Advertising Research Guide

The Ad*Access Project presents images and database information for over 7,000 advertisements in 5 product categories - Beauty and Hygiene, Radio, Television, Transportation, and World War II propaganda - printed in U.S. and Canadian newspapers and magazines between 1911 and 1955. [Duke University Library Digital Collection]

The Ad Council is a leading producer of Public Service Announcements (PSAs) and has been creating ads since 1942. Provides access to current and historical Ad Council campaigns as well as other endorsed campaigns.

"The Advertising Archives was established in 1990 by Larry and Suzanne Viner and is the largest and most comprehensive resource of its kind in Europe". The collection spans from the mid 19th Century to the present day. Image types include: British & American Press Adverts; British & American Magazine Covers and Artwork; French & Spanish Magazine Art; British TV Advertising Stills; Mail Order Catalogues; Posters; Postcards; Menus; Theatre Programmes; Vintage Magazines.

The AdViews digital collection provides access to thousands of historic commercials created for clients or acquired by the D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles (DMB&B) advertising agency or its predecessor during the 1950s - 1980s.

The Emergence of Advertising in America (EAA) presents Over 3,300 advertising items and publications dating from 1850 to 1920, illustrating the rise of consumer culture and the birth of a professionalized advertising industry in the United States.

This collection represents advertisements in multiple formats created by the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency for Ford Motor Company's lines of cars, trucks, vans, and SUVs; Ford Farming line of tractors; Genuine Ford Parts; and dealerships and automotive services from 1945 through 2001.

Presents more than 300 television commercials from every election year beginning in 1952, when the first campaign ads aired.

A database of over 600 advertisements and historical documents dated between 1911 and 1958, relating to the creation and influence of health-related advertising.

The Museum has preserved advertising campaigns for several familiar companies, such as Marlboro, Alka-Seltzer, Federal Express, Cover Girl, and Nike. It also holds the records of the NW Ayer Advertising Agency and business papers from Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Carvel Ice Cream, and other companies. The Warshaw Collection of Business Americana comprises thousands of trade cards, catalogs, labels, and other business papers and images dating back to the late 1700s.

This website contains color images of the contents of the Philip Morris USA, Inc. Advertising Archive dating back to the early 1900s.

A portal to more than 30,000 images of outdoor advertisements from five different source collections.

"This Gordon & Smith Surf Advertisement Archive is the first collection of a larger effort to document the history of surfing and skateboarding in San Diego, Southern California, and beyond. The advertisements span from 1960-2005 and were published in Surf Guide, Surfing Illustrated, Surfer, International Surfing, Surfing Action Around the World, Surfing, and Longboard magazines. The magazines represented in the collection were scanned at the California Surf Museum in Oceanside."

"Stanford Research Into the Impact of Tobacco Advertising (SRITA) was formed in 2007 by Stanford professor Robert Jackler who serves as its principal investigator. Our purpose is to study the promotional activities of the tobacco industry."

Great place to search for current and vintage TV commercials.