Introduction-Advertising America
100 years of cultural and consumer history through the eyes of an advertising giant.
Advertising has had a fascinating effect on the world through its interactions with consumer culture. J. Walter Thompson: Advertising America documents these interactions via the workings of one of the world’s oldest and biggest advertising agencies. The documents in this collection allow us to explore how advertising works, what company culture was like, and how decisions are made. Ultimately, from this we can examine the effect that the industry may have had over wider culture and how culture interacts with advertising.
Lisa Spiro’s essay,“This Is Why We Fight”: Defining the Values of the Digital Humanities”, values of digital humanities relate closely to Advertising America’s goals. The introduction above states that analyzing advertisements’ history allows for a better understanding of cultural values, social norms and trends. These goals connect to digital humanities through utilizing digital tools and methods to study advertising materials, enabling deeper analysis and broader accessibility of historical data.