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The Advertising Council, Inc.
Logo of the Ad Council
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
Diego Scotti
Lisa Sherman
Revenue (2014)
 $44,571,027
Expenses (2013) $42,528,600
Employees (2013)
 153
Volunteers (2013)
 0
Formerly called
 The War Advertising Council, Inc.

The Advertising Council, often called the Ad Council, is an American group that doesn't aim to make a profit. It creates and shares special messages called public service announcements (PSAs). These messages help spread important information for different groups, like other non-profit organizations and parts of the U.S. government.

The Ad Council works with advertising companies that offer their services for free. These companies help create the PSAs for various campaigns. The Ad Council accepts ideas for campaigns that focus on important social issues. To be chosen, an issue must be fair to everyone, not linked to one political party, important across the country, and something where good communication can really make a difference.

The Ad Council sends its messages to about 33,000 different places that share media. This includes TV, radio, newspapers, billboards, and the internet. These media outlets donate their time and space to show the ads. Each year, media outlets give about $1.8 billion worth of free advertising to Ad Council campaigns. If they had to pay for this, the Ad Council would be one of the biggest advertisers in the country!

Besides ads on TV, in print, and online, their campaigns often include online discussions, working with other groups, and sharing information.

In 2020, the Ad Council worked with many partners in government, media, and health. They shared messages about social distancing, wearing masks, and staying home to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. In February 2021, the Ad Council started the COVID-19 Vaccine Education effort. They partnered with COVID Collaborative and over 300 other groups.

History

The idea for the Ad Council started in 1941. It officially became "The Advertising Council, Inc." on February 26, 1942. On June 25, 1943, its name changed to The War Advertising Council, Inc.. This was done to help the advertising industry support the country during World War II. Early campaigns encouraged people to join the military, buy war bonds, and save war materials.

Before World War II ended, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked the Ad Council to keep working even after the war. So, on February 5, 1946, The War Advertising Council changed its name back to The Advertising Council, Inc. It then focused on issues like atomic weapons, world trade, and being kind to people of different religions. In 1945, the Ad Council also began working with the National Safety Council.

Since President Roosevelt, every U.S. president has supported the Ad Council's work. In the 1950s, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and General Dwight D. Eisenhower appeared in the Ad Council's ads against communism. In the 1980s, First Lady Nancy Reagan worked with the Ad Council on the famous “Just Say No” campaign against drugs.

On March 11, 2021, as part of its COVID-19 Vaccine Education effort, the Ad Council released a PSA. It featured former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter. Former First Ladies Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton, and Rosalynn Carter were also in it. On March 15, the White House's official Twitter account shared the PSA. The message was: “Four presidents. Two political parties. One clear message: Get vaccinated when it’s available to you.”

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

Since 1986, the Ad Council's old records and materials have been kept at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.

Famous Campaigns

  • Savings Bond (1942–1980)

The first campaign by the War Advertising Council encouraged Americans to buy war bonds. This helped support the country during World War II.

  • Security of War Information—Loose Lips Sink Ships (1942–1945)

These ads reminded Americans to be careful about what they said. The goal was to prevent important information from reaching the enemy during World War II.

  • Wildfire Prevention (1944–present)

This is the Ad Council's longest-running campaign. Smokey Bear and his famous saying, "Only You Can Prevent Forest (now Wild as of 2001) Fires," started in 1944. It taught Americans how dangerous wildfires were, especially during the war. This campaign has helped greatly reduce the number of acres burned by wildfires each year.

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

The Ad Council's ads for the American Red Cross helped find blood donors, get volunteers, and raise money for over 50 years.

  • Polio (1958–1961)

Ads for the polio vaccine helped 80% of people at risk get fully vaccinated. This helped get rid of the disease in the USA.

  • Crying Indian (1971–1983)

This was a campaign to stop pollution for Keep America Beautiful. The famous “Crying Indian” ad first aired on Earth Day in 1971. The campaign helped reduce litter by a lot and won awards.

Ads with the saying "The Toughest Job You'll Ever Love" helped many people join the Peace Corps. By 1991, 30% of Peace Corps volunteers had learned about it through the Ad Council's campaign.

This campaign, with its slogan "A mind is a terrible thing to waste," has helped raise over $2.2 billion. It has also helped more than 400,000 minority students graduate from college.

  • McGruff (1979–present)

This campaign's slogan is "Take a bite out of crime." It was created in 1978 for the National Crime Prevention Council.

  • Vince and Larry, the Crash Test Dummies (1985–present)

This campaign is about wearing safety belts. Since these ads started, safety belt use has gone up from 14% to 79%. This has saved an estimated 85,000 lives.

Dummies
The Crash Test Dummies
  • I am an American (2001–present)

This campaign started after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. It showed how diverse America is. The ad features people of many different backgrounds looking at the camera and simply saying "I am an American."

  • Adoption from Foster Care (2004–present)

This campaign shares the message that "You don't have to be perfect to be a perfect parent." Since it began, over 14,000 families have signed up to adopt kids through the campaign's website, AdoptUSKids.org.

  • Autism Awareness (2006–present)

These ads encourage parents to visit autismspeaks.org/signs to learn the signs of autism. They also help families find out about early help for children with autism.

  • Fatherhood Involvement (2008–present)

The campaign's ads encourage fathers to be active in their children's lives. Some slogans include "Take time to be a dad today" and "Never stop being a dad. #Dadication."

  • FWD campaign with USAID (2011–present)

In September 2011, the Ad Council and USAID started the FWD campaign. It aimed to spread awareness about hunger, war, and drought in parts of Africa. Famous people like Uma Thurman and Geena Davis appeared in ads asking the public to "forward the facts" about the crisis.

  • Love Has No Labels (2015–present)

This award-winning campaign promotes diversity and inclusion. It aims to show that love and respect should be for everyone, no matter their race, gender, age, or abilities. Its videos have been watched by millions. In June 2020, the campaign released messages to support the fight for racial justice for the Black community. The next month, it released “Fight the Virus. Fight the Bias” to respond to the rise of anti-Asian racism during COVID-19.

  • Seize the Awkward (2018–present)

This campaign helps young adults talk to each other about mental health. It was launched with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the JED Foundation. In 2020, the campaign worked with singer Billie Eilish. The same year, the campaign also started to address mental health issues that became worse because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • COVID-19 Response (2020–present)

Soon after the World Health Organization called COVID-19 a global pandemic, the Ad Council announced a partnership. They worked with the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and major media groups. They launched national public service ads to give important messages to Americans. As the pandemic continued, the campaign encouraged people to keep their distance, wear masks, and stay home when possible.

  • COVID-19 Vaccine Education Initiative (2021–present)

On February 25, 2021, the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative started the COVID-19 Vaccine Education Initiative. They had over 300 groups join them. This effort included many campaigns to reach different communities with facts about the vaccines. Former Presidents and First Ladies appeared in a PSA for this effort. Pope Francis also appeared in an ad, saying that getting vaccinated against COVID-19 was “an act of love.”

We Can Do It! NARA 535413 - Restoration 2
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.

Organizations with campaigns done by the Ad Council

Partnerships with film production companies

The Ad Council has worked with movie companies like Warner Bros., Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Disney for some of its recent campaigns. For example, they partnered with Warner Bros. using characters from Where the Wild Things Are to create ads about preventing childhood obesity. They also used clips from Warner Bros. The Wizard of Oz for child passenger safety ads. Another partnership was with Sony Pictures Entertainment's The Smurfs 2 to encourage children to explore nature.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Ad Council para niños

  • Ad Council Japan
  • Educational advertisement
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