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N. W. Ayer & Son

Defunct Philadelphia-based advertising agency

N. W. Ayer & Son was a Philadelphia advertising agency founded in 1869. It called itself the oldest advertising agency in the United States. Named by Francis Ayer after his father N. W. Ayer, it ventured into advertising in 1884.2 It is headquartered in New York City.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1869Founded1
  • Industryadvertising1
  • HeadquartersNew York City1
  • Founded inPhiladelphia1

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N.W. Ayer & Son Building 210 West Washington Square top
Photo: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons4

N. W. Ayer & Son was a Philadelphia advertising agency founded in 1869. It called itself the oldest advertising agency in the United States. Named by Francis Ayer after his father N. W. Ayer, it ventured into advertising in 1884. It created a number of memorable slogans for firms such as De Beers, AT&T and the U.S. Army. The company started to decline in the 1960s and, after a series of mergers, closed in 2002 with its assets sold to the Publicis Groupe.2

The story

Founded by Francis Ayer in 1869, in Philadelphia.1

N. W. Ayer & Son was founded in Philadelphia in 1869 by 21-year-old Francis Ayer, who named the agency after his father, N. W. Ayer. N. W. Ayer & Son started its business by representing religious weekly newspapers. The initial business was brokering advertising space rather than ad design. By 1877, N. W. Ayer & Son had become successful enough to obtain what remained of another agency, the Volney Palmer Agency. They also acquired George P. Rowell's American Newspaper Directory, which became N. W. Ayer & Son's American Newspaper Annual and later Ayer's Newspaper Annual and Directory.

In 1884, Ayer expanded into the advertising counseling business. Ayer took on helping compose the advertisements. Ayer styled itself the oldest advertising firm in the U.S. In 1892, artists and writers began working in groups known as creative teams. Eventually Ayer became responsible for some of the most recognized slogans in advertising history. Gerold M. Lauck was president of Ayer in the 1930s.

From Wikipedia’s article on N. W. Ayer & Son, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Leadership

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Acquisitions

Due to the Army scandal, Ayer began to struggle, and its importance gradually faded. In 1996 Ayer became part of MacManus Group after merging with D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles. Three years later, Ayer CEO Mary Lou Quinlan stepped down to form a new unit within MacManus and was replaced by Mary Beth Casey. Under MacManus, Ayer was merged with Leo Group and Dentsu to form Bcom3. In 2002, Bcom3 retired the Ayer name and merged it into the thriving Kaplan Thaler Group, where Ayer's stalwart client, Continental Airlines, took flight again.

Bcom3 Chairman and CEO Roger Haupt said, "Retiring the venerable N. W. Ayer name wasn't easy.... It is more about the Kaplan name.... We're in a situation where we have an excellent agency in Kaplan Thaler and at the end of the day that's the right thing to do." "Ayer" remained one of the most recognized names in advertising; other agencies approximately as old as Ayer are overshadowed by Ayer's legacy.

Ayer's assets were bought by the Publicis Groupe in Paris, which closed down the Ayer offices in 2002. In 2005, the N. W. Ayer Philadelphia building was purchased and has been made into The Ayer, a luxury condominium.

From Wikipedia’s article on N. W. Ayer & Son, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Timeline

  1. 2001Dissolved Dissolved1
  2. 1869Founded Founded in Philadelphia1

Sources

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