Tennessee Williams Advertising:  A History of Success

What’s In a Name?

John Williams moved from Marysville, TN, to become creative director for BF Goodrich in Akron, Ohio. Once in Ohio, his nickname became “Tennessee,” and his fame grew in the shadow of the “other” Tennessee Williams (the playwright of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof).

In 1968, after building a sterling reputation as an “ad man”, John “Tennessee” Williams founded Tennessee Williams Advertising.  His first client 42 years ago was Dairy Queen, and remarkably, Dairy Queen is a client of Tennessee Williams today. Other well-known brands, including the original Arby’s hat design and the Summit Racing logo, were designed by the Tennessee Williams creative team and still remain in existence today.

Three Generations

Tennessee Williams Advertising is, literally, a family business. Tennessee Williams’ legacy lives today through the second and third generations of the Williams family, continuing the motto, “Service Makes the Difference.”

Good People Doing Great Work

Tennessee Williams works hard for our clients, and has for the past 42 years, always going beyond what is expected of an advertising agency.  Our interactive, public relations, direct mail, event planning, advertising, strategic planning, and media are all homegrown.  Our main goal is simply the success of our clients, and we accomplish this with hard work, dedication, honesty, professionalism and good old-fashioned customer service.