N. W. Ayer & Son
Industry | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , US |
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N. W. Ayer & Son was a
Early history
N. W. Ayer & Son was founded in Philadelphia in 1869[2] by 21-year-old Francis Ayer, who named the agency after his father, N. W. Ayer. N. W. Ayer & Son started its business by representing religious weekly newspapers. By 1877, N. W. Ayer & Son had become successful enough to obtain what remained of another agency, the Volney Palmer Agency. They also acquired George P. Rowell's American Newspaper Directory, which became N. W. Ayer & Son's American Newspaper Annual and later Ayer's Newspaper Annual and Directory.
In 1884, Ayer expanded into the advertising business. Ayer styled itself the oldest advertising firm in the U.S. In 1892, artists and writers began working in groups known as creative teams.[3] Eventually Ayer became responsible for some of the most recognized slogans in advertising history. Gerold M. Lauck was president of Ayer in the 1930s.
Notable slogans
- When it rains it pours, advertising salt for Morton Salt, coined in 1912.
- I'd walk a mile for a Camel, advertising R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, coined in 1921 by William Martin Armistead. Sometimes formed into a jingle, I'd walk a mile for a mild, mild Camel.[4][5][6]
- A diamond is forever, advertising diamonds for De Beers, coined in 1947 by Mary Frances Gerety.[7]
- Reach out and touch someone, advertising long-distance AT&T Corp., coined in 1979 by Anthony (Tony) P. Galli and Stanley Lomas. Music composed by David Lucas.
- We may be the only phone company in town, but we try not to act like it, advertising phone services for AT&T, coined by Tony Galli.
- Today's army wants to join you, advertising military service for the U.S. Army.[8]
- Be all you can be, advertising military service for the U.S. Army, coined in 1981 by E. N. J. Carter.[8]
De Beers
N. W. Ayer & Son created one of the most recognized slogans of the 20th century, A diamond is forever.
To successfully achieve its goal, Ayer suggested a reinforcement of the relationship of diamonds with love and romance. This proved successful, as both men and women were caught in the relationship of diamonds being a gift of love. The slogan created for De Beers remained memorable for many years.[9]
AT&T
In 1906, Ayer was commissioned by the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York to create an advertising campaign for
Ayer created the slogan Reach out and touch someone, one of AT&T's most successful ads, coined in 1979 by Tony Galli and Stanley Lomas; music was composed by David Lucas. Galli's original phrasing was: To communicate is the beginning of understanding. Reach out and touch someone.
Decline
In the late 1960s, Ayer faced challenges from industry changes as smaller agencies began creating ads appealing to targeted groups of consumers. This method focused agency attention on single demographics and could be performed faster by smaller agencies rather than traditional larger agencies. Ayer's standing dropped to tenth place among major agencies in one report. In 1982, it called itself the 14th largest advertising agency in the U.S.
In 1986, Ayer received positive feedback for its U.S. Army recruiting slogan, Be all that you can be. This campaign benefited the army's recruitment goals greatly, and also faced negative responses toward the Vietnam War and low enlistment. In a well-published scandal, charges were filed against the Ayer employee responsible for the Army collaboration, and Ayer was consequently suspended from making bids with any branches of government.[12]
The Army account loss struck Ayer hard. Ayer strengthened its business by obtaining an account with the
Merger
Due to the Army scandal, Ayer began to struggle, and its importance gradually faded. In 1996 Ayer became part of MacManus Group after merging with
Bcom3 Chairman and CEO Roger Haupt said, "Retiring the venerable N. W. Ayer name wasn't easy .... It is more about the Kaplan name .... We're in a situation where we have an excellent agency in Kaplan Thaler and at the end of the day that's the right thing to do." "Ayer" remained one of the most recognized names in advertising; other agencies approximately as old as Ayer are overshadowed by Ayer's legacy.[15]
Ayer's assets were bought by the
References
Citations
- ^ other options considered included a partnership with Dentsu. Kim Foltz (September 17, 1990). "How Ayer Views Talks With Dentsu". The New York Times.
- ^ a b "Virtual Historic Tour of Historic Philadelphia: Washington Square" on USHistory.org. Retrieved May 27, 2013
- OCLC 4192469.
- ^ "Search Engine Forums - SEO Tools, Communities, Blogs, Podcasts and Conferences".
- ^ http://www.unlikelystories.org/pdfs/commercial_fiction_pp_84-168.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "Buzzstuff: Puff Daddy". Archived from the original on 2005-03-04. Retrieved 2005-06-23.
- ISBN 0-520-23661-0.
- ^ a b "Ad Age Advertising Century: Top 100 Advertising Campaigns". Archived from the original on 2011-05-11. Retrieved 2011-12-06.
- ^ Epstein, Edward (1982). Have You Ever Tried to Sell a Diamond?. Atlantic Magazine.
- ^ AT&T Corp. (American Telephone & Telegraph). Advertising Age. 2003.
- JSTOR 4188120.
- ^ The Army suspended N. W. Ayer from any bidding. 1986.
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ignored (help) - ^ a b N. W. Ayer & Son (N.W. Ayer & Partners). Advertising Age. 2003.
- ^ Petrecca, Laura (1999). "Quinlan leaves as Ayer CEO to form new MacManus unit". Advertising Age.
- ^ a b c Sanders, Lisa; MacArthur, Kate (2002). Agency Shutdown: Bcom3 pulls plug on Ayer. Advertising Age.
Bibliography
- Garfield, Bob. "The Advertising Century: Top 100 Advertising Campaigns". Advertising Age. Retrieved March 15, 2005
External links
- List of Ayer & Son's newspaper directories, Library of Congress website
- Newspaper directories via HathiTrust