Ad Council facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
The Advertising Council, Inc.

Founded	February 26, 1942; 83 years ago (1942-02-26)
Legal status	501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
Headquarters	815 Second Avenue New York City, New York, U.S. 10017
Area served	United States
Products	Public service announcements
Chairman	Tara Walpert Levy
President, Chief Executive Officer	Lisa Sherman
Revenue (2023)	$71,825,199
Expenses (2023)	$65,598,836
Employees (2023)	192
Volunteers (2023)	319
Formerly called	The War Advertising Council, Inc.

The Advertising Council, often called Ad Council, is a special group in America. It's a nonprofit organization, which means it doesn't try to make money for itself. Instead, it creates and shares important messages for the public. These messages are called public service announcements, or PSAs.

The Ad Council works with many different groups. These include other nonprofit organizations and parts of the U.S. government. They all want to share important information with people.

The Ad Council teams up with advertising companies. These companies help create the PSAs for free. This is called working pro bono. The Ad Council chooses campaigns that focus on big social issues. To be chosen, an issue must be important to the whole country. It also needs to be something where good communication can really make a difference.

The Ad Council sends its ads to many places. This includes TV, radio, newspapers, billboards, and the internet. About 33,000 different media outlets help by showing these ads for free. This free advertising is worth about $1.8 billion each year! This huge amount would make the Ad Council one of the biggest advertisers in the country if they had to pay for it.

Besides ads, the Ad Council also holds online talks. They also help different groups work together. They share information to make their campaigns stronger.

In 2020, the Ad Council helped share messages about the COVID-19 pandemic. They told people to keep a safe distance, wear masks, and stay home. This helped slow the spread of the virus. In 2021, they started a big effort to teach people about the COVID-19 vaccine. They worked with over 300 partners on this project.

The Ad Council's Story

The idea for the Ad Council started in 1941. It officially began on February 26, 1942. At first, it was called The Advertising Council, Inc.

Helping During World War II

On June 25, 1943, the group changed its name. It became The War Advertising Council, Inc. This was to help with the Second World War. Their early ads encouraged people to join the military. They also asked people to buy war bonds. These bonds helped pay for the war. They also promoted saving war materials.

Working for Peace and Safety

Before World War II ended, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked the Ad Council to keep working. He wanted them to help during peacetime too. So, on February 5, 1946, they changed their name back. They became The Advertising Council, Inc. again. Their focus shifted to new issues. These included world trade and being kind to people of all religions. In 1945, they started working with the National Safety Council.

Many U.S. presidents have supported the Ad Council. In the 1950s, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and General Dwight D. Eisenhower appeared in their ads.

On March 11, 2021, the Ad Council released a special PSA. It was part of their COVID-19 Vaccine Education effort. Former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter were in it. Former First Ladies Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton, and Rosalynn Carter also appeared. They encouraged people to get vaccinated.

The Ad Council's first president was Theodore Repplier. He started in 1947. After him, Robert Keim led the group from 1966 to 1987. Ruth Wooden was president from 1987 to 1999. Peggy Conlon followed from 1999 to 2014. The current president, Lisa Sherman, started in 2014.

Since 1986, all the Ad Council's old records are kept at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.

The Ad Council's longtime logo, used mainly from 1973 and as a secondary from 2018.

Well-Known Campaigns

The Ad Council has created many famous campaigns. Here are some of them:

• Savings Bond (1942–1980): This was the first campaign. It asked Americans to buy war bonds to help the war effort.
• Security of War Information—Loose Lips Sink Ships (1942–1945): These ads reminded people to be careful what they said. This was to stop important information from reaching the enemy during World War II.
• Wildfire Prevention (1944–present): This is the Ad Council's longest-running campaign. It features Smokey Bear. His famous saying is "Only You Can Prevent Forest (now Wild as of 2001) Fires." This campaign has greatly reduced the number of acres burned by wildfires each year.
• American Red Cross (1945–1996): These ads helped the Red Cross. They encouraged people to donate blood and volunteer. They also helped raise money.
• Polio (1958–1961): Ads for the polio vaccine helped many people get immunized. This helped get rid of the disease in the USA.
• Crying Indian (1971–1983): This campaign was about stopping pollution. It featured the "Crying Indian" ad. It helped reduce litter by a lot.
• Peace Corps (1961–1991): These ads helped recruit many volunteers for the Peace Corps. The slogan was "The Toughest Job You'll Ever Love."
• United Negro College Fund (1972–present): This campaign's slogan is "A mind is a terrible thing to waste." It has helped raise over $2.2 billion. It has also helped more than 400,000 minority students go to college.
• McGruff (1979–present): This campaign's slogan is "Take a bite out of crime." It helps teach people how to prevent crime.
• Vince and Larry, the Crash Test Dummies (1985–present): This campaign teaches people about safety belts. Since it started, many more people wear safety belts. This has saved many lives.

Vince and Larry, the Crash Test Dummies, promoted seatbelt safety.

• I am an American (2001–present): This campaign started after the September 11, 2001 attacks. It showed how diverse America is. People from many backgrounds simply said "I am an American."
• Adoption from Foster Care (2004–present): This campaign tells people "You don't have to be perfect to be a perfect parent." It encourages families to adopt children.
• Autism Awareness (2006–present): These ads encourage parents to learn the signs of autism. They also tell them about early help.
• Fatherhood Involvement (2008–present): These ads encourage fathers to be active in their children's lives. Slogans include "Take time to be a dad today."
• FWD campaign with USAID (2011–present): This campaign raised awareness about big problems in the Horn of Africa. These included famine, war, and drought. Celebrities helped share the message.
• Love Has No Labels (2015–present): This campaign promotes diversity and inclusion. It celebrates people of all races, genders, ages, and abilities. Its videos have been very popular. In 2020, it released messages to support racial justice. It also addressed anti-Asian racism during COVID-19.
• Seize the Awkward (2018–present): This campaign helps young adults talk about mental health. It encourages them to reach out to friends.
• COVID-19 Response (2020–present): The Ad Council worked with the White House and health groups. They shared important messages about the pandemic. These included social distancing and wearing masks.
• COVID-19 Vaccine Education Initiative (2021–present): This big effort aimed to teach people about COVID-19 vaccines. Many partners helped share facts about the vaccines. Even Pope Francis appeared in a PSA for this initiative.

The "We Can Do It!" poster was used by the Ad Council for its 70th anniversary celebration. However, the historic image was not produced by the War Advertising Council.

Groups Working with Ad Council

The Ad Council has worked with many different organizations on campaigns. Here are some of them:

Working with Movie Companies

The Ad Council has also teamed up with movie companies. These include Warner Bros., Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Disney. They use popular movie characters to share important messages.

For example, characters from Where the Wild Things Are helped with ads about childhood health. Clips from The Wizard of Oz were used for child safety in cars. Characters from The Smurfs 2 encouraged kids to explore nature.

See also

In Spanish: Ad Council para niños

• Ad Council Japan
• Educational advertisement