Allen Brady and Marsh

History

Following a career in the northern touring theatre, Peter Marsh moved to London in 1955 as a producer and writer with the BBC documentary film unit. He began in advertising in 1957 setting up the TV Department of Osborne Peacock in Manchester. He became a partner in Patrick Henry & Partners in 1965 but in the same year he joined Rod Allen and Mike Brady to start their own agency, Allen Brady and Marsh. In the mid 1970s ABM expanded greatly and the 1980s accounts included some of the biggest - British Rail, National Dairy Council, Harp Lager, Midland Bank, Provincial Building Society, B&Q, Weetabix and Guinness. Highly theatrical pitch presentations with catchy jingles or slogans became a speciality resulting in famous campaigns such as "Milk's Gotta Lotta Bottle", "Friends of the Guinnless" and "That's the Wonder of Woolworth". In 1991 ABM was bought by Lowe-Howard Spink.

Peter Marsh donated his archive to HAT in 2002.

Archive content

Date range: 1946-1999

Scope

The archive is in three sections:

1. Allen, Brady & Marsh; The Agency and its work 1965-1991
The bulk of the archive is from ABM in the 1960s, '˜70s and '˜80s. It includes a wide range of material, from handwritten notes and internal memos, to official corporate papers, presentations, publicity material and artefacts, examples of the agency's advertising, reprints of articles in Campaign, press cuttings etc.

2. Peter Marsh: The man and his career 1931
Biographical material, including: family life and education, his plays and theatre reviews,media and advertising work, awards and honours and recorded interviews.

3. Peter Marsh: Speeches and other papers, 1975-1999
30 typescript speeches reflecting his sense of humour and opinions.

Formats

Correspondence, corporate papers/memos, photographs, event invitations, campaign presentations and specimen advertisements, brochures and company publicity material, press cuttings, personal papers and notes, audio cassettes/CDs and artefacts.

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