Jacques Dauphin (July 4, 1923 – April 1, 1994) was a French advertising pioneer founder and CEO of Dauphin OTA. He is best known as the father of modern

billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

Early life and education

After graduating with a law degree from Faculte de droit de Paris and from

HEC Paris HEC Paris (french: École des hautes études commerciales de Paris) is a business school, and one of the most prestigious and selective grandes écoles, located in Jouy-en-Josas, France. HEC offers Master in Management, MSc International Fi ...

, Jacques Dauphin re-opened the Parisian-based office created by his father Eugene Dauphin in 1921 who closed it during WWII to prevent any collaboration with the Nazis. He then developed the company to a broader scale after the French Liberation expanding its activities (mainly billboard advertising and radio) worldwide, including the UK, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Canada, and the Caribbean. Jacques Dauphin has notably created and developed the 4x3 format that remains today the international standard format used in billboard advertising worldwide.

Career

His professional achievements have been honoured in several occasions and he has successively occupied the following positions: president (1958 - 1966) of the national outdoor advertising federations of France, Germany, Belgium, Finland, Italy and the Netherlands best known as FEPE that he created and the

International Advertising Association The International Advertising Association (IAA) is a global association that represents marketers, ad agencies and mass media that carries advertisements. With headquarters in New York, United States, it has chapters in 77 countries. It was founded ...

. He was then vice-president (1969), president (1972 - 1974), and honorary president of the French Chambers of advertising. He presided the 3rd World Congress of Outdoor Advertising in London in 1972. He was a member of the International Commission « Publicité distribution » of the International Chamber of Commerce, and co-president of Grand prix international de l´affichage. He has been made Knight of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

and Knight of the

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...

by the French authorities. Dauphin broadens his interests in other media, particularly in radio, television and film. in 1978, Jacques Dauphin takes over ''Radio Caraïbes International'' with his friend the American journalist and politician

Pierre Salinger Pierre Emil George Salinger (June 14, 1925 – October 16, 2004) was an American journalist, author and politician. He served as the ninth press secretary for United States Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Salinger served a ...

Personal Interests

Through Dauphin OTA Jacques Dauphin was also particularly active in the promotion of the arts and image. He notably promoted the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

. Dauphin was one of the historical official partner of the film festival. The company provided an extra support to the winner of the Caméra d'Or by offering a national billboard advertising campaign in support of the winning first feature film. Dauphin also notably supported the French International Contemporary Art Fair best known as FIAC. Through Dauphin, Jacques Dauphin has commissioned and inspired various artists, such as

Daniel Buren Daniel Buren (born 25 March 1938, in Boulogne-Billancourt) is a French conceptual artist, painter, and sculptor. He has won numerous awards including the Golden Lion for best pavilion at the Venice Biennale (1986), the International Award for ...

François Morellet François Morellet (30 April 1926 – 10 May 2016) was a French contemporary abstract painter, sculptor, and light artist. His early work prefigured minimal art and conceptual art and he played a prominent role in the development of geometrical a ...

among others. He is a founding member of ''L’Académie nationale des arts de la rue'' (ANAR) created in 1975 with

Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet (21 August 1906 – 11 April 1996) was a French entrepreneur and advertising magnate best known as the founder of Publicis Groupe. He is also credited with inventing radio advertising in France, helped create the first ...

, Maurice Cazeneuve,

Paul Delouvrier Paul Delouvrier (25 June 1914 – 16 January 1995) was a French administrator and economist. He was awarded the Erasmus Prize in 1985, a year when the theme for the award was Urban Development. Biography Paul Delouvrier was born in Remiremo ...

Georges Elgozy Georges Elgozy (14 April 1909 – . – 13 July 1989) was Inspector General of the National Economy and President of the European Committee for Economic and Cultural Cooperation. Throughout his career he published works combining minds and observa ...

Roger Excoffon Roger Excoffon (7 September 1910 – 30 May 1983) was a French typeface designer and graphic designer. Excoffon was born in Marseille, studied law at the University of Aix-en-Provence, and then moved to Paris to apprentice in a print shop. ...

Abraham Moles Abraham Moles (19 August 1920 – 22 May 1992) was a pioneer in information science and communication studies in France, He was a professor at Ulm school of design and University of Strasbourg. He is known for his work on kitsch. Biography Mo ...

, and André Parinaud. Jacques Dauphin has turned billboard advertising into a popular art form, a witness of the contemporary society, and one of the leading media of the 20th century in Europe.

Other facts

After the tragic death of his only son Laurent in 1988, and due to the young age of his only granddaughter Charlotte, Jacques Dauphin had no heir to take up the business. After Jacques Dauphin died in 1994, it has been decided that Dauphin billboard advertising would subsequently be sold. The American conglomerate Clear Channel acquired Dauphin OTA in 1999. The company became an emblematic part of its outdoor communication division. His only heiress is his only granddaughter

Charlotte Dauphin Charlotte Dauphin (born 1987) is a French filmmaker, producer, screenwriter, and designer. Biography Dauphin was born in Paris, France in 1987. She trained in France as a ballet dancer before graduating from University of London (Courtauld Inst ...

who has married Comte Charles-Henri de La Rochefoucauld in 2012 in Saint-Louis des Invalides cathedral in Paris, France. Jacques Dauphin's life and career, his personality, leadership, and his passion for sailing have inspired French film director

Claude Lelouch Claude Barruck Joseph Lelouch (; born 30 October 1937) is a French film director, screenwriter, writer, cinematographer, actor and film producer, producer. Lelouch grew up in an Algerian Jewish Family. He emerged as a prominent director in the 1 ...

for his film

Itinerary of a Spoiled Child ''Itinerary of a Spoiled Child'' or ''Itinéraire d'un enfant gâté'' is a French film directed by Claude Lelouch in 1988. Synopsis A foundling, raised in the circus, Sam Lion becomes a businessman after a trapeze accident. However, when he reach ...

and its lead character Sam Lion.

References

Interviews

#
Jacques Dauphin CEO of advertising company
' La France défigurée - 19/07/1971

External links

Dauphin OTA Official website

Clear Channel Official website

FEPE Official website