Monday 15th August 1983

Automobile advertising pioneer Ross Roy (85) died in Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan, US. The Ross Roy Group is still active in the Automobile Advertising Industry, but due to mergers, the Ross Roy name is no longer in use. Roy, a successful automobile salesman, founded his own agency in 1926 in Detroit. His sales record at a Dodge dealership in Janesville, Wis., had attracted the attention of Dodge Brothers Corp. executives, who were impressed by Mr. Roy’s use of competitive product information as a sales tool. In 1927, when Chrysler Corp. acquired Dodge Brothers, Ross Roy’s sales approach was extended to all Chrysler Corp. dealers. The agency continued to grow with Chrysler, specializing in sales training and merchandising and, during the 1930s, producing education and training films.