Sam Meek changed the very nature and scope of advertising in world markets. In the early 1920s, J. Walter Thompson first expanded overseas with results that changed the course of advertising history. At the forefront of this process was Samuel Meek, "the first internationalist."
When Meek joined J. Walter Thompson in 1925, the company's overseas organization consisted of 18 people in one office in London. His vision, inspiration and dedication to fair and ethical practices set the standard by which all international agencies have since thrived.
He persuaded international media to publish and audit their circulation figures and to accept standard rates. He won international acceptance of the commission system, establishing a structure that has lasted essentially intact for half a century.
To Meek's everlasting credit, J. Walter Thompson's business overseas continued to expand during his 39-year career with the company. When he retired, the men and women he had trained continued to build upon the foundation Samuel Meek worked so hard to construct.
Sam Meek was a member of the boards of the National Protestant Episcopal Church, the Yale University Press, the American Red Cross, Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, the Empire City Bank, the English Speaking Union, the Atlantic Council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the American Hospital in Paris.