Running Head: HELEN LANSDOWNE RESOR: ADVERTISING GURU
Helen Lansdowne Resor: Advertising Guru and Woman Pioneer
Rebecca L. Coleman
Comm 392: Copywriting and Ad Design for Traditional Media
King’s College
1
HELEN LANSDOWNE RESOR: ADVERTISING GURU
2
Abstract
Helen Lansdowne Resor is an advertising great that worked for J. Walter Thompson. She is
most known for created ads that directly targeted women. Her campaign for Woodbury’s Soap is
the most famous campaign she created because it was the first to use sex appeal. Her successful
ads made JWT become successful and increased profits. More women were hired because of
Helen and women were given a greater voice in the industry. Her husband, Stanley Resor, was
JWT’s President and a very large part of her life. They both worked hard to make J. Walter
Thompson an honorable company that fulfilled its client’s needs. JWT is still a major agency in
marketing and communications because of Helen’s influence. They are known for paving the
way for women and being global. This was made possible by Helen Resor who was the first
woman in a board room meeting at Proctor & Gamble and the success of her creative ideas
allowed them to go worldwide.
Keywords: Helen Lansdowne Resor, J. Walter Thompson, Advertising, Stanley Resor
HELEN LANSDOWNE RESOR: ADVERTISING GURU
3
Helen Lansdowne Resor: Advertising Guru and Woman Pioneer
Introduction
Helen Lansdowne Resor paved the way for women in the advertising industry. She was
influential in increasing the amount of advertising for products intended for women. Helen had a
significant role in introducing sex appeal in the promotion of merchandise. Her power in the
advertising agency led to more women being employed in the field. She and her husband,
Stanley Resor, changed advertising for decades to come. Helen’s hard work at J. Walter
Thompson Advertising Agency has stood the test of time and gave women power as consumers.
She had a lasting impression on the offices of JWT, both physically and emotionally. As a
woman, Lansdowne Resor was not afraid to be powerful and show femininity in advertising.
She made her mark on the advertising industry starting with the campaign for Woodbury’s Soap.
Most Prominent Campaign and Its Impact
Helen’s most famous campaign was for Woodbury’s Soap with the slogan, “A Skin You
Love to Touch” and more risqué imagery for the time (See Appendix for the advertisement).
Over 8 years the sales of the soap grew 1000 percent thanks to the catchy slogan and the more
intimate image of a man and woman
(Scanlon, 1998, p. 590). This promotion is noted to be
the, “first ad to use sex appeal in an advertisement,” (Members, 2010). Helen has been referred
to as one of the best copywriters of her time by David Ogilvy (Kanner, 2003). This campaign
was an important insight into American life during this time in history because soap was one of
the major advertised products.
Between 1910 and 1920 the advertising industry had a major shift in how they reached
their audiences. Agencies started using, “first impression, romance, and emulation formulas and
HELEN LANSDOWNE RESOR: ADVERTISING GURU
4
certain archetypal stereotypes,” to captivate audiences (Sivulka, 2001, p.295). In the
Woodbury’s soap campaign Helen and her employees used the romance formula and appealing
to sex. The ads hinted at what the product could do to add excitement to their lives with
romance. It was not only JWT who did this but most advertising agencies at this time (Sivulka,
2001, p. 295-296).
Advertising soap became popular because it “drew legitimacy from dominant cultural
myths, beliefs, and values in America,” (Sivulka, 2001, p. 296). This was because during the
1920’s many immigrants were seen as dirty and having good hygiene was seen as being higher in
status. Many ads wanted to appeal to self-confidence in women. The images and copywriting of
the ads put emphasis on the significance of appearance and satisfying others. Advertisers,
including Resor, made caring about personal hygiene appear effortless and gratifying (Sivulka,
2001, p.296-297). The most famous campaign Helen was part of was just one of many
advertisements that were specifically aimed towards women.
Increasing Women’s Buying Power
Helen saw women as having buying power and increased the number of ads to cater to
their needs. Some of the products that she created ads for were Crisco and other food products,
cleaning items, clothing and beauty merchandise (Scanlon, 1998, p. 590). Helen once said that,
“the success of the J. Walter Thompson Company had been in large measure due to the fact that
we have concentrated and specialized upon products sold to women,” (Pendergrast, 1999, p.
139). Resor was absolutely correct because more women were buying items. Women wanted a
voice and power in the products they needed. They did not want to be tied to certain roles like
motherhood. JWT’s advertisements helped, “the consumer culture (present) a unified and
HELEN LANSDOWNE RESOR: ADVERTISING GURU
5
powerful vision of satisfaction not through social change but through consumption,” (Scanlon,
1995, p. 230). She shaped this view throughout the entire agency.
