A legacy of great advertising
Like so much else in this great city, Chicago’s reputation as a global powerhouse for advertising arose from the ashes of the Chicago Fire. Built on the shoulders of Montgomery Ward, Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck, our industry continues to thrive today, thanks to a broad diversity of people in a wide spectrum of disciplines, from Creative Agencies, Media Agencies and PR firms, to Marketers, Publishers and Marketing Services Providers. With all this innovation and creativity, the Chicago fire burns brighter than ever. Take a look at just some of the milestone moments in Chicago’s storied Advertising history…
1871Sears Catalog
1873Lord & Thomas formed
1891Wrigley Company founded
1903Kraft Foods founded
1905Chicago Advertising Association
1906CAA Begins Partnership with Off the Street Club
1910CAA Adopted into Chicago Association of Commerce
Toni Home Permanent
Foote, Cone, & Belding Adv., Inc.

Palmolive Facial Soap
Lord & Thomas

Morton Salt
NW Ayer & Son, Inc.

BON AMI
Wade Advertising

General Mills
Blackett-Sample-McFarland, Inc.

1930Ad Age is founded
1930CAA becomes Chicago Federation Advertising Club (CFAC)
1931The Allstate Corporation
Ford Motor Company
J. Walter Thompson Company

1935Leo Burnett founded
1955McDonald’s Corporation
1967CFAC becomes Chicago Advertising Club (CAC)
Sears Diehard Battery
J. Walter Thompson Company and Foote, Cone, & Belding Adv., Inc.

1971Burrell McBain
1980sCAC Membership
7-UP
Agency: J. Walter Thompson Company
