Icon (Close Menu)

Logout

Ad Man Jim Johnson Joins Southwest Advertising Hall of Fame

1 min read

Little Rock artist and former ad man Jim Johnson, a rebel with a brush or a guitar in his hand, has been elected to a thoroughly distinguished group – the Southwest Advertising Hall of Fame.

Johnson, who joined with Wayne Cranford in 1961 to found Cranford/Johnson Inc., which became Arkansas’ largest advertising and public relations agency and forerunner of CJRW, will be inducted at a ceremony and dinner on June 25 in Dallas. 

The honor is sponsored by the American Advertising Federation 10th District, which includes Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. Johnson is one of four inductees into the ninth class of the Hall of Fame.

Cranford, who nominated Johnson and is already a member of the hall, described Johnson’s creative spirit as an inspiration to generations of advertising professionals in the South and beyond. 

“Jim made advertising look like fun,” Cranford said. “He transformed the cold, calculating, conservative world of the man in the gray flannel suit into a bright, colorful place where ideas translated into profits for clients.”

While designing logos and ads for clients like Alltel Corp. and Entergy Corp., not to mention the programs for Bill Clinton’s presidential inauguration in 1993, Johnson also played in the popular band The Rockets, ran marathons and exhibited his art at professional galleries. His cartoons are collectors’ items, Cranford said, and he received a lifetime achievement award from the Arkansas Arts Council.

Induction into the hall recognizes significant contributions to the advertising industry and the community.

Send this to a friend