The Advertising Hall of Fame enters its 62nd year with several firsts:
For the first time the Induction Ceremonies & Gala will be held not as a lunch, but as a dinner event, the evening of Wednesday, March 30, 2011, at New York’s historic Waldorf Astoria hotel; for the first time the event will be made available as a live telecast exclusively to the American Advertising Federation’s nearly 200 local ad federations, with a potential audience outside the Waldorf’s Grand Ballroom of tens of thousands of advertising leaders nationwide; and in this year’s class of inductees is the first Hispanic inductee, Eduardo Caballero, and the first inductee from Britain, David Abbott.
In addition, the AAF will present for the first time ever the President’s Award for Special Lifetime Contributions to Advertising, an honor to be given to those whose primary career was not in advertising, but whose work has made enormous contributions to our industry. The inaugural recipient of the President’s Award is Bill Cosby.
Chosen by the Hall of Fame’s distinguished Council of Judges, the seven advertising legends who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame are:
- David Abbott, Retired Chairman, Abbott Mead Vickers Group
- Eduardo Caballero, Founder, Caballero Radio & Television
- Jack Connors, Jr., Chairman Emeritus, Hill Holliday Connors Cosmopulos
- Laurel Cutler, Advertising/Marketing Trailblazer
- Earl G. Graves, Sr., Chairman, Founder & Publisher, Black Enterprise
- Herb Kelleher, Founder & Chairman Emeritus, Southwest Airlines Co.
- Jack Smith, Former Group President, Deputy Chief Creative Officer Worldwide, Leo Burnett Company
And for only the second time ever, a corporation will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. This year’s corporate inductee is the storied automotive company General Motors.
“With all the ‘firsts’, this is going to be an evening like none other in our industry – but the 62 year old mission of the Hall of Fame remains the same: Recognizing and celebrating legendary achievements in advertising,” said Mike Kelly, president & CEO, The Weather Channel Companies, and chairman of the Advertising Hall of Fame.
AAF president & CEO James Edmund Datri added, “Expanding the audience beyond those in the Ballroom in New York City to the advertising community nationwide, through the live telecast, will on that night bring our industry together across America, to inspire all with the legends we will honor.”
The Advertising Hall of Fame is administered by the American Advertising Federation on behalf of the entire advertising community.