Women’s History Month: Women in Advertising, Eliza Jane Nicholson
The first female publisher in U.S. history was Eliza Jane Nicholson. She ran the Daily Picayune from 76’-96’. And when we say that, we mean 1876-1896! Not only was the first female publisher, she owner the entire major newspaper. She moved to New Orleans to become a professional journalist and began working for the Daily Picayune, where she wrote under the name, Pearl Rivers.
The first female publisher in U.S. history was Eliza Jane Nicholson. She ran the Daily Picayune from 76’-96’. And when we say that, we mean 1876-1896! Not only was the first female publisher, she owned the entire major newspaper. She moved to New Orleans to become a professional journalist and began working for the Daily Picayune, where she wrote under the name, Pearl Rivers. It was here that she met her husband, Alva Holbrook, who was the owner of this paper. When she married him, the paper was in financial turmoil but after her husband passed and she took the lead, it became profitable once again! Interesting side note, Holbrook’s ex-wife attempted to murder Eliza but all to no avail. She fought for women to be hired at the paper and fostered equal pay. Quite a feat for someone of her time when these things were still quite taboo. We would like to celebrate her on this final day of Women’s History Month and all other women in all industries fighting to for women’s equality all over the world. Equality and freedom transcend time and geography!
Notable Women in Advertising: Phyllis Robinson
Phyllis Robinson was born in 1921 and earned her Bachelor’s Degree in sociology from Barnard College. After WWII, she moved to Boston from NYC and started working at Grey Advertising where she wrote fashion ads for Bresnick & Solomont. She was a chief copywriter for DDB in 1949 and was the first ever woman to hold this roll.
“Freedom is only part of the answer. Freedom is the atmosphere. A lot goes on within that freedom. The respect, first of all, of one human being for another—a respect for his ideas, his opinions, especially if they differ sharply from your own.”
-Phyllis Robinson
Phyllis Robinson was born in 1921 and earned her Bachelor’s Degree in sociology from Barnard College. After WWII, she moved to Boston from NYC and started working at Grey Advertising where she wrote fashion ads for Bresnick & Solomont. She was a chief copywriter for DDB in 1949 and was the first ever woman to hold this roll. Phyllis was a true creative that had a writing style that was witty and conversational. She fostered outside of the box thinking for herself and her team. As a pioneer that led the creative revolution of her time, she was inducted into the Copywriters Hall of Fame in 1968. She passed away at 89 years old and left the world a better place than it was when she came into it for women in America.
Women’s History Month: Erma Perham Proetz
Erma Proetz was the first woman to be inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame. She was a copywriter, account executive, director, creative vice president and executive vice president, who spent most of her advertising career at Gardner Advertising Company in St. Louis. She received multiple awards for her advertisements in the 1920’s.
Erma Proetz was the first woman to be inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame. She was a copywriter, account executive, director, creative vice president and executive vice president, who spent most of her advertising career at Gardner Advertising Company in St. Louis. She received multiple awards for her advertisements in the 1920’s and in 1935, Fortune Magazine named her in the top 16 most outstanding women in American Business. For the time, this was quite a feat and a step in the right direction for women’s rights, well before the equality movement in the 60’s. She became the president of the Women’s Advertising Club of St. Louis in 1936 and served as chair(wo)man of the Council of Women’s Clubs of the Advertising Federation of America. Needless to say, she was quite the powerhouse during her time before she passed in 1944. Quite an impressive resume for the time she was alive as a woman living in a man’s world before women had equal rights. She was inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame in 1952.
Women’s History Month: Women Who Changed Advertising Mathilde C. Weil
It’s hard to believe that the first advertising agency was started by a woman in 1880 but it’s true, despite her not getting credit since she was a woman. The agency was M.C. Weil Agency in New York. In the history books, J. Walter Thompson gets all the credit for starting the first ad agency but this is false. She moved to America from Germany in the early 1870’s and worked as a translator. She spoke English, German, French and Spanish. She later worked as a writer for a newspaper and magazines. This led her into advertising when she began selling ad space for a German newspaper. From there she became a liaison for advertisers and publications as she ran her own agency out of the NY Time Building until she died in 1903.
It’s hard to believe that the first advertising agency was started by a woman in 1880 but it’s true, despite her not getting credit since she was a woman. The agency was M.C. Weil Agency in New York. In the history books, J. Walter Thompson gets all the credit for starting the first ad agency but this is false. She moved to America from Germany in the early 1870’s and worked as a translator. She spoke English, German, French and Spanish. She later worked as a writer for a newspaper and magazines. This led her into advertising when she began selling ad space for a German newspaper. From there she became a liaison for advertisers and publications as she ran her own agency out of the NY Time Building until she died in 1903.
National Malala Day 2022
We thought today we would take a break from all the data driven articles we’ve been writing and give a moment of appreciation to Malala Yousafzai. She was a women’s right’s activist in Pakistan and the youngest woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
We thought today we would take a break from all the data driven articles we’ve been writing and give a moment of appreciation to Malala Yousafzai. She was a women’s right’s activist in Pakistan and the youngest woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize laureate. As the daughter of a lower middle-class educator, she fought for woman’s right to education. She was educated by her father at home who was also an educational activist. Sadly, she was assassinated by the Taliban at the young age of 24 because of her activism efforts. Read more about Malala’s story and donate to the cause.
Friday Fave 7/8/22
We know we’ve been doing a lot of blogs lately on women. With women’s rights issues in American now how could we not? Sorry not sorry but we promise that next week we will switch it up for you. This week’s campaign favorite is on beer. The history of beer that is and how women were involved in bringing it to the United States. Without women there would be no beer! Let’s face it, without women there wouldn’t be a lot of things.
We know we’ve been doing a lot of blogs lately on women. With women’s rights issues in American now how could we not? Sorry not sorry but we promise that next week we will switch it up for you. This week’s campaign favorite is on beer. The history of beer that is and how women were involved in bringing it to the United States. Without women there would be no beer! Let’s face it, without women there wouldn’t be a lot of things. These “Ale Wives” ran the beer industry in the beginning. The infamous, Mary Lisle, began running a successful brewery in Philadelphia and was the first woman to do so. According to Miller Light, women only run 7.5% of the beer industry today. What’s going on ladies? Our hope is that this changes in the near future! But for now, let’s keep supporting the women that in the industry and thank them for bringing this delicious beverage into our lives. Shout out to Triple Bottom Brewing. This current Philly local, female owned & operated brewery, is keeping the Mary Lisle tradition alive. This advertisement was done by DDB Chicagoalongside Alma Agency.