini founded SAMS (Spanish Advertising and Marketing Service) in 1963. Sara Sunshine was the head copywriter and art executive. The agency had a staff of just four employees. It was the first full-service Spanish language advertising agency in the United States. In 2007, the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies was formed. Among its goals was preserving the industry's past and preserving the history of Hispanic advertising. The first archival collection they accepted was the records of SAMS. Originally housed at the University of Maryland, it was transferred to the National Museum of American History in 2015.

Related Materials:

Materials at the Archives Center

Goya Foods, Inc. Records (AC0694)

Provenance:

Donated to the Archives Center in 2015 by the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies, through Horacio Gavilan.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

Reproduction restricted due to copyright or trademark. Contact the Archives Center for details.

Topic:

Advertising executives -- 1950-2000  Search this

Advertising agencies -- 1950-2000  Search this

Television advertising -- 1950-2000  Search this

advertising -- History -- 1950-2000  Search this

Advertising campaigns -- 1950-2000  Search this

Minorities in advertising -- 1950-2000  Search this

Marketing -- 1950-2000  Search this

Genre/Form:

Storyboards

Video recordings -- 1950-2000

Posters -- 1950-2000

Photographs -- 1950-2000

Advertisements -- 1950-2000

Audio cassettes -- 1950-1990

Clippings -- 1950-2000

Citation:

Association of HIspanic Advertising Agencies Collection, 1962-1995, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1343

See more items in:

Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8a09dc7dd-a82c-469c-ae5b-d24a7000b6fe

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1343

Creator:

Joseph Enterprises, Inc. (San Francisco, California)  Search this

Pedott, Joseph  Search this

Extent:

2 Cubic feet (3 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Advertisements

Oral history

Audiotapes

Interviews

Design drawings

Photographs

Packaging

Date:

circa 1976-2005, 2008

Summary:

Papers relating to products developed and marketed by Joseph Enterprises, Inc., including the Chia Pet and the Clapper. The collection includes internal business documentation including correspondence, design drawings, and photographs. Print advertising and packaging samples as well as audiovisual materials make up an important part of the collection. The video collection includes commercials for the Chia and Clapper products as well as clips of product mentions in popular entertainment. In addition, there are two recorded oral history interviews with Joseph Pedott.

Scope and Contents:

The collection documents the Chia Pet, the Clapper, and other products of Joseph Enterprises, Inc. Other materials include packaging and advertising campaigns by Joseph Pedott Advertising & Marketing for other companies. While fragmentary and limited in extent, these materials illustrate the progress of Joe Pedott's career from a one-man advertising agency to a modest scale, enduring marketing business. The papers include early advertising work for small local clients and for a national client (Eversharp/Parker Pen) and well as early television for a variety of retail products. There is little on unsuccessful products, often just a few advertisements. The materials are complemented by the oral history interviews.

Arrangement:

Collection organized into eight series.

Series 1: Oral History Interviews, September 2004, April 2008

Series 2: Chia Pet, 1981-2005, undated

Series 3: The Clapper, 1976-1985, undated

Series 4: Scribe Ett, 1981, 1984, undated

Series 5: Eversharp Pen Company, undated

Series 6: Various Products, 1985, undated

Series 7: Newspaper Clippings, 1989-2004, undated

Series 8: Audiovisual Materials, 1979-2005, undated

Subseries 8.1, Commercials, 1979-2005

Subseries 8.2, Promotions, 1996-2001

Biographical / Historical:

Joseph Pedott was born April 14, 1932 in Chicago. He attended the University of Illinois, where he and friend Daryl Peters, began the advertising company, Pedott & Peters. They successfully began producing commercials for automotive and retail companies and made a large amount of money by the time they reached the age of twenty-one. After making a bad business investment the partners focused on completing college. They began building up the company upon graduation.

Pedott and Peters worked together for several years before deciding to dissolve the partnership. Pedott then began working for R. Jack Scott, a Chicago advertising agency. Pedott worked for Scott for just over two years and during that time, out-performed those with more experience in the advertising field. Pedott left Chicago for San Francisco in 1956. He worked briefly at a small firm on commission before forming his own agency, Joseph Pedott Advertising & Marketing. Pedott's firm was innovative in advertising techniques. The company was the first to use "dealer tagging," a technique used at the ends of television commercials. During the last five seconds of the commercial consumers would learn where the advertised item could be purchased.

While attending a Chicago house wares show Pedott noticed the Chia Pet. He spoke with the product owner and learned that while the product was selling well, the owner was losing money on every Chia sold. Pedott bought the name and concept and reworked the manufacturing of the product after a trip to Mexico to witness first hand how the Chias were made. Later pedott moved Chia manufacturing to China. Pedott created a new company, Joseph Enterprises, Inc., (JEI) to manufacture the Chias. Joseph Pedott Advertising ran the advertising campaigns for all of JEI's products while continuing to work for non JEI clients.

After improving the quality of the product, the "new" Chia arrived on the market in 1982 and quickly expanded throughout the country, sold largely at drugstores. Today, the Chia Pet has large name recognition among the American public and continues to be a popular gift, especially at Christmas time. The line has expanded beyond the original ram and bull shapes to include a variety of animals (pig, elephant, kitten, dinosaur, etc.) as well as famous cultural icons such as Jerry Garcia, Bugs Bunny and various Looney Tunes characters, and Homer and Bart Simpson. In addition, the Chia Herb Garden entered the market in the mid-1990s.

Pedott's other success, the Clapper, came about through the advertising campaign for the Great American Turn On. Pedott discovered that the original product did not work properly and felt the owners were cheating their customers. JEI bought the product, including the patent, and reworked the electrical wiring to ensure that the company was selling a high quality product. As with the Chia Pet, The Clapper and its advertising, like the Chia, are familiar to a large number of Americans.

Note: Material for this section was taken from Joe Pedott Oral History Interview Abstract, September 20, 2004, Joseph Pedott Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.

