D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles

D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles was an advertising agency in the United States with 131 offices in 75 countries.[1]

D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles
IndustryAdvertising
FateAcquired by Publicis
PredecessorsBenton & Bowles and D'Arcy-MacManus Masius
Founded1985 (1985)
FounderWilliam C. D'Arcy
Defunct2002 (2002)
Area served
131 offices in 75 countries
OwnerPublicis
ParentPublicis

D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles, or "DMB&B", was established in November 1985 by the merger of the Benton & Bowles (B&B) and D'Arcy-MacManus Masius (D-MM) advertising agencies. John Bowen oversaw the merger and the firm's drive toward globalization. In 1999 the company had worldwide billings of $6.7 Billion Dollars and was the 11th largest advertising agency in the world.[2]

Key dates
  • 1906: William C. D'Arcy opens an advertising firm in St. Louis.
  • 1923: D'Arcy opens his first office outside St. Louis, in Atlanta, where a major client, Coca-Cola, is located.
  • 1934: The D'Arcy Company opens a New York office.
  • 1970: D'Arcy Co. merges with MacManus, John & Adams, Inc., a Detroit-based agency, and becomes "D'Arcy-MacManus.
  • 1972: The firm merges with the British agency, Masius, Wynne-Williams, and becomes "D'Arcy-MacManus & Masius" (DM&M).
  • 1986: DM&M merges with New York ad agency Benton & Bowles and becomes "D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles" (DMB&B).[3]
  • 1996: DMB&B acquires N.W. Ayer and Partners and renames its holding company "The MacManus Group".[4]
  • 1999: The MacManus Group announces a merger with the "Leo Group", a parent holding company of the Leo Burnett Co.[5]
  • 2000: Potential superstar team of Susan Gianinno and Lee Garfinkel start winning new business from clients like Heineken and Cadbury.
  • 2002: Acquired by Publicis.

Major Accounts

Major Advertising Creative and Media accounts included

  • Anderson Clayton & Company
  • Anheuser-Busch
  • Australia Tourism
  • Baskin Robbins
  • Blue Cross of California
  • The Coca-Cola Company
  • General Motors
  • Lockheed Martin
  • M&M Mars
  • MoneyGram
  • Procter and Gamble

Creations

During the Depression, D'Arcy executive Archie Lee and illustrator Haddon Sundblom created the original Santa Claus icon for Coca-Cola ads. The Coca-Cola version of Santa Claus was a departure from earlier German depictions of St. Nicholas as a thin, aloof fellow.[6] The firm also engineered such slogans as: "It's not nice to fool Mother Nature" (Chiffon Margarine); "Taste the rainbow" (Skittles); and "Melts in your mouth—not in your hands" (M&Ms). Anheuser-Busch's slogan "This Bud's for you", created by Anheuser-Busch's lead accountant in the 1940s (George Chapman) became another one of their significant marketing campaigns (Budweiser). The firm was also responsible for Trans World Airlines' "We Want To Be Your Airline" campaign, launched in 1997 as an effort to update the airline's image amid financial turbulence.[7]

Company Merged and Name Retired

DMB&B was acquired by French firm Publicis and closed in 2002.[8] The D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles archives were transferred to the "Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising and Marketing History," part of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Duke University in 1991. An additional, and final, donation took place in 2001.

References
  1. "History of D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles, Inc. – FundingUniverse". www.fundinguniverse.com. Retrieved 2017-07-02.
  2. The Advertising Age Encyclopedia of Advertising By John McDonough, Karen Egolf p 447-448
  3. "D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles, Inc. History". Funding Universe. 2000. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  4. "DMB&B Acquires Ayer". AdAge. June 19, 1996. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  5. "Leo Group, MacManus to Merge, Forming a New Advertising Giant". The Wall Street Journal. November 3, 1999. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  6. "The Real Reason Middle America Should Be Angry". Washington Monthly. 2016-03-14. Retrieved 2017-01-02.
  7. https://adage.com/article/people-players/player-week-don-casey-s-career-takes-a-flight-twa-marketing-chief-troubled-airline-brings-a-wide-range-experience/72290
  8. Elliott, Stuart (October 15, 2002); THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING; "Publicis begins an extensive, and risky, reshuffling of accounts and people." The New York Times
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