What advertising agency does Don Draper work for at the start of Mad Men?

The advertising agency Don Draper works for at the start of Mad Men is Sterling Cooper. The fictional Manhattan firm operates on Madison Avenue, the historic center of New York’s advertising industry, and Don is introduced as its highly respected creative director.

Sterling Cooper is managed by Roger Sterling and Bert Cooper, with Don leading the creative department. The agency’s work reflects the competitive advertising culture of the early 1960s, when agencies built campaigns around television, print, consumer psychology, and memorable slogans.

A common mix-up is Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, the later agency formed after Don and several colleagues leave Sterling Cooper. That name does not apply to the beginning of the series. Sterling Cooper also later becomes part of larger corporate arrangements, but the original firm is the answer for the opening episodes.