Race and Ethnicity in Advertising

Clarence Holte Advertising Portfolio, 1944

Clarence Holte was an advertising executive with Batten, Barton, Durstine and Osbourne (BBDO), founder of the New York City-based Nubian Press Inc., and a noted bibliophile. He specialized in marketing to African Americans. This collection is comprised of correspondence and one spiral-bound portfolio containing clippings, drawings, and typewritten notes intended as a prospectus for a proposed magazine supplement that would be targeted at African Americans and carried in newspapers nationwide. In the prospectus, Holte explains the historical role played by African American newspapers in their communities, as well as the history of economic growth that made African Americans stable consumers and an attractive target market. The prospectus was directed at the Lever Brothers Company, who ultimately rejected Holte’s proposal.

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The John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History is part of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Duke University. Established in 1992, the Hartman Center holds an extensive collection of print and television advertisements, market research, industry reports, multimedia materials, and more, and facilitates the research of scholars and students interested in a diverse array of topics related to advertising and media.

This project seeks to showcase materials related to race and ethnicity in advertising in America. Focusing particularly on underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, this website serves as a research resource that highlights relevant materials through item and collection descriptions, images, and featured exhibits. Researchers interested in studying race and ethnicity in advertising can learn about and locate specific documents and collections by browsing this website. You can also find out how to search for related materials through our “Research Tips” page.

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