| dc.description.abstract | Advertising has harnessed the power of television, radio, the Internet, billboards,
and endless new communication mediums, becoming a tremendously profitable
industry and a mainstay in American culture. During advertising's rise, the 1960s
was one of the most pivotal decades. America was enveloped in a cultural revolution
and the advertising industry itself was facing a creative revolution in management
style and advertising norms. This advertising revolution was met with enormous
resistance from the select few then in control of the advertising industry. Of this select
few, one of advertising's most prominent figures, Rosser Reeves, fought furiously
to preserve the advertising status quo. Although Reeves is most remembered for his
contributions to advertising in the 1940s and 1950s, it is his less remarkable actions
in the 1960s as a stubborn "square" holding on desperately to former glory that
ultimately defines Reeves's character and place in advertising history. Reeves's prior
success in advertising and his own arrogance prevented him from acknowledging
the creative revolution in advertising as a legitimate and permanent change. This
article explores Reeves's actions in the latter part of his career, as well as his motives
driving these actions, through review and analysis of boxes of personal and business
correspondences, years of advertising industry publications such as Advertising Age
and Printers' Ink, and articles on advertising in major publications including the New
York Times, the New Yorker, and Time magazine. Ultimately, Reeves's efforts were
unsuccessful, as he found himself on the losing side of this creative revolution and
relegated to being a bit player in an industry he once dominated. | en |
