the link to the thesis: http://diposit.ub.edu/dspace/handle/2445/126382
THE MICHELIN TIRE COMPANY’S ADVERTISING MANAGEMENT TEAM
The different foreign affiliates of Michelin operated their own Advertising Departments which were supervised from the central offices in Paris, although they had certain autonomy to act in environments that were quite distinct from the reality of the French market. These departments received instructions and supporting graphic material—standardized clichés and cartoons for use in advertisements, most of which were O’Galop’s work—to complement their own production that they commissioned to local agencies and illustrators. Michelin’s advertising in the American press, between 1903 and 1907, was marked by the particularity of each one of their different import agencies prior to the launch of the American subsidiary. After 1907, when the Michelin Tire Company in Milltown was founded, the firm’s management of their advertising was delegated to the successive heads of the Advertising Department, with the help of different advertising agencies.
1.1. The French Advertising Department The management of Michelin advertisements for France and for the Franco-Belgian market was carried out in their internal service where commissions made to freelance illustrators and external designers were received and from which the originals were sent to different press channels for their publication.
This department was personally directed by André Michelin (1853-1931) during the period before the First World War. Towards 1910, to reduce his workload, the position of Manager of the Advertising Service was created, initiating the selection process for a professional who, according to André Michelin’s handwritten notes, had to meet the following requirements:
“He must not be proud of his own ideas, and must know how to judge the ideas of others. He must see clients frequently. Find out what will make an impression. He should constantly review and improve his copy. And always stick with the shortest, most striking formulas. He must never imitate or combat the campaigns of the competitor—unless he is sure to win. And he must always remember that images are more important than words.” 2 As explained in chapter 2 “The Birth and baptism of Bibendum,” dedicated to the genesis of the mascot and the intervention of his creator Marius Rossillon “O’Galop,” from the outset André Michelin had counted on the contribution of illustrators and caricaturists from popular French satirical magazines as mainstays of their advertising strategy. The humor, satire, provocation and irreverence of the ideas proposed by creators such as O’Galop, Cousyn, Hautot, Poulbot, Chenet, René Pean, Raymond Tournon, Walter Thor and many others endowed advertising content with surprising appeal that was widely accepted by the general public.
Between 1898 and 1914, Michelin’s advertising communication—very aggressive, especially in their campaigns against rivals Continental and Dunlop—had been based on contributions from O’Galop.
In the years after the Great War, this role was assumed mainly by Édouard Louis Cousyn and George Hautot, who worked for the Advertising Department managed since the beginning of the 1920s by Étienne Debuisson, engineer and member of the CTP-Corporation des Techniciens de la Publicité.
Finally, the graphic management of the newly founded Michelin Studio first resorted to Hautot’s contributions to initiate around 1924—no longer under Debuisson and with an elderly André Michelin who was then 71 years old—a long period of anonymous production detached from the signatures of well-known and recognizable artists and illustrators. This trend intensified especially in the U.S. market towards the years 1928-1929.
just a quick example and excerpt...
I just popped the poppers, hung the tinsel, and put the stockings by the chimney... and jumped in the recliner to read it all!!!! Because friends, I've been waiting since Feb 2016 to read this!
and wow, mind blown... volume 2 chapter 4! THE RUBBER INDUSTRY IN NJ - pp. 361-390
and wow... I was just posting about tires that were made in America, and sold out to foreign companies or went out of business... https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2018/11/how-many-major-not-boutique-american.html
Wow, that's crazy!
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