Related Materials:

Materials in the National Museum of American History

The Division of Culture and the Arts (now Division of Cultural and Community Life) holds artifacts related to this collection (Accession # 2005.3116) that include:

1. Chia Pet Handmade Clay Decorative Planter with Chia Seeds, Chia pet dog

2. Chia Pet Handmade Clay Decorative Planter with Chia Seeds, Chia pet ram

3. Chia Pet Handmade Clay Decorative Planter with Chia Seeds, Chia pet bull

4. Chia Pet Handmade Clay Decorative Planter with Chia Seeds, Chia-saurus

5. Chia Pet Handmade Clay Decorative Planter with Chia Seeds, Chia Shrek character

6. Handmade Clay Decorative Planter with Chia Seeds, Donkey from Shrek

7. Chia Pet Handmade Clay Decorative Planter with Chia Seeds, Jerry Garcia Chia

8. Bigmouth: A portable, plastic garbage bag holder

9A. CD Mobile antenna with packaging

9B. CB Mobile monitor with box

10. Video recorder with packaging

11. Metal detector with packaging

12. Pen set with frame and packaging

13. Light switch with box

14. Light switch with packaging

15. Jar lid opener with box

16. Tapeless measure with packaging

17A. Pen, engraving

17B. Pen, engraving with packaging

17C. Pen, engraving with packaging

17D. Pen, engraving with packaging

18A. Knife, Pumpkin cutter

18B. Knife, Pumpkin cutter

18C. Knife, Pumpkin cutter

18D. Knife, Pumpkin cutter

18E. Knife with packaging

18F. Pumpkin cutter with packaging

Provenance:

The collection was donated by Joseph Pedott, 2005.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Novelties  Search this

Toys  Search this

Popular culture  Search this

Marketing  Search this

Genre/Form:

Advertisements

Oral history

Audiotapes

Interviews

Design drawings

Photographs -- 1950-2000

Packaging

Citation:

Joseph Pedott Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0898

See more items in:

Joseph Pedott Papers

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8c1a7ec84-0a30-48f5-9447-f102700bd4b4

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0898

Interviewer:

Shayt, David H.  Search this

Creator:

Wedge Innovations  Search this

Extent:

13 Cubic feet (28 boxes, 5 map folders)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Videotapes

Notebooks

Oral histories (document genres)

Audiotapes

Financial records

Financial statements

Interviews

Correspondence

Photographs

Drawings

Advertisements

Date:

1985-1996

Summary:

The records of Wedge Innovations document the invention and development of a new hand tool, the SmartLevel, an electronic builder's level; also included are company management and policies.

Scope and Contents:

The SmartLevel story gives excellent insight into the life cycle of a small Silicon valley start-up in the 1980s. SmartLevel's creator, Wedge Innovations, established a market for a new product, achieved national distribution, off-shore manufacturing, and product licensing, before going out of business due to pressure from profit-hungry venture capitalists.

The records of Wedge Innovations is a "tool biography" that documents the invention and development of a new hand tool, the SmartLevel, an electronic builder's level first conceived in 1985 by Andrew Butler. The SmartLevel Collection is divided into seven series: Corporate Records, Engineering Records, Financial Records, Marketing Records, Operations Records, Product Development Records, and Corporate Culture, reflecting both the organizational structure of Wedge Innovations and the company's working environment.

Series 1, Corporate Records, 1985-1993, address the overall management of Wedge Innovations and document its policies, especially through the company's annual business plans, 1986-1992, and the monthly reports prepared for the Board of Directors' meetings, 1989-1992. This series also details the workings of each department through weekly departmental reports. The staff meetings files, July-November 1989, February 1990-November 1992, are particularly useful for understanding the day-to-day operation of the company.

Series 2, Engineering Records, 1985-1993, document the design and development of the SmartLevel from its conception in 1985 as the WedgeLevel, through its production as the SmartLevel in 1989, and through its refinement into the Pro SmartLevel and the Series 200 SmartLevel in 1991. The design process is particularly well documented through Andrew Butler's and Kevin Reeder's design notebooks and through the detailed technical drawings done by Butler, Reeder, and Ronald Wisnia. Also well documented are the efforts made to solve the many problems associated with the development and quality control of the electronic sensor module that was the heart of the SmartLevel.

Series 3, Financial Records, 1985-1992, include Wedge's summary financial statements from 1985 to 1992.

Series 4, Marketing Records, 1986-1992, document customer and dealer relations through marketing department correspondence, operational records, and advertising campaigns. This series is particularly rich in promotional material (1988-1992), such as advertisements, advertising copy, photographs, product promotion plans, and videotapes that demonstrate the varied features and uses of the products.

Series 5, Operations Records, 1990-1993, document the manufacturing process and the Company's offshore operations.

Series 6, Product Development Records, 1986-1993, document the company's intended development of an entire "Smart Tools" line.

Series 7, Corporate Culture, 1985-1996, contains employee photographs and oral history interviews with key Wedge personnel conducted in 1995 and 1996 by David Shayt, Division of Work and Industry, National Museum of American History. The interviews discuss the background of the participants, the company's origins and history, product development, the Silicon Valley context, and the efforts of Wedge Innovations successor firm, SmartTool Technologies.

Arrangement:

The collection organized into seven series.

Series 1, Corporate Records, 1985-1993

Series 2, Engineering Records, 1985-1993

Series 3, Financial Records, 1985-1992

Series 4, Marketing Records, 1986-1992

Series 5, Operations Records, 1990-1993

Series 6, Product Development Records, 1986-1993

Series 7, Corporate Culture, 1985-1996

Biographical / Historical:

Andrew G. Butler (b. 1955), the founder of Wedge Innovations exhibited an interest in building construction and an entrepreneurial spirit early in life. From age 12 to 17 he built a boat that he then sailed alone from California to Tahiti, where he spent several years as an independent carpenter and building contractor. After returning to the United States, he earned a B.S. degree in electromechanical engineering from Stanford University (1983) and became a software specialist for Bechtel Construction. In 1985, he conceived of an idea for an electronic carpenter's level that could read a range of angles. Butler formed Wedge Innovations in 1986. He worked in the basement of his home in order to develop and market this level, selling his boat to finance the venture. He hired Marilyn Crowell as his secretary and Robert Nagle and Dan Kellogg as engineers. This company developed the sensor technology and software necessary to build the company's first product, the WedgeLevel. The heart of this tool was an electronic sensor circuit connected to a microprocessor capable of measuring the tool's orientation. This sensor module fit into an ergonomically-designed teak rail with anodized aluminum edges jointly developed by Butler, engineering design consultant Kevin Reeder, and engineer Ronald Wisnia.

