In 1911, admen Frank Campbell and Henry Ewald merged their individual Detroit companies to form Campbell Ewald, beginning with just six employees. Their first client was
Hyatt Roller Bearing Company, led by
Alfred P. Sloan (later president of General Motors). Campbell resigned in 1917 and sold his stock in order to volunteer in France in World War I.
Chevrolet became the agency's first major client in 1919 and by 1922, Campbell Ewald was awarded all of General Motors' ad business. The agency continued its partnership with GM for more than 90 years. In 1928, Henry Ewald bought a Chevrolet dealership at Mack and Gratiot in Detroit to better understand the
automotive industry. In 1952, Chairman Ewald granted the title of President to Henry G. Little. The agency later diversified into government, healthcare, retail, technology and other industries. Campbell Ewald was acquired by the Interpublic Group of Companies in 1972. In January 2003,
Adweek named Campbell Ewald its Midwest Agency of the Year for the second consecutive year, citing their win of the
United States Postal Service account, in addition to their continued work for clients such as (former client) the
U.S. Navy and Chevy. In 2005 a campaign conceived for the U.S. Navy was at the center of a Supreme Court case. In April 2010, GM moved Chevrolet's advertising business to rival agency
Publicis Worldwide, ending a 91-year relationship with Campbell Ewald. Campbell Ewald kept GM's
OnStar and
CRM business, along with its work with Chevrolet's dealers. Southfield based architecture firm, Neumann/Smith Architecture provided design and architecture services for their new space. In October, Campbell Ewald merged with fellow IPG agency Lowe to form Lowe Campbell Ewald. In April 2016, Campbell Ewald President Kevin Wertz was named CEO, following the abrupt departure of CEO Jim Palmer. ==Notable work==