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Promotions, sales, and external affairs

 Series
Accession: 2173Identifier: 2173-III.

Dates

  • From the Collection: Creation: 1682-1996
  • From the Collection: Creation: Majority of material found within 1930-1990

Scope and Contents

Series III. Promotions, Sales and External Affairs contains eleven subseries.

Subseries A. Museum, Information Centre and Library; Museum materials pertain to the collections and collections management, administration, and exhibits of the Seagram Museum. Records include the “memorabilia collection” of the Museum's archives. This material, most of which appears to have been acquired by purchase, includes eighteenth and nineteenth century laws from Canada, U.K., U.S., and France (extracted from bound books); distilling instructions, procedures and recipes; correspondence; licenses; shipping documents; and eighteenth to twentieth century ephemera.

Subseries B. Philanthropy and Sponsored Events; The materials in this subseries regard the events and organizations that were formed by or benefitted from the philanthropic endeavors of Seagram or the Bronfman family. Records include press kits, correspondence, photocopied photographs, speeches, telegrams, articles, pamphlets, reports, news releases, magazines, brochures, advertising, and programs.

Subseries C. Advertising; Tearsheets and proofs (some photocopies) promote Aquavit; American whiskey; beer; brandy and Cognac; Canadian whisky; coolers; gin; institutional and family advertising, which publicize a “family” of products or the company as a whole; Irish whisky; liqueurs and cordials; rum; sake; scotch; tequila; vodka; wines; and miscellaneous other alcoholic beverages.

Subseries D. Marketing; This subseries contains a 1966 manual for marketing representatives of The House of Seagram, Ltd.; and a few marketing studies mostly regarding Canada.

Subseries E. Miscellaneous Promotions; This subseries contains company and product promotions in the form of bartending guides, brand indexes, broadsides, calendars, coasters, commemorative stamps, gift catalogs, hospitality and recipe guides, lithographs, matchbooks, point-of-purchase displays, posters, promotional price lists, public service books, songbooks, sporting guides, tent cards, and other miscellaneous items.

Subseries F. Profiles; This subseries is based on vertical files created by the Seagram Museum Archives and contains profiles of brands; companies, including Seagram, its' subsidiaries and a few competitors; Seagram personnel; and products. The brand profiles contain advertisements; correspondence; press releases; newsletters; clippings; articles; promotional materials; and other records documenting many of Seagram's brands. These records are arranged by product type. Company profiles include histories; booklets; brochures; correspondence; newsletters; maps; press kits and releases; and some original records and copies from company archives.

Profiles of Seagram personnel regard executive and managerial appointments, promotions, and retirements. Product profiles provide general information about specific types of liquor or liquor from a certain region through promotional guides, sponsored by distillers, trade associations, or government regulatory bodies.

Subseries G. Sales; This subseries includes various sales reports for the years 1929-1987; reports from sales conferences and symposia; sales manuals (1937-1977); market analyses; and fragmentary records of the Seagram Family Achievement Association. Noteworthy sales manuals include: “Mr. C. Gram's Diary”, a comic strip about a novice Seagram salesman (1941-1943) and Seagram's Book of Facts (1937).

Subseries H. General Frank R. Schwengel; Frank R. Schwengel was a decorated World War I veteran who worked in marketing and advertising in the 1920s and 1930s. Samuel Bronfman hired Schwengel as his national sales director in 1933. At the time of Schwengel's retirement in the 1950s, he was serving as President of Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, Inc. This series includes speeches given by Schwengel; articles about him; and documentation of his 65th birthday celebration in 1950.

Subseries I. Packaging; This subseries contains correspondence of Packaging Director B.J. Bolter regarding packaging changes and production schedules, mechanical drawings of bottle designs, artwork, photostats, and label samples; and an extensive collection of bottle labels from alcoholic beverage brands from Seagram and many other companies.

Subseries J. Seagram Publications; this subseries contains materials used in the preparation of Distillations the company's monthly magazine (1973-1982); selected issues on employee newsletters (1978-1982); and various other materials published by Seagram.

Subseries K. Press Releases; this subseries contains selected press releases and accompanying publicity photographs (1971-1987) for Browne Vitners Company, Calvert Distillers Company, Chateau & Estate Wines Company, Four Roses Distillers Company, General Wine & Spirits Company, Gold Seal Vineyards/Gold Seal Wine Company, and Seagram Distillers Company.

Extent

From the Collection: 170 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Related Names

Subject

Creator

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository

Contact:
PO Box 3630
Wilmington Delaware 19807 USA
302-658-2400