In 1987, Wedge moved to Santa Clara to begin manufacturing the WedgeLevel. The transition from a research and development concern to a manufacturing company proved difficult, due to manufacturing and financial difficulties. It was difficult to obtain a reliable yet inexpensive source of teak for the rails, designs for a plastic composite and aluminum rail were developed, while offshore manufacturing of the sensor components was established. Overarching all concerns was the persistent difficulty of obtaining sufficient investment capital. While managing his growing company, Butler also began planning for a line of hand tools that combined microelectronics and user-oriented, ergonomic design. In 1988, the company changed the name of its product to SmartLevel in order to emphasize the company's proposed line of Smart Tools. That same year, the company adopted a new corporate logo, a stylized W with a red wedge, signaling its growing maturity. Promotion of the product also began through demonstrations of the prototype done by consultant building contractor, Rick Feffer.

In January 1989, the SmartLevel prototype was launched at the National Association of Home Builders Show in Atlanta, Georgia. The favorable publicity generated by this launch and by the company's media campaign generated many orders. To supply these orders, Wedge moved to larger quarters in Sunnyvale on April 1, 1989. In June 1989, Wedge gained further publicity by donating several SmartLevels to a Habitat for Humanity project in Milwaukee, where former president Jimmy Carter used one. Although Wedge expected to ship the first SmartLevels in July 1989, there were considerable delays in manufacturing. In particular, there were stability and performance problems with the sensor, which engineer Ken Gunderson was brought in to remedy. The sensor module was re-engineered to be more rugged and the level was redesigned with a plastic composite and aluminum rail. The new level, known as the Pro SmartLevel, was intended for the professional construction market. The first SmartLevels were shipped on September 5, 1989.

In 1990, patents were granted to Andrew Butler, Donald G. Green, and Robert E. Nagle for an inclinometer sensor circuit and to Butler and Ronald Wisnia for a carpenter's level design. That same year, Brian Bayley joined Wedge as Vice-president for Engineering, and Edwin "Win" Seipp joined as Project Manager - DIY SmartLevel. Seipp's responsibility was to develop a low-cost, "do-it-yourself" version of the SmartLevel, which was eventually called the Series 200 SmartLevel. This level had an all-aluminum rail and a non-removable sensor.

In September 1990, the company moved to San Jose and by 1991 had over 60 employees. Although sales continued to grow and name recognition of the product was quite strong, Wedge had difficulty meeting the expectations of its investors. Butler entered into financial negotiations with the Macklanburg-Duncan Corporation, a large-scale manufacturer of hand tools, to seek investment in his company. These negotiations led in November 1992 to the acquisition of Wedge by Macklanburg-Duncan, which dissolved all but Wedge's engineering section. Macklanburg-Duncan today manufactures a "SmartTool" level, while Butler co-owns D2M (Design To Market), a company that develops new product ideas for the market.

SmartLevel Chronology

1992 -- Butler negotiates with Macklanburg-Duncan for a merger to save Wedge. In the midst of the negotiations, Butler is fired by his Board of Directors. Butler regains control of Wedge three months later, fires the replacement president, and sells Wedge outright to Macklanburg-Duncan, which dissolves all but the engineering functions of Wedge.

1991 -- Wedge sponsors a "New Product Development Conference," where numerous designs for new hand tools are worked on. SmartLevel sales and name recognition grows but not quickly enough to meet overhead expenses of new facility or investors' demands.

1990 -- Yet more redesign work, both in-house and with Kevin Reeder, who also develops idea for "SmartTube" carrying case (not built). Patents granted to Andy Butler et al. for inclinometer sensor circuit and carpenter's level design. Wedge hires Brian Bayley as vice-president for engineering to develop a low-cost model of the SmartLevel. The all-aluminum Series 200 SmartLevel is born. Wedge moves to larger facilities in San Jose.

1989 -- SmartLevel launched at National Association of Home Builders show in January. Good press coverage, but cannot meet orders. More publicity from Habitat for Humanity project when former President Jimmy Carter uses a SmartLevel. But stability and performance problems plague sensor. More redesign work results in more rugged Pro SmartLevel. The first SmartLevels shipped on September 5, 1989.

1987-1988 -- Wedge moves to Santa Clara; intends to begin manufacturing and todevelop an entire line of "Smart Tools" but encounters financial and engineering difficulties; Wedge consults with independent design engineer, Kevin Reeder, on level design. Intensive redesign effort develops the SmartLevel, made of plastic and aluminum rail.

1986 -- Wedge Innovations founded in the basement of Butler's house; basic sensor design worked out; teak & aluminum WedgeLevel developed.

1985 -- Idea for electronic carpenter's level formulated by Andy Butler.

Related Materials:

Materials at the National Museum of American History

The Division of Work and Industry, National Museum of American History contains artifacts related to the SmartLevel Collection. These include five SmartLevels (Accession #1991.0823; 1996.0284; 1996.0285; 1996.0288; and 1996.0289). They are an original teak WedgeLevel, a Pro SmartLevel, a Series 200 SmartLevel, a Bosch version of the SmartLevel, and a Macklanburg-Duncan SmartTool level. There are also four sensor modules (torpedo levels), two sensors, two carrying cases, one cap, one tee shirt, and one wooden puzzle with the inscription "The World Isn't Just Level and Plumb."

Provenance:

The collection was donated by Andrew Butler, SmartLevel inventor and company founder, Brian Bayley, Vice-President for engineering at Wedge Innovations from 1989-1992, and Kevin Reeder, an independent industrial designer, 1995-1997.

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research use.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Product demonstrations -- 1980-2000  Search this

Technological innovations -- Hand tools -- 1980-2000  Search this

Electronics -- Tools and implements -- 1980-2000  Search this

Industrial design -- 1980-2000  Search this

Leveling -- 1980-2000  Search this

Teak -- Use of -- 1980-2000  Search this

Level indicators -- 1980-2000  Search this

Venture capital -- 1980-2000 -- United States  Search this

Silicon Valley -- 1980-2000  Search this

Tools -- 1980-2000 -- United States  Search this

Small business -- Management -- 1980-2000  Search this

Investors -- 1980-2000  Search this

Inventors -- 1980-2000  Search this

Engineers -- 1980-2000  Search this

Industrial designers -- 1980-2000  Search this

advertising -- Tools -- 1980-2000  Search this

Carpenters -- 1980-2000  Search this

Carpentry -- Tools -- 1980-2000  Search this

Merchandise displays  Search this

Genre/Form:

Videotapes

Notebooks -- 1980-2000

Oral histories (document genres) -- 1990-2000

Audiotapes

Financial records -- 1980-2000

Financial statements -- 1980-2000

Interviews -- 1980-2000

Correspondence -- 1970-2000

Photographs -- Black-and-white photoprints -- Silver gelatin -- 1980-2000

Drawings -- 1980-2000

Advertisements -- 1980-2000

Photographs -- Black-and-white photoprints -- Silver gelatin -- 1950-2000

Citation:

The Records of Wedge Innovations, 1985-1996, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0534

See more items in:

Records of Wedge Innovations

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep895b7b396-3a34-4459-9d3f-83d3003a1cf8

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0534

Producer:

Smithsonian World  Search this

Names:

Center for Advertising History (U.S.)  Search this

Grey Advertising.  Search this

Mitsubishi  Search this

WETA  Search this

Wieden & Kennedy  Search this

Gitlin, Todd  Search this

Marchand, Roland  Search this

Oda, Frances  Search this

Ogilvy, David  Search this

Pertshuk, Michael  Search this

Polykoff, Shirley  Search this

Extent:

23 Cubic feet (16 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Audiovisual materials

Oral history

Motion pictures (visual works)

Transcripts

Interviews

Press releases

Date:

1990-1991

Summary:

The collection documents "Selling the Dream" was an hour long television documentary that aired in early 1991 as part of the public television series, Smithsonian World.

Scope and Contents:

Series 1, boxes 1-15: 16 mm color film shot for the program, arranged in two subseries. Subseries A, boxes 1-10, consists of primary source materials including film footage of a meeting of scholars, historians, archivists, Weiden & Kennedy advertising agency personnel, and Nike executives at the Smithsonian's Center for Advertising History for the Nike Advertising Oral History and Documentation Project; interviews with scholars, historians, industry representatives (including transcripts for some interviews); and documentation of a Mitsubishi GT3000 ad from pitch to production, including meetings between Grey advertising agency personnel and Mitsubishi account representatives, a live commerical shoot and a production session with a commercial narrator. Subseries B, boxes 11-15, consists of secondary materials created during production, including pre-production sync pulls, trims, and lifts as compiled and edited by producer Steven York and Associates. Series 2, box 16, contains documentary materials relating to the show's production and broadcast, including correspondence, press releases, and publicity. Transcripts for the interviews are located here.

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into two series.

Series 1: Film

Series 2: Documentary Material

Biographical / Historical:

"Selling the Dream" was an hour-long television documentary that aired in early 1991 as part of the public television series "Smithsonian World." The program traces the evolution of advertising from the late 19th century through the creative revolution of the 1960s to explore how advertising both influences and reflects American culture. In addition to historical imagery, the program follows a contemporary Mitsubishi GT3000 automobile advertising campaign from conception to production. The program features interviews with the men and women who created the advertising as well as with scholars, historians, industry advocates and government officials who comment on the role and history of advertising in a comsumer culture. "Selling the Dream" was underwritten by Southwestern Bell and co-produced by WETA and the Smithsonian Institution. The Center for Advertising History served as a resource and consultant to the producers.

Provenance:

Collection donated by Smithsonian World through executive producer Sandra Bradley, in August 1991.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

There are reproduction restrictions on material in this collection. See repository details.

Topic:

Stereotypes (Social psychology) in advertising  Search this

Symbolism in advertising  Search this

Wit and humor in advertising  Search this

Sex role in advertising  Search this

Television advertising  Search this

advertising  Search this

Genre/Form:

Audiovisual materials

Oral history -- 1990-2000

Motion pictures (visual works) -- 1990-2000

Transcripts

Interviews -- 1950-2000

Press releases -- 1990-2000

Citation:

Smithsonian World/WETA "Selling the Dream" Collection, 1990-1991, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0418

See more items in:

Smithsonian World/WETA "Selling the Dream" Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8066f4d6d-e3ae-4a59-8135-2575b7d3b239

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0418

Creator:

Fernandez, Castor  Search this

Castor Advertising Corporation  Search this

Names:

Anheuser-Busch, Inc.  Search this

Heublein, Inc.  Search this

International Rescue Committee  Search this

Richardson-Vicks Inc  Search this

Extent:

1 Cubic foot (4 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

8mm films

Advertisements

Business records

Dvds

Handbooks

Letters (correspondence)

Masters theses

Magazines (periodicals)

Newsletters

Photographs

Press releases

Vhs (videotape format)

Newspaper clippings

Hispanic american periodicals

Date:

1960-2007, 2018

Summary:

This collection consists of materials documenting the Castor Advertising Corporation, Castor SG&B, and Castor Spanish International, which specialized in reaching Hispanic audiences.

Content Description:

Archival materials documenting the Castor Advertising Corporation, Castor SG&B, and Castor Spanish International. This collection includes correspondence, business records, awards, a copy of Fernández's MBA thesis, photographs, newspaper clippings, magazines, a DVD containing an interview with Fernández, and advertising reels recorded on VHS tapes, cassettes, and 16mm film.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged into four series.

Series 1: Background Materials, 1961-2001, 2018

Series 2: Advertising Materials, 1969-1987

Series 3: Newspaper Clippings and Publications, 1968-2000

Series 4: Audiovisual Materials, 1960-2007

Biographical / Historical:

Castor A. Fernández Capote was born in 1943 in Havana, Cuba and moved to the United States in 1961. Fernández first lived in Miami, Florida but moved to New York City soon after. He attended City College of New York where he received his Bachelor and Master of Business Administration in Marketing. For his MBA thesis, "Market Segmentation through Television Advertising," Fernandéz focused his research on the potential for Spanish-language media to engage the Spanish-speaking market of New York. Fernández began his nearly four-decade-long advertising career in firms throughout New York City such as Link Advertising and Palmer Advertising. In 1968, Fernández established his own advertising firm called Castor Spanish International, focusing specifically on marketing designed for to the multiple groups of people described under the umbrella term "Hispanic." In 1989, Castor Spanish International merged with the Miami-based advertising corporation, Garcia-Serra & Blanco Advertising, to form a new agency: Castor SG&B. The agency dissolved the merger in 1990 and Fernández established Castor Advertising Corporation. Fernández retired from advertising in 2002. Throughout his decades-long career, he and his agencies did work for many major American corporations such as Café Bustelo, Citibank, McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Anheuser-Busch, Kmart, Richardson-Vicks, and Heublein Incorporated.