According to Scanlon, the J. Walter Thompson agency really wanted to get into the
mindset of the average female consumer of the time. Since Helen worked for this company, she
played a huge role in satisfying this need for information. The agency Helen was a part of,
wanted to find out why women were dissatisfied with their domestic responsibilities and family
life. They would then take that information and create advertisements that catered to women’s
desires. The JWT agency teamed up with the Ladies Home Journal to reach the mass of women
they wanted to target. The magazine wanted to give women happiness through material items
(Scanlon, 1995, p. 230-231). This was the start to having a more modern woman.
Adding Sex Appeal in Advertisements
The Woodbury’s Soap advertisements caused debate because some saw them as
depicting women as sex objects. However, Helen wanted to not portray women as, “asexual
wives and mothers,” as they had previously and she saw, “the recognition of women’s sexuality
as a step forward in the advertising world,” (Scanlon, 1998, p. 590-591). Resor saw a more
modern side to women. She and her female employees, “made their living by appealing to the
sexism of the era, convincing women that their social status and marriage depended on using the
correct brand of coffee, facial cream, or cooking oil,” (Pendergrast, 1999, p. 139). Along with
the sex appeal message in the ads came another implication from the advertisements. This was
the notion that women had spending power and men would most likely not change how they
consumed goods (Scanlon, 1995, p. 230). The sex appeal generated from the increase in number
of female employees that Helen hired.
HELEN LANSDOWNE RESOR: ADVERTISING GURU
6
Shaping the Advertising Industry
More women gained employment because of Helen Lansdowne Resor. She hired more
women writers which helped future generations of women to have an easier time being employed
in advertising. During the New York suffragist movement, Helen was an activist to gain women
the right to vote. She and her female staff members marched in the parade following President
Wilson declared women had the power to vote (Members, 2010). In the advertising industry she
increased female employment and involvement.
For the Crisco campaign, Helen was invited to a Proctor & Gamble board meeting. This
took place in 1911 and she was the first woman in attendance at a board meeting for the
company. Another copywriter at J. Walter Thompson, James Webb Young, said that Helen had
the real talent for advertising and Stanley was not as much of a natural in the industry. Some
other women she hired were Aminta Casseres, Ruth Waldo, and Augusta Nicoll, who were all
copywriters at JWT (Pendergrast, 1999, p. 139). She had created these jobs and paved the way
for women in the advertising line of work, where women had not had a place before (Scanlon,
1998, p. 591).
According to Sutton, JWT was recognized during the 1920’s as the, “women’s agency,”
because, “it had gained the reputation of being the company in which bright, young women
would have a chance to succeed,” (2009, p. 2). Helen created the Women’s Editorial
Department at JWT. This part of the company was started by women and for women and on the
proposal that women knew what other women wanted. Some of the products this department
created ads for were Crisco, Woodbury’s, and Pond’s Cold Cream and Vanishing Cream. Helen
and the other women attracted women to the ads and products through women’s sexuality, class
HELEN LANSDOWNE RESOR: ADVERTISING GURU
7
adjustability and feminine attractiveness. Profits that were produced from these campaigns and
many others, confirmed the business power of J. Walter Thompson Agency. During this same
decade, JWT increased its size and went international (Sutton, 2009, p. 3). This new modern
woman idea is what made Resor successful.
The achievements of JWT and Resor were because they led to the creation of a modern
woman. This woman, “traveled, smoked cigarettes, drove a car, and played sports,” however
this may have only been in advertisements and not in real life (Sutton, 2009, p. 5). The new
image did widen what was acceptable for a woman to act like. This modern woman also had an
ideal image to live up to. Resor and JWT had a big part in reaching American women and
showing them how they should look (Sutton, 2009, p. 5-6). Helen was one of these modern
women and was married to a very successful man, Stanley.
Stanley Resor
A huge part of Helen’s life was her husband and business partner, Stanley Resor. They
were married in 1917 (Pendergrast, 1999, p. 139). He also worked at J. Walter Thompson and
was the company’s President from 1916 to 1955 (Wood, 1961, p. 71). Stanley believed in the
marketing philosophy that, “given enough facts about people, and the right facts, you know how
they will act,” (Wood, 1961, p. 72). Both Helen and Stanley made an effort to make advertising
a science. They wanted to do this so their company would perform exceptionally for their
clients. They believed morality and honesty were important in success (Sutton, 2009, p.6).
Even though he was head of the company, Helen still had major influences on what the company
did.
HELEN LANSDOWNE RESOR: ADVERTISING GURU
8
He was very involved in the J. Walter Thompson Company and during the 1930’s he set
up a Consumer Panel in order to find out more about clients. Helen’s husband believed that
advertising produces the latest ideas, conveniences and satisfies the desires of consumers.
