Ogilvy

History

1850-, London, New York, USA

Mather's was founded in Fleet Street, London in 1850, by Edmund Mather. In 1888 Edmund's son, Harley Lawrence Mather, took Herbert Crowther into partnership, forming Mather & Crowther.

S H Benson was founded in 1893 and registered as a limited company in early 1906, the first UK advertising agency to do so.

In 1936, Mather & Crowther sent David Ogilvy (1911-1999) abroad to study American advertising techniques for one year. Later on, with investment from S H Benson, Ogilvy started his own agency in 1948. Ogilvy hired Anderson Hewitt away from J. Walter Thompson to be president, and appointed himself vice president in charge of research. The business opened as Hewitt, Ogilvy, Benson & Mather (HOB&M).

Through his stylish and successful work David Ogilvy became well established during the 1950s. By 1953 Anderson Hewitt had left and HOB&M became Ogilvy, Benson & Mather. In 1964 it merged with Mather & Crowther Ltd. of London to become Ogilvy & Mather International. In 1966 O&M became the first advertising agency to go public on both the London and New York stock exchanges.

In 1971 S H Benson Ltd London merged with Ogilvy & Mather and in May of 1985 Ogilvy & Mather International Inc. became the Ogilvy Group. The WPP Group acquired the agency in 1989

See: www.ogilvy.co.uk
and www.corporatewatch.org.uk
and www.wpp.com

See S H Benson

Archive Content

Date range: 1917-

Scope: The O & M Archive contains material from several agencies that have been part of the 'Ogilvy Group' including S H Benson, Mather & Crowther, OBM and several others. There are over 1000 guardbooks containing press advertising proofs and an extensive series of research and planning reports 1970s -1982. Press advertising for global companies such as Shell International, BP and ICI are comprehensively represented. See SHELL under Special Collections.

Formats: Guardbooks, correspondence and research reports.

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