Collection documents Barton Arthur Cummings's career as an advertising industry spokesman, particularly in the areas of advertising education, and advertising in the public interest.
Scope and Contents note:
Collection documents Cummings's professional career as an industry spokesman, particularly in the areas of advertising education, and advertising in the public interest. Materials include manuscripts, interviews, photographs, speeches, awards, magazine articles, interview transcriptions, and newspaper clippings. There is a significant amount of material relating to his book Advertising's Benevolent Dictators published in 1984. Collection is arranged into five series. Series 1, Speeches and publicity, Series 2, Business papers, Series 3, Published and unpublished manuscripts, Series 4, Advertising's Benevolent Dictators, and Series 5, Multi-media materials.
Arrangement:
Collection is arranged into five series.
Series 1, Speeches and Publicity, 1950-1988, undated
Series 2, Business Papers, 1938-1991
Series 3, Published and Unpublished Manuscripts, 1981-1991, undated
Series 4, Advertising's Benevolent Dictators, undated
Series 5, Multi-Media Materials, undated
Biographical/Historical note:
Barton Arthur Cummings (1914-1994) was a former Chief Executive Officer of Compton Advertising, Incorporated, and Chairman Emeritus of Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide.
Cummings began his advertising career working during school breaks at his father's advertising agency, the Earl Cummings Advertising Agency (later Cummings Brand McPherson Associates, Incorporated) in Rockford, Illinois. He graduated with a degree in Journalism from the University of Illinois in 1935, where he also played varsity football. Cummings maintained a lifelong interest in football, and in 1959 was awarded the Sports Illustrated Silver Anniversary Award for former college football stars who go on to distinguish themselves in other fields.
After graduation, Cummings took a trainee position with his father's agency, leaving several months later to take a trainee position with Swift & Company. From 1936 until 1942 he was with Benton & Bowles in New York, where he was a copywriter on accounts for Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise and Lord Calvert Whiskey, among others. During World War II, he served in the Offices of War Information and Price Administration in Washington, DC. He resigned in 1943 to join the Navy, and was assigned to the Amphibious Forces, 7th fleet. He saw action in Guinea, Borneo, and the Philippines.
After the War, Cummings joined Maxon, Incorporated as an account executive, and was elected to Vice President a year later. In 1947, he began a long and successful career with Compton Advertising, moving from account executive to President in only eight years. In 1963, Cummings was named chairman and chief executive officer, a position he held for nearly twenty years. When Compton merged with Saatchi & Saatchi in the 1980s, Cummings was named chairman emeritus of that international agency.
Mr. Cummings enjoyed a distinguished career as leader and spokesman for every major advertising industry association. He served as chairman of the American Association of Advertising Agencies (1969-1970); chairman of the American Advertising Federation (1972-1973), Chairman of the Ad Council (1979-1981), chairman of the board of trustees for the James Webb Young Fund at the University of Illinois, and chairman and director of the Advertising Educational Foundation. Other public service included work as the chairman of the advertising division for the New York Heart Association (1963-1973), chairman of the Public Service Advisory Committee for the City of New York, and director of the Better Business Bureau of Metropolitan New York (1954-1977). Throughout his career, Mr. Cummings championed the use of advertising in the public interest, and washas been outspoken on the need for advertising education and industry self-regulation.
Mr. Cummings was preceded in death by his first wife Regina Pugh Cummings when he died in 1994. He was survived by his second wife Margaret K. Cummings, children Ann Haven Cummings Iverson, Peter Barton Cummings, and Susan Cummings, and one grandchild, Haven Cummings Iverson.
Provenance:
Collection donated by Barton Arthur Cummings in November 1991.
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.
