Founded in 1864, the J. Walter Thompson Company (JWT) is one of the oldest and largest enduring advertising agencies in the United States. Ronald B. Kaatz was a network broadcast supervisor, Media Director and Senior Vice President at JWT's Chicago office, where he specialized in cable television advertising. The Ronald B. Kaatz Papers cover the years 1915-1996, with the bulk of materials dating from the 1970s to the 1990s, roughly the period during which Kaatz worked in the media department at the J. Walter Thompson (JWT) Chicago office. The collection consists of research materials, clippings, presentations and slides related to media research and planning, television viewers and advertising. The collection also includes some memoranda and correspondence from other JWT employees; materials from Kaatz's teaching at Northwestern University; and programs from various meetings of television and advertising professionals. Topics addressed include various advertising media--out-of-home (outdoor), Business-to-business (industrial), radio, direct mail, print, and television (broadcast and cable)--as well as marketing to youth, ethnic, and gay consumers. Companies represented in the collection include S.C. Johnson (Johnson Wax), Kraft, Sears, the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, and the Magazine Publishers Association. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
