The BBDO History series relates to the early history of the company, along with its celebrating and tracing its own history. The material dates from 1891 into the 2000s, covering most of its time. It is comprised of four subseries: History, Pre-merger companies, Mergers, and Anniversaries.

The History subseries has material related to BBDO collecting its own history. It primarily covers after the merger between the George Batten Company and Barton, Durstine and Osborn (in 1928) into the twenty-first century, with the bulk covering the mid-twentieth century.

The Pre-merger companies subseries include records from the George Batten Company (founded 1891) and Barton, Durstine, and Osborn (founded 1919) prior to their merger in 1928. The George Batten Company records include advertisements, bulletins, ledgers, newsletters, and clients. The Barton, Durstine, and Osborn records include certificates of shares, ledgers, minute books, organizational charts, personnel and accounts, and services offered.

The Mergers subseries primarily relates to “the” merger between the George Batten Company and Barton, Durstine, and Osborn in 1928. It includes memoranda sent to staff, releases, and other material related to the merger. The subseries also include news clippings related to various mergers between 1928 and the 1980s.

For significant anniversaries, BBDO celebrated with commemorative publications. This subseries includes material related primarily to the 75th anniversary in 1966 and the 100th anniversary in 1991. The material reflects what BBDO considered important works and people over the company’s history while also representing their contemporary work.