 Overview Advertising in its most primitive form has existed for centuries, but the influx of advertising into mainstream American life started late during the last quarter of the 19th century. Its impact on the Greenville market wasn't visible until the 1920s and 30s when Greenville's first agency, Barron's, launched the "Wings" brand of men's shirts. The depression of the 30s grudgingly gave way to the war-fraught 40s, and it was in 1946 that Jim Henderson founded his one-man agency, Henderson Advertising. It was Henderson who would later establish Greenville as a substantial creative and advertising force when, in 1980, Henderson was honored as Advertising Agency of the Year by Advertising Age magazine, the first agency outside of Chicago or New York to be awarded that title. Life in post-war America was peppered with the frenzied efforts of harried people desperately attempting to recover the prosperity destroyed during the depression and war era. Jobs were now abundant, consumer goods were penetrating the market with astonishing speed, and businesses were emerging everywhere. It was during this boom that an influx of account executives and creatives - artists, writers - began the ad revolution in this sleepy southern town in South Carolina. This savvy crew quickly established themselves as a viable economic and civic entity within the community and grew to the point where an organization to support them was clearly needed. Recognizing this need, Jim Henderson formed Greenville's first Advertising Council, patterned mostly after the National Ad Council, a not-for-profit organization that provided vital services following World War II. In 1953, Henderson enlisted friends and colleagues to join him in his quest to establish a council that would "…serve the community throughout the handling of advertising promotion and publicity for civic and charity times." The inaugural year of the Ad Council supported numerous drives, including the Greenville Symphony, the March of Dimes and the Red Cross. In 1956, the Council was invited to affiliate with the Ad Federation of America, later the American Advertising Federation, and retains that affiliation a half a century later. History 2000s The face of advertising has changed considerably over the last 50 years, but to a large degree the fundamental principles have remained the same. The AAF Greenville continues to be dedicated to serving the community, both internally and externally, and will maintain that tradition for another half century. AAF Greenville has received numerous district and national awards including 2003 AAF National Club of the Year. AAF Greenville was also honored as AAF National Club of the Year in 1993, 1995 and 1999. The AAF Greenville continues to produce local, district and national leaders in the AAF. Currently Karen Reese serves as 3rd District Governor, Laveda Miles serves as SC District Governor and as the 3rd District representative of the National ADDY Technology committee. Allan Jenkins continues to serve on the AAF National Government Relations Committee. In the past Susan Kines also served on the National ADDY Committee. Past 3rd District Governors from the AAF Greenville include Paul Seabrook (who also served as National Chairman of the Council of Governors), Allan Jenkins, Ken Fulford, Dave McAtee, John Moore, and Reese Barkley. 1990s The 1990s were a time of immense prosperity and abject destitution. It was the coming of age for the Internet, angel investors and venture capitalists. Money changed hands in the blink of an eye - and just as quickly vanished. In the early 90s advertising began the transition to more database driven consumer options, focusing more on direct and niche marketing - and less on mass media. With the advent of the World Wide Web, the possibilities of Internet marketing and advertising created a virtual flood of new advertisers eager and willing to capitalize on what the Internet promised - great prosperity with little pain. Unfortunately for the people who suffered not only the loss of their jobs, but the loss of their options in the late 90s, who never listened to "If it looks too good to be true…," they learned that while the Internet is a great tool, it is not a substitute for traditional advertising. Being mostly a print-based market, Greenville did not suffer as greatly as those who embraced the web market to the exclusion of other mediums, and the establishment of BMW’s manufacturing facility brought with it a slew of new work for many of Greenville's local shops. 1980s Advertising in the 80s monopolized popular culture, infiltrating public life and space. The 1980s also continued the emergence of new technologies, mammoth companies and even more mammoth campaigns. Conversely, as the 80s unfolded, the advertising industry was forced to tighten its budgets as mergers, acquisitions, debts and bankruptcy became a frequent and familiar topic of conversation. Firms outside the advertising arena cut their advertising budgets as collective belts tightened and reduced spending forced many agencies to make difficult fiscal decisions. These financial challenges also translated into more cost-conscious national campaigns like Motel 6's "We'll leave a light on for you" (Richards Group) in 1988 and locally in 1984 with The Leslie Agency's "Walter" who was 'virtually' available to help pick the freshest and most affordable produce in BI-LO 1970s The late 1960s and early 1970s found this country waiting fretfully as the Vietnam conflict raged war on its native sons. The 70s also saw the eruption of technology that would later spawn giants like IBM, Microsoft and Intel. Technology embraced a savvier audience, and consumers began to expect more from products and from the ads that touted them. The 1974 campaign "Tastes great, less filling," (McCann-Erickson Worldwide) created a generation of Miller Lite drinkers while Xerox's "It's a miracle" (Needham, Harper & Steers) campaign helped initiate the biggest technology boom in history. In 1978, the 60s words still on everyone's lips were "You've come a long way baby," a sentiment that also reflected the continuing development of an industry that was responsible for driving consumer demand and brand awareness. In Greenville, Leslie was developing its campaign strategies for BI-LO (enter Walter a few years later) and continuing its innovative work with SCPRT, while Henderson was making the Fantastik® and Spray’n Wash® brands number one in their categories. 1960s The 1960s were a time of radical change for a nation firmly entrenched in 150 years of racial segregation. Progressive thinking in the South at that time was an anomaly, but not unusual for an industry that spawned progressive, freethinking and open-minded behavior. In July 1960, the Greenville Ad Council adopted a no-tolerance resolution for racial unrest and rioting in Greenville. This groundbreaking resolution entailed withholding any type of broadcasting or dissemination of news involving racial unrest until there was conflict resolution. This bold move was not unusual for an organization who embraced its civic mission. 1950s A fundamental element of advertising in the 50s was developing products rich with performance advantages over competitive brands. Products were marketed based on these advantages, in a classic straightforward, argument-style advertising. The task charged to agencies was to highlight product features that consumers could understand, believe, remember, and regurgitate. Primarily a mill town in the 50s, Greenville's advertising market revolved around companies like Texize, Milliken, and Saco-Lowell. Henderson's relationship with Texize spanned over 40 years, and it was Henderson who persuaded Texize founder Jack Greer to package his cleaner for consumer use, thus giving birth to Texize. |
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