N. W. Ayer & Son
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Advertising |
| Predecessor | Volney Palmer Agency, George P. Rowell's American Newspaper Directory |
| Founded | 1869 |
| Founder | Francis Ayer |
| Defunct | 2002 |
| Fate | Merged and assets acquired by Publicis Groupe |
| Successor | Kaplan Thaler Group (brand integrated), Publicis Groupe (assets) |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia , United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Gerold M. Lauck (President, 1930s), Mary Lou Quinlan (CEO until 1999), Mary Beth Casey (CEO after 1999) |
| Products | Advertising services, slogans, marketing campaigns |
| Parent | MacManus Group (post-1996), Bcom3 (later) |
N. W. Ayer & Son was an advertising firm headquartered in Philadelphia, established in 1869 by the young entrepreneur Francis Ayer, who named the company after his father, N. W. Ayer. The agency initially specialized in selling advertising space for religious periodicals but expanded its reach by acquiring the Volney Palmer Agency as well as George P. Rowell's American Newspaper Directory, which later became known as Ayer's Newspaper Annual and Directory.
By 1884, the firm had evolved into providing advertising consultancy and creative services, establishing itself as the oldest advertising agency in the United States. In 1892, it was a pioneer in forming creative teams that integrated artists with writers. Under the leadership of figures such as President Gerold M. Lauck during the 1930s, N. W. Ayer & Son crafted memorable slogans for prominent clients including De Beers, AT&T, and the U.S. Army. Despite its early dominance and strategic innovation, the agency experienced a decline starting in the 1960s, ultimately ceasing operations in 2002 after undergoing mergers and divesting assets to Publicis Groupe.
Notable slogans
- When it rains it pours, created for Morton Salt in 1912.
- I'd walk a mile for a Camel, developed for Camel cigarettes by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco in 1921 by William Martin Armistead. This phrase was sometimes adapted into a jingle: I'd walk a mile for a mild, mild Camel.
- A diamond is forever, coined in 1947 by Mary Frances Gerety for diamonds marketed by De Beers.
- Reach out and touch someone, introduced in 1979 for long-distance telephone service by AT&T Corp., created by Anthony P. Galli and Stanley Lomas with music composed by David Lucas.
- We may be the only phone company in town, but we try not to act like it, another slogan for AT&T developed by Tony Galli.
- Today's army wants to join you, used for recruiting efforts by the U.S. Army.
- Be all you can be, coined in 1981 by E. N. J. Carter as part of U.S. Army recruitment campaigns.
De Beers
The memorable tagline A diamond is forever was crafted by N. W. Ayer & Son.
In 1938, a collaboration between Harry Oppenheimer of De Beers and Ayer president Gerold M. Lauck resulted in a marketing initiative aimed at reversing falling diamond prices. Although diamond engagement rings were not common across Europe, there was strong demand within the United States, prompting De Beers to focus its marketing efforts on this market segment. Ayer suggested encouraging American consumers to purchase larger and more costly diamonds.
The campaign successfully established diamonds as enduring symbols of love and romance, embedding this perception deeply within consumer culture. This strategic branding effort substantially increased De Beers' market dominance and secured a lasting competitive edge within the diamond industry.
AT&T
In 1906, Ayer was tasked by the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York to develop an advertising campaign for AT&T Corp.. This effort began with the AT&T advertisement titled Twenty million voices and led to Ayer becoming AT&T’s principal advertising agency—a partnership that persisted until the 1970s and became one of the longest-lasting agency-client relationships in American advertising history.
In 1979, Ayer created the well-known slogan Reach out and touch someone, credited to Tony Galli and Stanley Lomas, with musical accompaniment composed by David Lucas. Galli’s original wording was: To communicate is the beginning of understanding. Reach out and touch someone.
Decline
By the end of the 1960s, Ayer encountered significant industry transformations as smaller agencies began to more effectively target distinct consumer segments. This shift resulted in Ayer dropping to tenth place among leading agencies and further declining to 14th position by 1982.
In 1986, Ayer earned acclaim for creating the U.S. Army’s recruitment slogan Be all that you can be, which successfully increased enlistment despite lingering anti-war sentiment following Vietnam. Nevertheless, a scandal involving an Ayer employee engaged in bid-rigging led to the agency’s suspension from government contracts.
The termination of the Army account dealt a major blow to Ayer. Although the agency briefly acquired the Burger King Corporation account, it lost this business after only 18 months. At the same time, AT&T ended its longstanding partnership with Ayer, intensifying the difficulties experienced during this period marked by shrinking market share and deteriorating financial results.
Merger
After setbacks tied to the Army contract controversy, Ayer's influence waned considerably. In 1996, it merged with D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles, becoming part of the MacManus Group. Three years later, CEO Mary Lou Quinlan departed to launch a new MacManus division, with Mary Beth Casey stepping in as her successor. Under MacManus ownership, Ayer united with Leo Group and Dentsu to form Bcom3. By 2002, Bcom3 phased out the Ayer brand, integrating it into the thriving Kaplan Thaler Group, which revitalized major accounts such as Continental Airlines.
Roger Haupt, CEO of Bcom3, acknowledged that retiring the historic Ayer name was a difficult but strategic decision aimed at bolstering the Kaplan brand. Despite this change, Ayer remained one of advertising’s most iconic names, retaining considerable influence within the market.
Eventually, Ayer’s assets were acquired by Publicis Groupe based in Paris, which shuttered Ayer offices in 2002. The original N. W. Ayer building in Philadelphia was subsequently transformed into The Ayer, a luxury condominium development.
References
Citations
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
- Advertising agencies of the United States
- Companies based in Philadelphia
- Companies based in New York City
- Historic American Buildings Survey in Philadelphia
- American companies established in 1869
- 1869 establishments in Pennsylvania
- American companies disestablished in 2002
- 2002 disestablishments in Pennsylvania
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment