Advertising History at the Doe-Anderson Agency

It’s rare to be in business for 100 years, especially in advertising. Louisville’s Doe-Anderson agency is believed to be the third oldest advertising firm in the country.

The agency, which celebrated its centennial in 2015, was featured as part of an exhibit at the Frazier History Museum, “The Power of Persuasion.”

CEO Todd Spencer said it took almost a year to pull everything together for the exhibit. “And then the Frazier helped us figure out how to tell the story, so that we did not just talk about the agency, but talk about how advertising had evolved,” he said.

Spencer’s favorite part is the 1970s room. “Part of that is I remember you sit down and watch TV, and it’s the old console TV, with the TV commercial we did back in the 70s: The Fischer’s advertising jingle and the Paramount with Phyllis Diller – those were the commercials that I remember growing up.”

Also in the exhibit is the agency’s work with Maker’s Mark. “People always talk about the Maker’s Mark work that we’ve done,” said Spencer. “The Maker’s Mark display is incredible. We wanted to demonstrate all the various bottle designs that we’ve been involved in over the years.”

The agency logo, an acorn, was selected by founder Elmer Doe. “Mighty oaks from tiny acorns grow,” said Spencer. “So he felt that was a nice business connection from an advertising and marketing firm, that the acorn could represent the idea that we help businesses and brands grow their business.”

This segment is part of Kentucky Life episode #2105 which originally aired on January 30, 2016. Watch the full episode.