If I had to choose five more giants to complete my All-Time All-American team, they would be three copywriters - James Webb Young of J. Walter Thompson, George Cecil of N. W. Ayer, and Jack Rosebrook of Young & Rubicam; ... "
- David Ogilvy, "Ogilvy on Advertising"

David Ogilvy thought very highly of James Webb Young and attributed the success of J. Walter Thompson to the ability to attract talent like Jim Young (Ogilvy, 1983). Actually, it wasn't J. Walter Thompson who attracted Ji m Young to JWT, but rather it was an old schoolmate, Helen Lansdowne who introduced Jim Young to Stanley Resor in 1912 who ultimately convinced him to join the team; of course it did cost Mr. Resor $60 per week to secure Jim Young's services (Fox, 1 984). This was the start of Jim Young's influence on the industry.

It wasn't long before Jim Young was stirring up advertising scandals. In 1919 he approached a rather delicate subject, underarm odor. The headline for Odorono read, "Within the curve of a woman's arm," a relatively mild way of describing an armpit which resulted in 200 cancellations of Ladies' Home Journal and several women promising to never speak to Mr. Young again, but which also increased sale for Odorono 112 percent (Fox, 1984).

Pushing the boundaries was only one way in which Young helped to contribute to the industry. Another way was one of which he was not even aware. Although he described his techniques of information gathering as "intuitive," Young spent a lot of time absorbing the culture which surrounded a product; he even sent copywriters to live at Maxwell House in Nashville so that they could "feel" what the product was like (Fox, 1984). Despite Young's dislike early in his career of scientific research, except for copy testing, he had discovered that the only way to effectively sell a product was by understanding the product and its audience, and the only way to understand was through field research (Fox, 1984). Focus groups may be a more convenient and inexpensive way to conduct this type of research today, but Jim Young knew the importance of it over 70 years ago. As far as psychological research went, Jim Young was not ready to accept all of its merits. On reflection of John Watson, Young said, "Advertising absorbed John without absorbing much of his psychology" (Fox, 1984). This was probably a little myopic, as can be seen through the application of John Watson's Learning Theories on advertising, but he believed, "'it is just possible, that the advertiser has hold of a kind of truth which is not measurable in laboratories ... that in an automobile we desire more than transportation. ... Its very radiator capmay be to us a symbol of social status'" (Woodward, 1938).

Jim Young did conduct research on how agencies functioned however. He polled 94 radio shows in 1932 and discovered that one-third of the advertisers paid no commissions; in 1933 he published his findings in hopes of regulating and standardizing agency practices (Mayer, 1958). Young also believed in the value of education, and said that "'if you consider that your education was finished when you left college, and wouldn't be caught dead with a copy of, say, one of Jane Austen's novels under your pillow, go no farther'" (Mayer, 1958). In 1941, James Webb Young took what he had learned and went farther to become one of the founders of the War Advertising Council, later Ad Council, and stated, "We have a demand to justify advertising now as a social force. What a nuisance" (Fox, 1984). Jim Young had learned to use advertising as a social force and had been for more than 40 years; now it was his job to justify that advertising was indeed a social force. He set forth a challenge to the council; "If we do not meet it [justifying advertising as a social force] we will be damaged. If we do not work together, we will not meet it" (Fox, 1984). From the strength of Ad Council both then and now, it is safe to say that they worked together and met it.

Click on the top center photo of JWY to see the introduction to this site.

The AAF Hall of Fame announcement shows how JWY influenced the industry and what his peers thought of him.

Neckties are just a few things sold by JWY; click to see some of the other work he produced.

Take a peek at the Diary that JWY kept and experience a bit of his wit and insight.

Visit JWY at his desk to find out how you too could become an Advertising Man.

Grab the latest issue of the Editor and Publisher to find out a bit about me, the editor and publisher, as well as the many places you can find more information on JWY.