N. W. Ayer & Son was the first advertising agency in the United States, founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1869. N.W. Ayer was responsible for some of the most enduring slogans in advertising history, including:

• "When it rains it pours", advertising salt for Morton Salt, coined in 1912
• "I'd walk a mile for a Camel", advertising Camel cigarettes for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, coined in 1921. Sometimes this slogan was formed into a jingle,"I'd walk a mile for a mild, mild Camel." http://www.searchengineforums.com/gazette/archives/issue-71/,http://www.unlikelystories.org/pdfs/commercial_fiction_pp_84-168.pdf,http://www.buzzstuff.net/archives/001555.php
• "A diamond is forever", advertising diamonds for De Beers, coined in 1948
• "Reach out and touch someone", advertising long-distance telephone service for AT&T, coined in 1979
• "Be all you can be", advertising military service for the United States Army, coined in 1981 by E.N.J. Carter.

In 1973, the company relocated to New York, New York. Following a general trend in the advertising industry, N.W. Ayer was subject to a number of mergers and acquisitions and was eventually acquired by the Publicis Groupe (based in Paris, France), which closed down the N.W. Ayer offices in 2002.

See also

The NW Ayer Philadelphia building located at 210 W Washington Sq, Philadelphia, PA 19106 was purchased in 2005 and has been developed into The Ayer a luxury condominium by Goldenberg Group, a real estate development company based in Blue Bell PA, and Brown Hill Development.

References

• Garfield, Bob. "The Advertising Century: Top 100 Advertising Campaigns". Advertising Age. Retrieved March 15, 2005.
• Lauro, Patricia Winters (April 27, 2003). "A Madison Ave. Bond to Women". Retrieved March 15, 2005.
• Ushistory.org. "Virtual Historic Tour of Historic Philadelphia: Washington Square". Retrieved March 15, 2005.