Overview of Calkins' Life

The following picture is taken from Calkins (1924):

Earnest Elmo Calkins was born in Geneseo, Illinois on March 25, 1868 to Mary Harriet Manville and William Clinton Calkins, an attorney. The nearby town of Galesburg served as the backdrop of his childhood (New York Times, 1964b). At the age of six, he was overcome by measles that, four years later, robbed him of the ability to hear. Deafness was a tribulation that pervaded the very core of his being. In his own words, Calkins attributed his "inferiority complex" to the distance he felt from the rest of the world because of his handicap. A concomitant positive result of his deafness, however, was a fierce connection to the literary world of pictures, maps and books. When Calkins was young, his penchant for reading often necessitated a bedtime directive from his mother (Calkins, 1924). At the age of 12, his love for the printed page was realized as he assembled a print shop in his parent's woodshed stocked with the requisite hand press and type. Calkins' personal pursuit of knowledge was a much needed supplement to a poor public educational experience through high school graduation (Kaul, 1994).

As a senior at Knox College in Galesburg, he fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming a printer and publisher. Again, Calkins' innate drive to learn offset a relatively unremarkable education; he served as editor-in-chief of the college magazine, a most personally rewarding undertaking (Kaul, 1994). "I really set out in Galesburg to be a printer and journalist...but I soon learned that the ability to hear was a necessity" (New York Times, 1964b). Incidentally, Calkins first acquired knowledge about advertising when the ad periodical Printers' Ink provided him with a free subscription in response to a story about the magazine that was published during his tenure as editor-in-chief (New York Times, 1964b). He graduated Knox with a B.A. in 1891, and in 1921 was awarded an honorary Litt. D. degree from the very same institution (Kaul, 1994, New York Times, 1964b).

While working as a type setter and advertisement preparer for a local newspaper after graduating college, Calkins responded to a contest offering $50 to the creator of the best advertisement. His winning ad, selected in part by advertising guru and contest judge Charles Austin Bates, marked the beginning of Calkins' advertising career. However, his high expectations were quelled when, at age 23, his relocation to New York proved uneventful; he held a position setting type for books, and another editing a trade paper. In disappointment, Calkins returned to Galesburg where he pursued a multitude of jobs such as reporter, printer, columnist and advertising man (Kaul, 1994). In the latter position he served as "advertising counsel" to 25 merchants, receiving 25 cents to one dollar per advertisement (Advertising Age, 1964).

In 1894, Calkins obtained an advertising manager position in a Peoria, Illinois department store (New York Times, 1964b, Kaul, 1994). During that time, he decided to send samples of his copy to none other than the New York agency boss, Charles Austin Bates; it was now five years after he had judged Calkins' performance in the copywriting contest (Kaul, 1994). Calkins received the following telegram from Bates in response, "If you will work for fifteen dollars a week, more if and when worth it, come to New York" (Calkins, 1924). Hence, within days Calkins returned to New York to work for Bates as a copywriter (Kaul, 1994). Interestingly, he was hired as an artist, but quickly earned a reputation for being a talented copywriter (Advertising Age, 1964). His outstanding contributions resulted in a progression of challenging assignments that spanned a period of five years. During that time, Calkins was touched by art; he marveled at the infinite possibilities of its marriage with advertising. In addition, Calkins met and became good friends with Ralph Holden. Holden was a disgruntled employee in the freight department of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. As a consequence, he obtained a position at the agency under Bates in pursuit of a career change to advertising. With respect to personality and overall business approach, their styles could not be any more contradictory. Yet, this seemingly impossible friendship proved remarkable, both professionally and personally (Kaul, 1994).

On January 1, 1902, Calkins and Holden founded the first modern advertising agency with a mere $2,000, but considerable forethought about their desired approach to advertising (Advertising Age, 1964, New York Times, 1964b, Kaul, 1994, Calkins, 1929a). In retrospect on his 90th birthday, Calkins commented on the factors that advertising agencies should possess to be successful, and the reasons for their achievements as co-founders of Calkins & Holden: "An agency then, and now must have two ingredients--it must be creative and it must be businesslike. Mr. Holden had the business sense and the ability to help me overcome the handicap of being deaf" (New York Times, 1964b). Their revolutionary approach to advertising extended far beyond the simple placement of ads to the development of displays, packaging, and complete campaigns. Furthermore, Calkins and Holden offered services unprecedented to agencies at that time. For example, they established their own art department. In addition, they set up an in-house typographical department, unheard of in their day as agencies typically relied on the discretion of newspapers to arrange their materials (New York Times, 1964b, Kaul, 1994). Not only were they recognized as the first to develop entire campaigns and institute in-house art and typographical departments, but Calkins and Holden were also credited as forerunners in their efforts to merchandise ad campaigns to salesmen and dealers (Advertising Age, 1964).

In 1927, Roland Marchand (1985) ranked Calkins & Holden the fourteenth largest agency in the country. Over the years, Calkins & Holden represented such clients as Beech-Nut, E.R. Squibb, H.J. Heinz, Ingersoll Watch, Pierce-Arrow and Thomas A. Edison Industries. Further, because Calkins was endeared to publishing, Calkins & Holden managed promotions for American, McCall's, McClure's, The Saturday Evening Post and Woman's Home Companion magazines (Kaul, 1994, Advertising Age, 1964). Two notable campaigns Calkins and Holden developed in their formative years were the Force breakfast cereal and Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad accounts. In both cases, Calkins created cartoon characters and various jingles to sell the respective product or service (Kaul, 1994).

In 1931, Calkins retired from advertising due to Holden's death five years prior, and the arrival of radio. Calkins notes, "radio was well along in the advertising field, and since I couldn't hear, I thought it was time for me to move out." His agency evolved from Calkins & Holden to Fletcher Richards, Calkins & Holden, and in 1963 merged into the Interpublic group of advertising and public relations organizations with billings exceeding $30 million during that year (New York Times, 1964b).

Calkins authored numerous books and magazine articles over the course of his life, including two autobiographies: "Louder, Please!" and Annals of an Adman "and hearing not--" (Advertising Age, 1964). He was a strong proponent of advertising, holding it accountable to the highest of artistic and professional principles. In so doing, he coined the term "consumer engineering" defined as the process of encouraging consumption by generating products that more precisely suit the desires and needs of consumers. It is not surprising that Calkins was the first individual awarded Harvard University's Edward W. Bok gold medal for unprecedented efforts in advertising; he elevated the field by demanding honest and tasteful campaigns (Kaul, 1994, Calkins, 1929a). It is intriguing that, at one point, Calkins and Holden were involved in a dispute with the Internal Revenue Service regarding whether their agency should be considered a "business" or "personal service." The aforementioned Bok award was integral to the IRS' ultimate decision to classify them as a personal service. Consequently, Calkins & Holden saved $50,000 a year in taxes (Advertising Age, 1964).

In addition to the Bok award in 1960, Calkins received the Art Directors Club of New York's medal of special merit for "more than any other single man, ...[bringing] dignity and stature to our business" (Advertising Age, 1964). Calkins is considered a well-deserved recipient of these awards, and is recognized for imploring that the industry exercise good taste and truth; he is a veritable "giant of creative advertising" (Advertising Age, 1964) .