In 1961, Wayne Cranford, left, and Jim Johnson, right, started CJRW, which has become Arkansas' largest home-grown advertising agency. Cranford will soon be inducted into the Southwest Advertising Hall of Fame. Change font size

(Editor's Note: This is the latest in a series of business history feature stories. Suggestions for future "Fifth Monday" articles are welcome. Please contact Gwen Moritz at (501) 372-1443 or by e-mail at gmoritz@abpg.com.)

When Arkansas' largest home-grown advertising agency opened its doors in 1961, all it had was three accounts, a few employees, Jim Johnson's creativity and Wayne Cranford's business acumen.

It's 47 years on, and the original Cranford/Johnson has taken on new partners, condensed its name to CJRW, increased its employee total to 112 – at last count – and exists without the day-to-day input from either original partner.

(To see a timeline recording the past 47 years at CJRW, click here for a pdf.)

Cranford will enter the 10th district of the American Advertising Federation's Southwest Advertising Hall of Fame in mid-October. The question is: Why?

Many who know Johnson and Cranford speak in platitudes. Great creative, attending to the interest of clients, "bringing Madison Avenue to Main Street" and "relationships backed up by performance" were repeated by all.

However, no one person could point to a campaign that blew others out of the water. The gist of each interview resulted in one simple point: Wayne Cranford knew how to manage an agency, and he consistently and persistently pushed others to become a part of his vision.

And CJRW's continued, steady growth is evidence of that, even now. The agency continues to produce respected creative content, retain its clients and build on the foundation Cranford built as he first recruited Johnson to become his partner.

Cranford's induction is "validation. It's certainly recognition that is deserved," David Martin, CJRW's current CEO, said. "It's an acknowledgement of something we've known for some time: that this is a special place. And that [Cranford] accomplished things in Arkansas that just wouldn't have happened if he hadn't been here and had that philosophy and approach and commitment to make this agency work."

Cranford's commitment has also resulted in making the agency scene in Little Rock work and expand. Many of the ad men (and women) whose names appear on the business cards and doors of Arkansas' agencies cut their teeth at Cranford's agency.

At the Beginning

The agency opened its doors in October 1961 with only Cranford's and Johnson's names on the door. The story of their earliest partnership exhibits a pattern repeated throughout CJRW's history: Cranford recognized talent and did what he could to recruit it.

Cranford had bounced around several jobs and careers before landing in advertising at the defunct Tom C. Hockersmith Agency of Little Rock. Acting as a copy editor, Cranford recognized a budding creative talent at the University of Arkansas by the name of Jim Johnson.

After Johnson's entry took first in a poster contest sponsored by the Arkansas Industrial Development Commission, Cranford made Hockersmith hire Johnson. At least, that's how Cranford tells it.

That poster "would stand up today as really good commercial art," Cranford said. The poster even topped that of Johnson's instructor at the university: The instructor's poster took second, Johnson said.

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