The

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville (; locally ) is a city in and the seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. Greenville is located approximately halfway be ...

-based Henderson Agency was founded in 1946 by

James M. Henderson James Marvin Henderson (March 28, 1921 – October 31, 1995) was the founder of the Henderson Agency. Henderson founded the eponymous agency in 1946. The agency was described by ''The New York Times'' as "one of the bigger agencies in the South ...

, who put in considerable effort to recruit "smart creatives." In 1974, the work it did in 1967 for

Fantastik Fantastik is an American trademarked brand of cleaning products produced by S. C. Johnson & Son. The company acquired ''Fantastik'' as part of a package of products acquired in 1998. These products include: Antibacterial Heavy Duty, Bleach, A ...

was still considered noteworthy. By 1986, it was described by ''The New York Times'' as "one of the bigger agencies in the Southeast." The advertising agency, which received ''New York Times'' coverage, planned for its founder's retirement with

succession planning Succession planning is a process and strategy for replacement planning or passing on leadership roles. It is used to identify and develop new, potential leaders who can move into leadership roles when they become vacant. Succession planning in di ...

, i.e. building and extending its

bench strength Succession planning is a process and strategy for replacement planning or passing on leadership roles. It is used to identify and develop new, potential leaders who can move into leadership roles when they become vacant. Succession planning in Di ...

. The buildup was not all straight line: In 1979, a "five-year veteran" was named agency president, yet someone else who had joined in 1978 displaced him in 1982.

Closure after 60 years

In April 2006, the headline "''A South Carolina Agency Closes Its Doors''" told the end of what ''The New York Times'' called ''Henderson Advertising''. It was noted in 2003, that the agency, which was "in 1980 ... the first ad agency outside of Chicago or New York to be named Advertising Agency of the Year by ''

Advertising Age ''Ad Age'' (known as ''Advertising Age'' until 2017) is a global media brand that publishes news, analysis, and data on marketing and media. Its namesake magazine was started as a broadsheet newspaper in Chicago in 1930. ''Ad Age'' appears in mul ...

'' magazine", "refused to accept cigarette accounts." After a major account loss, the firm attempted "to re-invent itself included buying .. a public relations firm, in 2003 and .. an event marketing company, in 2004." A 2017, look-back by a local newspaper wrote that it "grew to become the largest in the Southeast and among the top 1 percent in the nation," adding that they "built a modern headquarters ... (1978), adding a second building in 1984."

References

Business organizations {{company-stub