Provenance:

Collection donated to the Archives Center in 2018 by Castor Fernández.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Advertising agencies  Search this

Advertising campaigns  Search this

Advertising executives  Search this

Articles  Search this

Awards  Search this

Marketing  Search this

Minorities in advertising  Search this

Alcohol -- advertising  Search this

advertising -- Alcoholic beverages  Search this

Hispanic American businesspeople  Search this

Hispanic American consumers  Search this

Hispanic Americans  Search this

Cuban American business enterprises  Search this

Genre/Form:

8mm films

Advertisements

Business records

DVDs

Handbooks

Letters (correspondence)

Masters theses

Magazines (periodicals)

Newsletters

Photographs -- Color photoprints -- 1950-2000

Photographs -- Color photoprints -- 21st century

Press releases

VHS (videotape format)

Newspaper clippings

Hispanic American periodicals

Hispanic American periodicals

Citation:

Castor Advertising Corporation Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1461

See more items in:

Castor Advertising Corporation Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8ad12c32d-fc26-4704-ab75-5f3c53184328

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1461

Sponsor:

Coors Brewing Company  Search this

Creator:

Valdes Zacky, Dolores  Search this

Names:

Arrowhead Puritas Waters, Inc.  Search this

Mitsubishi  Search this

Partnership for a Drug-Free America  Search this

Thompson, J. Walter (advertising agency).  Search this

Vons Grocery Company  Search this

Extent:

2 Cubic feet (2 boxes, 3 oversize folders)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Magazines (periodicals)

Oral history

Storyboards

Proposals

Commercials

E-mail

Press releases

Newsletters

Correspondence

Articles

Awards

Books

Dvds

Photographs

Advertisements

Clippings

Date:

1955 - 1999

Summary:

The collection documents the work of Dolores Valdes-Zacky and her advertising firm Valdes-Zacky Associates, who specialize in the Hispanic consumer market.

Scope and Contents:

The collection includes guidebooks on marketing to Hispanics; business records; letters and emails; photographs; an award; case studies; ad campaign proposals; story boards; press releases; print advertisements for the agency and for its clients, as well as for products; a DVD of commercials; newsletters; magazine and newspaper articles. Some items in the collection relate to Valdes Zacky's work with the J. Walter Thompson firm.

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into two series.

Series 1: Background Materials, 1955-1999

Series 2: Advertising and Marketing Materials, 1989-1999

Biographical / Historical:

Dolores Valdes-Zacky started her career in advertising with the J. Walter Thompson agency. She left to start her own firm, Valdes-Zacky Associates in 1987, specializing in tapping the Hispanic consumer market. Some of the agency's clients have been Mitsubishi Motors, Adolph Coors Company, Arrowhead Puritas Waters, Vons Grocery, and the Partnership for a Drug Free America.

Provenance:

Collection donated by Dolores Valdes Zacky, 2016.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Advertising history  Search this

Minorities in advertising  Search this

Advertising campaigns  Search this

Advertising agencies  Search this

Advertising executives  Search this

Women in advertising  Search this

Marketing -- 1950-2000  Search this

Genre/Form:

Magazines (periodicals) -- 20th century

Oral history -- 20th century

Storyboards

Proposals -- 20th century

Commercials -- 20th century

E-mail

Press releases -- 20th century

Newsletters -- 20th century

Correspondence -- 20th century

Articles -- 20th century

Awards

Books -- 20th century

DVDs

Photographs -- 20th century

Advertisements -- 20th century

Clippings -- 20th century

Citation:

Dolores Valdes-Zacky Papers, 1955-1999, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1394

See more items in:

Dolores Valdes-Zacky Papers

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep80a93d8d7-ce76-4070-ad10-47643f19d912

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1394

Creator:

Orci, Hector  Search this

Orci, Norma  Search this

Orci Advertising Agency  Search this

Names:

McCann Erickson  Search this

Extent:

3.5 Cubic feet (10 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Letters (correspondence)

Born digital

Newsletters

Business records

Clippings

Photographs

Training manuals

Slides (photographs)

Programs

Reports

Advertisements

Awards

Oral history

Advertising

Date:

1979-2016, undated

Summary:

The Hector and Norma Orcí Advertising Agency Records document the history, educational, and creative output produced by Hector and Norma Orcí throughout their extensive career in advertising. The Orcís founded their own independent agency in 1986 in Los Angeles. The Orcí Advertising Agency successfully introduced various products to Latinos in the United States and developed a reputation as one of the top advertising agencies to understand the US Latino market. The collection showcases the agency's history and awards, advertising and marketing campaigns, and its role in educating advertising agencies on the importance of the US Latino market.

Scope and Contents:

The collection documents the Orcí Advertising Agency and its work in helping clients market their products to U.S. Latinos, its marketing methods and creative philosophy, and its role in educating other advertising companies about the Latino consumer market in the United States. The collection includes the founding and history of the agency, business records, awards and press clippings, training materials for staff, reports on the US Latino market for various products, training and curriculum materials for a UCLA Extension course on advertising in the US Latino market, account reports, conference materials, slides and photographs, and campaigns and advertising materials developed for clients such as Allstate, Honda, and Pepsi. Video footage of Spanish-language commercials developed by the Orcí Advertising Agency is also part of the collection.

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into five series.

Series 1: Background Materials, 1979-2010, undated

Series 2: Advertising and Marketing Materials, 1986-2003, undated

Series 3: Teaching Materials, 1985-2012, undated

Series 4: Conference Materials, 1984-1999, undated

Series 5: Audiovisual Materials, 1986-2016

Biographical / Historical:

Once employees of La Agencía de McCann-Erickson advertising company, Hector and Norma Orcí founded their own independent agency in 1986. The Orcí Advertising Agency, also known as La Agencía de Orcí & Asociados, is based in Los Angeles. Since its inception, the Orcí Advertising Agency has devoted itself to US Latino marketing and teaching other advertising agencies how to effectively advertise and sell products to US Latinos. The Orcís quickly developed an impressive roster of successful campaigns for major clients and continue to be a well-respected agency in the advertising sector.

