In memoriam
The Agency Wall
The shops that taught the trade to talk, and no longer answer the phone under their own name.
By Brandon Mina·CEO, BrandPilot AI·Updated November 2026
Each plaque gives the year the agency opened, the year its name came off the door, the work it is remembered for and what it left the business. Every date was checked against the sources listed beneath it.
In memory of
Papert Koenig Lois
1960–1969
The first agency with an art director's name on the door, and the first agency to go public since 1929.
Remembered for
- Xerox: the copier simple enough for a child, then a chimpanzee
- "I want my Maypo," spoken by Mickey Mantle and other ballplayers
- Wolfschmidt vodka
Disbanded in 1969, two years after George Lois left.
AlumniGeorge Lois·Julian Koenig
In memory of
Carl Ally Inc.
1962–1995
Hard-hitting advertising that named the competition and dared clients to keep up.
Remembered for
- Federal Express: "When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight"
- Federal Express "Fast talker"
- Hertz and Volvo
Renamed Ally & Gargano in 1976; closed its doors at the end of 1995.
In memory of
Scali, McCabe, Sloves
1967–1993
Made a poultry farmer a household name and turned car safety into a selling story.
Remembered for
- Perdue: "It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken"
- Volvo, built on durability
- Hebrew National, Maxell, Nikon
Bought by the Lowe Group in 1993 and merged into Lowe & Partners.
In memory of
Wells Rich Greene
1966–1998
Showmanship on television, and the first woman to run a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Remembered for
- Alka-Seltzer: "Plop, plop, fizz, fizz" and "I can't believe I ate the whole thing"
- Benson & Hedges 100s, "The disadvantages"
- I Love New York
Sold to BDDP in the early 1990s, renamed Wells BDDP, and closed in May 1998.
AlumniMary Wells Lawrence
In memory of
Chiat/Day
1968–1995
Put Los Angeles on the advertising map and brought account planning to America.
Remembered for
- Apple "1984"
- The Energizer Bunny
- Nike "I Love L.A." for the 1984 Olympics
Sold to Omnicom in 1995 and merged with TBWA; the name lives on in TBWA\Chiat\Day.
In memory of
Ted Bates & Co.
1940–2003
The home of the Unique Selling Proposition and the hard sell.
Remembered for
- M&M's: "Melts in your mouth, not in your hand"
- Anacin: "Fast, fast, fast relief"
Bought by Saatchi & Saatchi in 1986; as Bates Worldwide it was folded into other WPP agencies in 2003, surviving only in Asia.
AlumniRosser Reeves
In memory of
Benton & Bowles
1929–1985
Helped invent the sponsored soap opera, radio first and then television.
Remembered for
- Crest: "Look, Ma! No cavities!"
- Charmin: "Please don't squeeze the Charmin"
- Radio soap operas for Procter & Gamble
Merged with D'Arcy MacManus Masius in 1985; the combined agency closed after Publicis bought it in 2002.
Sources
- NYT, "D'Arcy Plans Merger With Benton & Bowles" (1985)
- Duke University Libraries, D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles archives
- WARC / Encyclopedia of Major Marketing Campaigns, "Look, Ma! No Cavities!"
- Wikipedia, Benton & Bowles
- Ad Age, The Advertising Century: Top 100 campaigns (1999), reproduced by DobleClic
In memory of
Hal Riney & Partners
1985–1998
Quiet, folksy storytelling that made San Francisco a creative capital.
Remembered for
- Bartles & Jaymes: Frank and Ed
- Saturn: "A different kind of company. A different kind of car."
Sold to Publicis in 1998 and renamed Publicis & Hal Riney.
In memory of
Doyle Dane Bernbach
1949–1986
Started the Creative Revolution and paired the copywriter with the art director.
Remembered for
- Volkswagen: "Think Small" and "Lemon"
- Avis: "We try harder"
- Levy's: "You don't have to be Jewish to love Levy's"
- "Daisy," 1964
Merged with Needham Harper in 1986 as DDB Needham, a founding agency of Omnicom. Omnicom announced the retirement of the DDB brand in December 2025.
AlumniBill Bernbach·Helmut Krone·Phyllis Robinson·Julian Koenig·Mary Wells Lawrence·George Lois
In memory of
J. Walter Thompson
1864–2018
America's first agency abroad (London, 1899) and, for most of the century, its flagship.
Remembered for
- Woodbury soap: "The skin you love to touch"
- Ford: "There's a Ford in your future"
- 7 Up: "The Uncola"
Merged into Wunderman Thompson in 2018, which WPP folded into VML in 2023.
Sources
- Duke University Libraries, J. Walter Thompson Company timeline
- Duke Hartman Center, Front and Center, Summer 2014
- Wikipedia, J. Walter Thompson
- WPP, "WPP unites Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R to create global powerhouse in VML" (2023)
- Ad Age, "J. Walter Thompson, Young & Rubicam and Wunderman names retired" (2023)
- Ad Age, The Advertising Century: Top 100 campaigns (1999), reproduced by DobleClic
In memory of
Young & Rubicam
1923–2018
Hired George Gallup in 1932 to build one of the first research departments in an agency.
Remembered for
- Jell-O, the account that brought the agency to New York in 1926
- Arrow Shirts: "My friend, Joe Holmes, is now a horse"
- Bufferin and the pounding heartbeat
Merged with VML in 2018 as VMLY&R; the Young & Rubicam name was retired in the 2023 merger that created VML.
The people behind the plaques
Ten legends of Madison Avenue
What Lois, Bernbach, Krone, Wells Lawrence, Reeves, Ogilvy and the rest proved, the work, and the glossary terms they left behind.