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Subject: Stockton, West, Burkhart Advertising Agency - 3
Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 23:57:02 EDT
The History of
Stockton West Burkhart, Inc.
Advertising Agency - Cincinnati, Ohio
written by C. Thomas Martin 1982
The company name was in the following order because:
Eric W. Stockton was unquestionably the best known. Highly respected and
recognized for his ideas in creative ability, he also invested the most
money.
Ranald S. West while relatively unknown in advertising was a popular
Cincinnatian, a graduate of the University of Cincinnati and its College of
law. On campus he had a dance band of his own and was active on the student
publication.
William Z. Burkhart came from Chicago and was the least known in Cincinnati.
A graduate of Northwestern University, he had been a sales representative
for Curtis Publishing Co. before joining the Ralph H Jones Company as an
account executive and research man.
Today, Jane Distler's name would have been included. As Stockton's assistant
at Jones, she knew agency operations better than anyone and was a
stockholder. No doubt she was excluded because women generally were not a
part of top management at that time.
In addition to the principals named, three additional people from Jones
joined the agency: May Bruggeman, secretary and general office clerk:
Richard Rheins a young artist trainee: and Ted Brieland, a black man, loyal
to Stockton who had given him the opportunity to be mail, shipping and errand
clerk.
In August 1936, Stockton, West, Burkhart, Inc. leased offices on the 9th
floor of the First National Bank Building, furnished it with used furniture
and with great spirit, started in business.
Their first accounts were:
The Estate Stove Company - makers of ranges and space heaters. A space
heater designed to look as attractive as the Victrola and called the Heatrola
was the principal product advertised. Radio and national magazines were the
major media used.
The Baldwin Piano Company - builders of the prestige piano whose only
competition was the Steinway.
The United States Shoe Corporation - had, through a consolidation and
reorganization, a new group of investors headed by Joseph S. Stern. They
decided to advertise and promote only one brand, Red Cross Shoes.
The Drackett Company - makers to Windex, a nationally distributed window
cleaner.
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