Friday, January 13, 2006

Neuharth elected to Advertising Hall of Fame

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Advertising Federation announces the election of four advertising legends to the Advertising Hall of Fame, the industry’s highest honor:

• Al Neuharth, founder, USA TODAY and the Freedom Forum; for conceiving of a nationwide newspaper and building the nation’s preeminent institution celebrating free speech.
• Robert L. Johnson, founder, BET, for originating the nation’s most recognized and successful African-American cable television company.
• Donald R. Keough, retired president & COO, the Coca Cola Co., for shaping the advertising image of one of the world’s most iconic companies during his extraordinary tenure at its helm.
• Henry R. Luce, co-founder, Time magazine; founder of Fortune, Life and Sports Illustrated magazines (1898–1967), receiving the award posthumously for creating many of the country’s most enduring and respected publishing titles.

The recipients will be officially inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame at an awards luncheon Tuesday, March 14, at New York’s Waldorf Astoria hotel.

“These four honorees have dramatically enhanced the cultural landscape of this nation through their creative careers in the advertising world,” said AAF President and CEO Wally Snyder. “With their determination and unwavering innovative spirit, these legends have elevated the business of advertising through their influence.”

The Advertising Hall of Fame was established in 1948, and since then 174 individuals, including this year’s honorees, have been elected to this group. They include industry giants such as Bill Bernbach, Leo Burnett, Jay Chiat, Katharine Graham, John H. Johnson, David Ogilvy, William Paley, Harley Procter, Ted Turner, John Wanamaker and Mary Wells Lawrence. This award is the most prestigious in the industry honoring those individuals who have significantly raised the standard of advertising excellence. More on the Advertising Hall of Fame and its members can be found at the award-winning Web site www.advertisinghalloffame.org.

The Council of Judges, chaired by John Costello and vice chaired by Joseph Abruzzese, president/advertising sales, Discovery Networks, selected this year’s recipients from among numerous candidates who have completed their primary careers.

The American Advertising Federation, headquartered in Washington, D.C., acts as the “Unifying Voice for Advertising.” The AAF is the oldest national advertising trade association, representing 50,000 professionals in the advertising industry. The AAF has a national network of 200 ad clubs located in ad communities across the country. Through its 215 college chapters, the AAF provides 6,500 advertising students with real-world case studies and recruitment connections to corporate America. The AAF also has 130 blue-chip corporate members that are advertisers, agencies and media companies, comprising the nation’s leading brands and corporations.

For more information and a complete list of the 2006 Advertising Hall of Fame Council of Judges, visit www.aaf.org.