Another belief Stanley had was that the most successful campaigns and ideas were those that
were the product of many different people. It was not just one person working on the project and
the project was best when the creators were unspecified. The couple both believed in the
importance of ethical values and dignity in an advertising agency. The Thompson agency had
around 6,500 employees when Stanley was in charge and he credits them with his success
(Wood, 1961, p. 73). The couple also knew the importance of giving back.
Community Involvement
Not only was Lansdowne Resor influential in advertising, she also was involved in giving
back to the community. During the Great Depression Helen became the President of the
Traveler’s Aid Society. This organization gave homeless women a sanctuary during the
uncertainty of the depression. She also donated and gave assistance to Planned Parenthood,
Museum of Modern Art and Radcliffe College (Members, 2010). The success of JWT allowed
her to be so charitable.
Modern JWT
J. Walter Thompson agency is one of the largest advertising companies. According to
Fox, from 1920 to 1975 JWT was the largest agency. Some of accounts JWT held were Kraft
Foods, Eastman Kodak, Ford Cars and Scott Paper. After the Resor’s were no longer involved in
the agency, a huge transformation of the company occurred. In 1986 Wire & Plastic Products
HELEN LANSDOWNE RESOR: ADVERTISING GURU
9
bought JWT for $566 million (Fox, 1997, p. xvi). The company changed greatly without the
voice of Helen and Stanley.
J. Walter Thompson is now simply referred to as JWT. Globally, JWT is the fourth
biggest advertising and communications association. The company has around 1,200 clients they
attend to and almost 10,000 people in their workforce. More than 90 countries have a JWT
office (JWT Company Profile, 2010). The company website says that since 1864 JWT’s
modernization has guided it, “to invent copy and layouts, pioneer ad careers for women, produce
the first sponsored TV program, develop account planning and forge the first international
network,” (JWT Company Profile, 2010). JWT still reaches many consumers, just as it had done
when Helen Lansdowne Resor was creating advertisements. The agency has a much different
consumer in 2010 than it did in the early 20th century. Today’s consumers use much more
technology and are use to sexual overtones in ads. This only challenges and empowers JWT to
come up with the next big idea in advertising so the target market can be reached (JWT
Company Profile, 2010).
Conclusion
Helen Lansdowne Resor changed the way advertising operated with her creative ideas.
Her Woodbury’s Facial Soap advertisements created success for her employer, J. Walter
Thompson. The imagery and slogan used sex appeal, something that had not been done before.
Lansdowne Resor used her power to reach women and create ads for products she knew women
wanted to buy. The success of campaigns made JWT a huge success as well. Her husband
Stanley Resor was the President of JWT and was a major part of the success of Helen and the
company. They both wanted JWT to be an ethical and prestigious operation. Helen gave back to
HELEN LANSDOWNE RESOR: ADVERTISING GURU
10
the community and was involved in increasing women’s rights. The modern JWT Company has
kept with times and is very different from when Helen worked there. Helen’s influences have
stood the test of time, especially with how women are seen in the advertising industry.
HELEN LANSDOWNE RESOR: ADVERTISING GURU
11
References
Fox, S. (1997). The Mirror Makers: A History of American Advertising and its Creators.
Chicago, Illinois: University of Illinois Press.
Kanner, B. (2003). Ad workplace change, via one woman’s eyes. Advertising Age. Retrieved
from http://adage.com/article?article_id=102711
Pendergrast, M. (1999). Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed the
World. New York, New York: Basic Books.
Scanlon, J. (1995). Inarticulate Longings: The Ladies’ Home Journal, Gender, and the Promises
of Consumer Culture. New York, New York: Routledge.
Scanlon, J. (1998). Resor, Helen Lansdowne. History of the Mass Media in the United States: An
Encyclopedia, 590-591. Retrieved from Communication & Mass Media Complete
database.
Sivulka, J. (2001). Stronger Than Dirt: A cultural History of Advertising Personal Hygiene in
America, 1875 to 1940. Amherst, New York: Humanity.
Sutton, D. (2009). Globalizing Ideal Beauty: How Female Copywriters of the J. Walter
Thompson Advertising Agency Redefined Beauty for the Twentieth Century. New York,
New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Underwood, C. (Artist), Woodbury’s Facial Soap. [Advertisement], USA. Retrieved from
http://www.magazineart.org/main.php/v/ads/personalitems/soap/Woodbury_s+Facial+So
ap+-1915A.jpg.html.
Wood, J. (1961). A Pioneer in Marketing. Journal of Marketing, 25(6), 71-73. Retrieved from
Communication & Mass Media Complete database.
(2010). JWT Company Profile. WPP. Retrieved from
http://www.wpp.com/wpp/companies/companydetail.htm?id=69
(2010). Members. Advertising Hall of Fame. Retrieved from
http://www.advertisinghalloffame.org/members/member_bio.php?memid=774
HELEN LANSDOWNE RESOR: ADVERTISING GURU
Appendix
(Underwood, 1915)
12