Advertising: A Research Guide

The resources listed below will assist researchers in finding advertisement information including primary documents such as historic ads, agency contacts, and ratings. This guide also serves to acquaint the researcher with some of the basic informational sources on the topic. The terms and phrases listed in the subject headings below can be used to search for more materials in the library’s catalog and research databases. If you need further assistance, please ask a librarian.

Ad*Access. John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising, and Marketing History, Duke University Press. 1999.
http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/adaccess/
Features images from over 7,000 advertisements printed in U.S. and Canadian newspapers and magazines between 1911 and 1955 on topics of radio, television, transportation, beauty and hygiene, and World War II.

Advertising Age Encyclopedia of Advertising edited by John McDonough and Karen Egolf. 3 vols. New York: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2002. ISBN: 1579581722.
Contains surveys of agencies and advertisers, past and contemporary, as well as their ad campaigns. Also includes biographies, issues, methodology, and strategy.

The Emergence of Advertising in America: 1850–1920. John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising, and Marketing History. Duke University Press. 2000.
http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/eaa/browse.html
Presents over 9,000 images relating to the early history of advertising in the United States. The materials are drawn from the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library at Duke University.

Advertising Age’s FactPack
www.AdAge.com, QwikFIND: aan86x (PDF)
This annual directory lists marketing industry data such as who spends the most on advertising, what is the cost of a TV ad, total amount spent on advertising in different media, and more.

The Advertising Red Books. Advertiser and Advertising Agencies. (Also international edition.) New Providence, NJ: Lexis-Nexis, 2003– . Semiannual.
The Agency Directory includes profiles of nearly 14,000 U.S. and international advertising agencies, including major accounts represented by each agency, fields of specialization, breakdown of gross billings by media, and contact information on agency personnel. The Advertiser Directory contains information on over 15,000 U.S. and international advertisers who each spend more than $200,000 annually on advertising.

Standard Rate and Data Service. Des Plaines, IL: SRDS. Serial publications.
A series of directories with varying titles that include media rates and information including business, consumer publications and newspapers, ad rates and specifications; broadcast stations, their formats and audience demographics, direct marketing lists, and more.

Advertising Age. Chicago: Crain Communications, 1930– . Weekly. ISSN: 00018899.

Journal of Advertising. Athens, GA: American Academy of Advertising, 1960– . Quarterly. ISSN: 00913367.

Journal of Advertising Research. Advertising Research Foundation. Nyack, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1960– . Quarterly. ISSN: 00218499.

Journal of Marketing. New York: American Marketing Association, 1936– . Quarterly. ISSN: 00222429.

Journal of Marketing Research. Chicago, American Marketing Association, 1964– . Quarterly. ISSN: 00222437.

top

AC Nielsen
www2.acnielsen.com/site/index.shtml
Provides a variety of free and fee-based information on consumers, markets, and product information.

Nielsen//NetRatings
www.nielsen-netratings.com
Provides information on Web advertising and online usage behaviors.

top

The Advertising Council
www.adcouncil.org
Leading producer of public service advertisements (PSAs) since 1942. Addresses social issues.

The Advertising Research Foundation
www.arfsite.org
Founded in 1936, The Advertising Research Foundation is a nonprofit corporate-membership association that represents more than 400 advertisers, advertising agencies, research firms, media companies, educational institutions and international organizations.

American Advertising Federation
www.aaf.org
Trade association that represents 50,000 professionals in the advertising industry.

American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA)
www.aaaa.org
Founded in 1917, the AAAA is the national trade association and represents large, multinational agencies. Membership produces approximately 75% of the total advertising volume placed by agencies nationwide.