Collett Dickenson and Pearce; CDP

History

1960-, London
CDP was founded in 1960 by John Pearce (previously joint MD of Colman Prentis Varley) and Ronnie Dickenson. To form the partnership they bought Pictorial Publicity, an existing agency owned by John Collett, and won important accounts such as Ford and Birds Eye.

They also formed an early and close association with the Sunday Times colour supplement followed by the Observer and Sunday Telegraph. During the late '60s they gained the Gallaher and Nescafe accounts as well as Government Central Office of Information contracts.

The list of those who produced CDP advertising over the years reads like a 'roll of honour' of UK advertising: Alan Parker, David Puttnam, Charles Saatchi, John Salmon, Colin Millward, Robin Wight, Geoff Howard-Spink, Don McCullin, Frank Lowe, Gray Joliffe and John Wood, to name but a few from a cast of hundreds more.

CDP was celebrated for its innovative use of humour and surrealistic photographic and design techniques, particularly in response to increasing restrictions on tobacco advertising. Famous personalities that appeared in their commercials included Joan Collins, Leonard Rossiter, David Bailey, Alan Whicker, Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers, June Whitfield, Sid James, Stirling Moss, Jean Shrimpton and David Botham. During the late 1980s CDP was taken over by Dentsu Incorporated and by 2001 the company had regenerated into a new agency called
cdp-travissuly Ltd. In 2010 CDP-Travissully was rebranded as Dentsu London and in July 2012 Dentsu purchased Aegis eventually forming Dentsu Aegis Network in January 2014.

See: www.dentsuaegisnetwork.com
Ref: Collett Dickenson Pearce Inside Collett Dickenson Pearce (Batsford, London 2000)

Archive content

Date range: 1960s-2001

Scope/Formats

A large collection of advertising of the period, mainly in the form of printed posters and proofs, TV commercials, 35mm slide transparencies and job files, some containing TV commercial scripts. Includes famous campaigns such as Hamlet cigars, Benson & Hedges cigarettes, Heineken, Metropolitan Police, Pretty Polly, Parker Pen etc.

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