Separated Materials:

The Division of Work and Industry holds the following artifacts related to this collection:

Virgin of Guadalupe Painting, Accession #: 2015.0306.01

INS Eagle Painting, Accession #: 2015.0306.02

Don Quixote Figurine, Accession #: 2015.0306.03

Provenance:

Collection donated by Hector and Norma Orcí, 2016.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Hispanic American businesspeople  Search this

Hispanic American leadership  Search this

Hispanic American consumers  Search this

Mexican American leadership  Search this

mexican Americans and mass media  Search this

advertising -- Beer -- 1950-2000  Search this

Mexican American business enterprises  Search this

advertising -- 21st century  Search this

Advertising campaigns  Search this

Hispanic American business enterprises  Search this

advertising -- Beverages  Search this

Hispanic American capitalists and financiers  Search this

Advertising history  Search this

advertising -- Soft drinks  Search this

Advertising executives  Search this

Hispanic Americans and mass media  Search this

Advertising agencies -- United States  Search this

Minority consumers  Search this

advertising -- Automobiles  Search this

Hispanic American businesswomen  Search this

Minorities in advertising  Search this

Latinos in American society and culture  Search this

Hispanic Americans -- Press coverage  Search this

Genre/Form:

Letters (correspondence) -- 20th century.

Letters (correspondence) -- 21st century

Letters (correspondence) -- 21st century

Born digital

Newsletters -- 21st century

Business records -- 21st century

Clippings -- 20th century

Photographs -- 20th century

Training manuals -- 21st century

Slides (photographs) -- 20th century

Programs -- 20th century

Clippings -- 21st century

Newsletters -- 20th century

Programs -- 21st century

Reports -- 21st century

Slides (photographs) -- 21st century

Reports -- 20th century

Advertisements -- 21st century

Training manuals -- 20th century

Awards

Business records -- 20th century

Oral history -- 2010-2020

Advertising -- 20th century

Photographs -- 21st century

Advertisements -- 20th century

Citation:

Hector and Norma Orcí Advertising Agency Records, 1979-2016, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1384

See more items in:

Hector and Norma Orcí Advertising Agency Records

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep82a861536-25d5-4aed-9857-90cfffce228d

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1384

Creator:

Ad Council  Search this

Names:

Ad Council  Search this

Castor GS & B  Search this

Mingo Group.  Search this

Muse Cordero Chin.  Search this

Ogilvy & Mather.  Search this

Extent:

2 Cubic feet (3 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Audiotapes

Videotapes

Advertisements

Tear sheets

Date:

1990

Summary:

This collection documents the multilingual advertising campaigns created by the Advertising Council to promote the 1990 Census.

Scope and Contents:

This collection consists of advertising materials produced to promote the 1990 census. It contains proof sheets, correspondence, three quarter inch videotapes, and storyboards.

Arrangement:

Materials in this collection have been arranged alphabetically by the title of the advertising campaign.

Biographical/Historical note:

Since 1790, the Department of Commerce has conducted a decennial Census to document the demographic characteristics of the American population, and to establish the proportional distribution of political representation . For the 1990 Census, advertising agencies under the aegis of the Advertising Council volunteered their creative efforts to promote the United States Census through public service announcemnts in newspapers, magazines, and the business press, and on radio and television.

The full campaign was designed to run from February 1 through April 7, 1990. The "blitz run" period ran from March 4 through April 7, 1990. The collection consists of proof sheets, storyboards, video tapes, audio reels and an introductory letter from Secretary of Commerce Robert Mosbacher. The volunteer agencies were The Mingo Group, Castor GS & B, Muse Cordero Chin, and Ogilvy & Mather. Slogans for the campaign included "Answer the Census. It Counts for More Than You Think", "Stand Right Up. Answer the Census", "Any Way We Add It - It Makes Good Sense to Answer the Census", and "Esta Es La Nuestra! Participe En El Censo". To reach the broadest audience possible, ads were created in English, Spanish (including dislects in Puerto Rican, Mexican, Cuban and Nortera), Cambodian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Laotian and Vietnamese.

Related Materials:

National Museum of American History

Division of Political and Military History (now Division of Political and Military History)

The Division of Political and Military History holds posters, pins, and three-dimensional objects promoting the 1990 Census.

Provenance:

Collection donated by Census Promotion Office, Bureau of the Census, 1990.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

advertising  Search this

Genre/Form:

Audiotapes

Videotapes

Advertisements -- 1950-2000

Tear sheets

Citation:

Advertising Council 1990 Census Advertising Collection, 1990, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0372

See more items in:

Advertising Council 1990 Census Advertising Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep871c80e41-8e7a-41ed-9dfe-ddb30f303a63

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0372

Creator:

Carvel, Tom (Thomas Andreas Carvelas), 1906-  Search this

Carvel Corporation.  Search this

Extent:

9 Cubic feet (24 boxes, 1 oversized folder)

12 Cassette tapes

63 Video recordings

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Cassette tapes

Video recordings

Blueprints

Interviews

Audiotapes

Patents

Date:

1934-1989

Scope and Contents:

The records provide rich research material on many stories, including: American invention, enterprise, and entrepreneurship; the origins and growth of franchising; popular food and culture; the development of roadside architecture; radio and television advertising; product marketing and promotion; regional studies; and gender issues such as beauty pageants and the role of women in the labor force.

Arrangement:

Divided into 14 series.

Series 1: Tom Carvel Personal Information, 1917-1986

Series 2: Financial Information, 1969-1985 Series 3: Educational Information for Franchise Owners, 1954-1984 Series 4: Employee Magazines, 1956-1989 Series 5: Publicity Materials, 1950-1985 Series 6: Advertising Campaign Materials, 1957-1989 Series 7: Promotional Items, 1951-1986 Series 8: Store and Equipment Records, 1945-1973 Series 9: Vending Vehicles, 1958-1961 Series 10: Store Address Information, 1980s Series 11: Photographs, 1936-1985 Series 12: Dugan's Bakery and Hubie Burger Records, 1950s-1960s Series 13: Non-Carvel Franchise Information, 1950-1988 Series 14: Audiovisual Materials, 1972-1995

Biographical / Historical:

The Carvel Corporation is an American success story. Through hard work and timely luck, its founder and president, Tom Carvel, turned an ice cream trailer with a flat tire into an international chain of ice cream supermarkets with over 800 outlets in 17 states and six countries.

Thomas Andreas Carvelas was born July 14, 1906, in Athanassos, Greece. He was one of seven children of Andreas and Christina Karvelas. The family emigrated from Greece to Danbury, Connecticut, in 1910, and finally settled in New York City in 1920. His father was a chemist and wine specialist who helped support his family during prohibition by restoring fermented wine for Greek restaurant owners.

