1. Home
  2. about us
  3. history

Our History

Few places do it quite like Chicago. And like so much else in this great city, Chicago’s reputation as a global powerhouse for advertising arose from the ashes of the Great Chicago Fire. Built on the shoulders of Aaron Montgomery Ward, Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck, our industry continues to thrive today, thanks to a diverse population of people in a wide spectrum of disciplines.

image-20240616223144-1

 

Take a look at just some of the milestone moments in Chicago’s storied advertising history.

Ready to be part of the next wave of Chicago advertising history? Become a member right now.

 

  • Sears Catalog
    1871
    Later to become Foote, Cone, & Belding
  • Lord & Thomas formed
    1873
    Founded by Daniel Lord and Ambrose Thomas, later becoming Foote, Cone, & Belding
  • Wrigley Company founded
    1891
    A gum chewing titan was born
  • Kraft Foods founded
    1903
    Food and beverage giant
  • Chicago Advertising Association
    1905
    CAA’s membership began with 250 people
  • CAA Begins Partnership with Off the Street Club
    1906
    CAA is OTSC’s longest-standing partnership.
  • CAA Adopted into Chicago Association of Commerce
    1910
    Membership grows to 1,000 members
  • Toni Home Permanent
    Foote, Cone, & Belding Adv., Inc.
    "Which twin has the Toni?” This is an outstanding example of the strongest kind of demonstration advertising. It provided the public with a product for which there was a need, and showed clearly that a permanent wave costing $15.00 in a beauty shop, could be equaled by a product costing only $1.25 (later $2.00).
  • Palmolive Facial Soap
    Lord & Thomas
    Leo Burnett Co., Chicago’s largest agency, has created some of the most enduring and brand-building campaigns in history, many of which are integral parts of today’s pop culture.
  • Morton Salt
    NW Ayer & Son, Inc.
    "When It Rains, It Pours” became an ad campaign and trademark to make Morton Salt known as the only free pouring salt in a moisture-proof container. This campaign is known to this day by grandparents and children alike.
  • BON AMI
    Wade Advertising
    The little chick was probably the original animal character used in mass advertising. It symbolized the claim “Hasn’t scratched yet.” Bon Ami ran this campaign for more than 50 years.
  • General Mills
    Blackett-Sample-McFarland, Inc.
    In 1921 a Gold Medal Flour ad created by the agency, Blackett-Sample-McFarland, developed a picture puzzle with answers so obvious the company was flooded with mail from consumers. To answer the letters, company officials thought it would be best to respond with a letter signed by a woman. The character, Betty Crocker, was created with a signature only. By 1940 Betty Crocker was the second best-known woman in America, behind only Eleanor Roosevelt.
  • Ad Age is founded
    1930
  • CAA becomes Chicago Federation Advertising Club (CFAC)
    1930
  • The Allstate Corporation
    1931
    Started as part of Sears, Roebuck and Co., offering auto insurance by direct mail and through the Sears catalog
  • Ford Motor Company
    J. Walter Thompson Company
    “There’s a Ford in your future.” This campaign built consumer loyalty in a period of car shortages during and after World War II. This campaign was a breakthrough for two reasons: it ran when no one could buy the product (during World War II); and it promised a new lifestyle which the product would offer after the war.
  • Leo Burnett founded
    1935
    Leo Burnett was responsible for creating some of advertising’s most well-known characters and campaigns of the 20th century
  • McDonald’s Corporation
    1955
    Ray Kroc, a businessman, joined the company as a franchise agent and proceeded to purchase the chain from the McDonald brothers
  • CFAC becomes Chicago Advertising Club (CAC)
    1967
  • Sears Diehard Battery
    J. Walter Thompson Company and Foote, Cone, & Belding Adv., Inc.
    The original name of this breakthrough product was the “Sears Allstate 12 Volt Super Power Cell.” It was renamed and promoted as the Sears DieHard which “starts your car when other batteries won’t.” The idea to rename the product was brilliant. The advertising which has followed is equally powerful. It is based on simple demonstrations of the product’s dependability. The DieHard is, also, one of the few products introduced in the Sixties which became Number 1 in replacement batteries through the print media exclusively and maintained its position through the use of television.
  • Burrell McBain
    1971
    The company was established with the intention of forging an authentic and respectful relationship with the African-American consumer.
  • CAC Membership
    1980s
    Resumed membership in American Advertising Federation (AAF)
  • 7-UP
    Agency: J. Walter Thompson Company
    “The Uncola” completely revolutionized soft drink advertising. Awareness, brand identity and market share were increased. More importantly, this campaign became the quintessential example of marketing positioning (i.e., this is the one that tastes good that’s not a cola.
  • Omnicom Group formed
    1986
  • Goose Island Brewery
    1988
    A brewery that began as a single brewpub opened in 1988 in Lincoln Park, Chicago, and named after a nearby island.
  • Peapod
    1989
  • CAC becomes Chicago Advertising Federation
    1990
  • GrubHub
    2004
    Online and mobile prepared food ordering and delivery marketplace that connects diners with local takeout restaurants
  • Draft FCB
    2006
  • The tech incubator 1871 founded
    2012