We’ve added two new databases from Adam Matthew Digital that feature recently digitized, historical source material.
Global Commodities: Trade, Exploration, and Cultural Exchange
- Primary documents and sources about the history of 15 key commodities: chocolate, coffee, cotton, fur, opium, oil, porcelain, silver and gold, spices, sugar, tea, timber, tobacco, wheat, and wine and spirits.
- Links to it can be found on the following database pages: A-Z, industry information, history
J. Walter Thompson: Advertising America
- Publications, reports, research, memoranda, correspondence, meeting minutes, creative briefs, scripts, speeches, newsletters, artwork and advertisements created by the staff of the advertising firm J. Walter Thompson.
- Links to it can be found on the following database pages: A-Z, advertising, and marketing
The J. Walter Thompson database is worth looking at for more than just finding advertisements. Look at their Account Files and you will find interesting company history. For Kraft, one of their clients, there are annual reports from the 1960’s through the 1980’s, the history of Cheez Wiz, Cracker Barrel and other brands, radio and TV broadcast history, an analysis of the Kraft/General Foods merger, and transcripts of market research interviews – there is one with a focus group on cottage cheese.
The Global Commodities database is fantastic and rich. I’ve forwarded it to a couple of our history faculty who work in this area, and they are very excited.
Just a note to let you all know — My colleagues, predecessors and I were the ones who literally clipped and organized the information in this J. Walter Thompson database (I was there from 1980-87 until that library was closed). The library/information center was one of the oldest advertising libraries in the country. There will be unique company histories here (mainly JWT clients but also competitors), advertising/marketing history, product category information as well as print ads. We typically went through all the advertising, marketing and industry trade journals and clipped pertinent articles. We also organized and filed in-house generated reports and documents (though we did not receive everything produced by the company).
–Students are often asked to find company and/or brand histories; this database can be used to supplement the usual sources. (to see an example – in the advanced search function, type “philadelphia cream cheese”).
–Students often ask for old advertisements — this would be a good source to look through . (to see an example, type children as the subject and food, then narrow down the search to advertising).