Tom's father sparked Tom's interest in how things worked. Tom tried his hand as a salesman of radios and automobiles, a test driver for Studebaker, and an auto mechanic. At the age of twenty-six, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and his doctors advised him to move out of the city. Consequently, he borrowed $1,000 from relatives and built a frozen custard trailer. His first break came on Memorial Day, 1934, when he borrowed $20 from Agnes Stewart (his future wife), bought a trailer load of custard, and set out to sell it to vacationers in Westchester County, New York. Tom Carvel suffered a minor setback when his trailer had a flat tire in Hartsdale, New York. But luck was on his side: there was a pottery shop across the street and Pop Quinlan, the potter, allowed him to use his electricity so the custard would not melt.

Tom Carvel kept his trailer on the pottery shop's lot and in his first year grossed $3,500. The following year, realizing that a permanent location could be profitable, he leased the shop for $100. In 1937, he borrowed more money and converted the trailer into a frozen custard stand, complete with a second-hand freezer which enabled him to make his own custard. By 1939, he was grossing $6,000 a year and was well on his way toward becoming the "Ice Cream King of the East."

In the early 1940s Agnes, his wife, operated the Hartsdale store while Carvel traveled the carnival circuits selling his frozen custard from a mobile vending vehicle. Next, he managed the ice cream cone stands at the post exchange at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Tom Carvel soon developed his own freezer model, known as a batch freezer, (the first of his sixteen U.S. Patent Registrations). In 1947, he sold 71 freezers at $2,900 each under the trade name "Custard King." When some owners defaulted on their payments Carvel discovered that many of the freezer owners were careless in their selection of locations, disregarded cleanliness, and worked sporadically, while others were selling additional, non-ice cream food items. Determined to make the venture succeed, he decided to oversee the operations of the freezer owners directly. He claimed to have developed the franchise concept in 1949 as a result of this strategy.

Franchise business opportunities allow investors to enter retailing without prior business experience and to own their own business. In the case of the Carvel Corporation, potential franchise owners bought equipment and supplies from the Corporation and used the Carvel name. In return, Carvel helped them select a location, taught them how to run an ice cream business, and organized resources for advertising and promotions. Franchise owners were taught the retail ice cream business at the Carvel College, an 18-day series of courses for potential store owners. There they learned about public relations, mechanics of the ice cream machines, local advertising, and making and freezing all kinds of ice cream cakes. They also received The Shopper's Road, an in-house magazine advising them on topics ranging from travel tips, to cooking, to marketing their products to the community.

From the beginning, the Carvel Dairy Freeze Chain stressed cleanliness, hard work, and a quality, all-natural product. Tom Carvel aimed to create a family-type environment for his franchise owners. He wanted people who would work hard and were eager to learn about the retail ice cream business in order to make their individual rags to riches stories come true. A unique and important element to the Carvel story was Tom Carvel's personal involvement --from an early date--in creating commercials for the stores. His was one of the first instances in which a Chief Executive Officer of a major corporation was featured in his company's commercials. In 1955, Carvel began making his own radio commercials. As the story goes, one day while driving in New York City he heard a commercial for a new Carvel store, but the announcer did not state its exact location. Convinced he could do a better job, he drove to the radio station and re-did the commercial himself. After this incident he started doing his own commercials on a full-time basis. Tom Carvel created a distinct style with his garbled delivery and "say it once" philosophy, with the idea that you have to grab people's attention and then let the product speak for itself. Carvel eventually set up an in-house production studio and advertising agency at the Carvel Inn, where most of his television and radio commercials were made.

The use of premiums was an essential marketing component for Carvel. In 1936, he introduced the "Buy One Get One Free" offer. He also used comic books, ice cream eating contests, and a beauty pageant for young girls, called the "Little Miss Half Pint Contest," to attract children. The Carvel Corporation also participated as a corporate sponsor for events like Walt Disney's "Great Ice Odyssey," "Carvel Night at the Rodeo," and numerous promotional tie-ins with the New York Yankees baseball team. Of all the sales promotions, it was the specialty products which brought the greatest notoriety to the Carvel name. From the "Flying Saucer" ice cream sandwich and the "Papapalooza" to the holiday and character ice cream cakes, customers could always count on a quality product. There were ice cream cakes for every holiday, including a "Flower Basket" for Mother's Day, "Fudgie the Whale" for Father's Day, "Tom the Turkey" for Thanksgiving, and a "Snow Man" for Christmas. Eventually, a customer could special order an ice cream cake for any occasion, using a toll-free phone number.

The Carvel Corporation enjoyed continued success and consistent expansion marked by Tom Carvel's innovative concepts in marketing. For example, in 1956, the Hartsdale location was converted into the first ice cream supermarket. Each store remained a full-service ice cream parlor, but now had the added convenience of self-serve freezers where customers could select ice cream specialty products such as Flying Saucers, Carvelogs, Brown Bonnets, and ice cream cakes.

In 1962, the Corporation experienced a crisis. Many franchise owners had begun buying cheaper ingredients and the chain was reduced to 175 stores. This potentially meant financial catastrophe for Tom Carvel and the company because it derived its profits from selling equipment and special mixes to store owners. Carvel insisted the franchise owners had obligations to the company and its customers to provide a uniform, quality product. Furthermore, the franchise owners had agreed to purchase raw ingredients from Carvel. When the Corporation tried to enforce this agreement, the Federal Trade Commission charged Carvel with allegations of coercion and restraint of trade. In 1964, after presenting his side before the full Federal Trade Commission and the Supreme Court, he won his case.

In 1967, Carvel purchased the Westchester Town House Motel, in Yonkers, New York, and changed the name to the Carvel Inn. It was both a full-service motel and the Executive Offices of the Carvel Corporation. It was here that store owners gathered for the annual educational seminars which reinforced the ideas taught by the Carvel College.

In the 1950s Tom Carvel had also developed the franchise concept for a hamburger chain called Hubie Burger. It served hamburgers, french fries, chicken, and waffles. It is ironic that Carvel began the Hubie Burger chain because at a dairy convention in 1956, Ray Kroc asked him if he was interested in setting up the McDonald's chain. It is said that at this time Carvel felt ice cream and hamburgers did not compliment each other and declined the offer. However, Carvel claimed to have given McDonald's permission to use the basic text of his franchise contract and his building design as models. Later, Carvel acquired Dugan's Bakery. However, neither Dugan's nor Hubie Burger was very successful.