Consist of materials presented by Cummings at conferences, meetings, and seminars to organizations including the American Dairy Association, Newsweek Sales Managers, Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, Magazine Promotion Group, Association of National Advertisers, Kappa Tau Alpha Society, Central American Tourism Council, American Advertising Federation, Advertising Education Foundation, American Academy of Advertising, and Better Business Bureau. Materials document Cummings travels to major cities including Paris, France, San Jose, Costa Rico, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
In his speeches Cummings addresses topics relating to color newspaper advertising, advertising careers, international markets, social injustice, crime, drugs, pornography, disregard for natural resources, rock music, women in the work force, growth of cable television, and teen age drinking and driving. In addition, publicity materials, awards, and photographs can be found among these materials. Materials are arranged first by speeches in chronological order followed by photographs, awards, and newspaper clippings.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Barton Cummings Collection, 1938-1990, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Those who answer the growing needs of advertisers will be our industry leaders tomorrow. Offers four ways for young advertising professionals to prove their understanding of client needs.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Barton Cummings Collection, 1938-1990, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Provides step by step procedure of the work an advertiser and his agency must do in before introducing a new food product. Despite all this "bugs" will arise unexpectedly, but none are likely to be insurmountable if the advertiser/agency relationship is built on open channels of communication.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Barton Cummings Collection, 1938-1990, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
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.
Collection Citation:
Barton Cummings Collection, 1938-1990, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
(1) Advertising is caught in the wake of a national revolution of taste, cultural,and moral values. We must take the offensive and let the world know the contribution advertising makes to the American way of life. (2) Describes copy testing research at Compton, citing as an example the preparations that went into the introduction of Proctor & Gamble's Comet cleanser.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Barton Cummings Collection, 1938-1990, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Opening remarks and introduction of speakers, as presiding officer at the annual dinner of the Anti-Defamation League.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Barton Cummings Collection, 1938-1990, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
(1) Irresponsible talk about advertising has gone on too long and will go on even longer unless we do something about it. It is time to stand up and be
counted; (2) Discusses Compton client campaigns in business newspapers and describes the information agencies would like to get from publishers.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Barton Cummings Collection, 1938-1990, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Expresses concern about public misinformation about the role of advertising, and the activities of advertising's critics. Describes Compton's experience with campaigns for financial advertisers.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Barton Cummings Collection, 1938-1990, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Describes the information agencies expect from magazine space salespeople.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Barton Cummings Collection, 1938-1990, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Nine reasons for advertising growth in the 1960s. "We are building a greater and more prosperous America".
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Barton Cummings Collection, 1938-1990, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Describes emerging technology which will make increased use of color possible in newspaper advertising; offers a four point credo for responsible advertising people to live by.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Barton Cummings Collection, 1938-1990, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Lists 10 accomplishments of magazines and offers suggestions for further improvement in each category.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Barton Cummings Collection, 1938-1990, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Too many advertising people, as well as client people, believe that if an agency turn out award winning advertising sales will soar. Compton operates on the principle that the creation of successful advertising is not just the business of the copy writers.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Barton Cummings Collection, 1938-1990, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Magazines will be more successful in building their share of the advertising volume if they can provide agencies with better information on how to use magazine advertising effectively.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Barton Cummings Collection, 1938-1990, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Reviews opportunities, challenges and rewards in advertising careers, and stresses the importance of promoting this message at colleges.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Barton Cummings Collection, 1938-1990, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Offers three basic principles which can enable national brands to compete successfully against discount-priced private brands. Sound pricing is essential to success, and the lowest price is not the determining factor.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Barton Cummings Collection, 1938-1990, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Advertising effectiveness should be measured by sales results, not industry awards. The client has every right to expect creative performance from every department in the agency. Offers four strategies for securing high levels of creativity from four principal segments of the agency team.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Barton Cummings Collection, 1938-1990, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Defines areas in copy testing and media penetration where management needs more help from research. Acknowledges the need for management to provide the funding and environment which will permit research to flourish.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Barton Cummings Collection, 1938-1990, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Agencies must be as creative in communicating advertising messages as they are in developing the advertising ideas. Examines the need for creative approaches to research and media problems.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Barton Cummings Collection, 1938-1990, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