Through his strong work ethic, creativity, and perseverance, Tom Carvel built up his ice cream chain and turned his dreams into reality. His achievements were recognized in 1957 when he was awarded the Horatio Alger Award. Carvel credited his success to his father and his wife, Agnes. His father sparked his interest in chemistry and engineering and his wife worked in the first Carvel store, which allowed him time to develop the Carvel Corporation Franchise System. In 1989, he sold the Carvel Corporation to an international investment company, Investcorp, for more than 80 million dollars. Tom Carvel died in 1990. The Carvel name lives on through the Carvel Ice Cream Bakery Company, operated by Investcorp.

Related Materials:

The Archives Center holds many collections related to ice cream and the food industry including:

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Series: Diary (AC0060)

Faris and Yamna Naff Arab-American Collection (see waffle cone machine) (AC0078)

Famous Amos Collection (AC0112)

Sam DeVincent Collection of Ilustrated American Sheet Music (see Ice Cream) (AC0300)

Good Humor Collection (AC0451)

Eskimo Pie Collection (AC0553)

Krispy Kreme Donut Corporation Records (AC0594)

Provenance:

These records were generously donated to the Archives Center by Mrs. Agnes Carvel, in May 1993.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Reproduction of some materials restricted due to copyright or trademark.

Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Ice cream industry  Search this

Franchises (Retail trade)  Search this

Carnivals  Search this

Restaurants  Search this

Radio advertising  Search this

Television advertising  Search this

Vending machines (food)  Search this

Genre/Form:

Blueprints

Interviews -- 1950-2000

Audiotapes

Patents -- 20th century

Citation:

Carvel Ice Cream Records, 1934-1989, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0488

See more items in:

Carvel Ice Cream Records

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8c1737b10-9d1b-48d6-9b3e-90b9b2782954

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0488

Creator:

Lopez Negrete Communications (Houston, Texas)  Search this

Names:

Bank of America  Search this

Circle K Corporation  Search this

Fiesta Mart  Search this

Goya Foods, Inc.  Search this

Houston Metropolitan Transit Authority  Search this

Microsoft Corporation  Search this

Nationsbank  Search this

Tyson (Firm)  Search this

Wal-Mart (Firm)  Search this

Extent:

14 Cubic feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Posters

Born digital

Oral history

Print advertising

Place:

Texas -- 20th century

Date:

1988 - 2015

Summary:

The López Negrete Communications Advertising Collection showcases the successful print advertising campaigns the communications agency undertook with major clients like Goya Foods, NationsBank, and Walmart. The advertising posters in this collection exemplify the agency's creativity in building on U.S. Latinos' everyday experiences to market American products and services. Alex and Cathy López Negrete, the founders of López Negrete Communications, made it their mission to use ethnographic approaches to better understand the U.S. Latino market which led to their success as the largest independently-owned Latino advertising agency in the country.

Scope and Contents:

The collection is made up of López Negrete Communications' large posters created as part of the print advertising campaigns for major American corporations and oral history interviews with Javier Gonzalez Herba, Alex López Negrete, and Cathy López Negrete. Transcripts for oral history interviews with Javier Gonzalez Herba and Alex López Negrete are available.

López Negrete Communications' clients include Fiesta Mart, Goya Foods, NationsBank (and its successor, Bank of America), Tyson Foods, and Walmart. The content of the posters serves as an example of the advertising agency's efforts to better understand the U.S. Latino market by engaging with Latinos' everyday experiences through ethnography and direct communication.

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into ten series.

Series 1: Background Materials, 2016

Series 2: Bank of America, 2000-2007

Series 3: Circle K, Totally Bueno, 2003

Series 4: Fiesta Mart, Inc., 2002-2003

Series 5: Goya Foods, Inc., 2003

Series 6: Houston Metropolitan Transit Authority (METRO), El camino a su destino/The Road to Your Destiny, 1988

Series 7: Microsoft, Nosotros vemos/We See, 2002

Series 8: NationsBank, 1994-1998

Series 9: Tyson Foods, 2001-2006

Series 10: Walmart, Inc. 1998-2015

Biographical / Historical:

Originally named Third Coast Marketing, López Negrete Communications was founded in 1985 by Alex and Cathy López Negrete. The advertising agency has been based in Houston, Texas since the beginning but has additional offices in Los Angeles and New York. López Negrete Communications is currently the largest independently-owned Latino advertising agency in the United States. It is known for drawing on the everyday lives and experiences of US Latino consumers in order to work with major corporate clients to market their products through effective communication and empowerment.

Separated Materials:

The Division of Work and Industry holds the following artifacts related to this collection:

Coin, Accession #: 2015.0305.01

Paperweight, Accession #: 2015.0305.02

Provenance:

Collection donated by López Negrete Communications, 2016.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

advertising -- Department stores  Search this

Hispanic American business enterprises  Search this

Latinos in American society and culture  Search this

advertising -- Banks  Search this

mexican Americans and mass media  Search this

Advertising agencies -- 20th century  Search this

advertising -- Computers  Search this

Advertising campaigns  Search this

Advertising history  Search this

Minorities in advertising  Search this

Mexican American business enterprises  Search this

advertising -- Food  Search this

advertising -- Transportation  Search this

Advertising agencies -- 21st century  Search this

Minorities in advertising -- 1950-2000  Search this

Hispanic Americans and mass media  Search this

Hispanic American consumers  Search this

Hispanic American mass media  Search this

Hispanic American businesswomen  Search this

Hispanic American capitalists and financiers  Search this

advertising -- Groceries  Search this

Hispanic Americans -- 1950-2000  Search this

Hispanic American businesspeople  Search this

Genre/Form:

Posters -- 1980-2010

Born digital

Oral history -- 2010-2020

Posters -- 20th century

Print advertising

Citation:

López Negrete Communications Advertising Collection, 1988-2015, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1413

See more items in:

López Negrete Communications Advertising Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8e8b897a3-3138-4617-b01c-d4723ea61c7a

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1413

Creator:

National Museum of American History  Search this

Type:

Blog posts

Smithsonian staff publications

Blog posts

Published Date:

Mon, 24 Oct 2016 16:08:46 +0000

Topic:

American History  Search this

See more posts:

Blog Feed

Data Source:

National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:posts_1112841d3aa813427a6dd17785828942