The Advertising Council, Inc.

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The Advertising Council, Inc.

261 Madison Avenue, 11th Floor
New York, New York 10016
U.S.A.
Telephone: (212) 922-1500
Fax: (212) 922-1676
Web site: http://www.adcouncil.org

Not-for-Profit Company
Founded: 1942
Sales: $12 million
NAIC: 541800 Advertising and Related Services

The Advertising Council, Inc., is a New York City-based not-for-profit corporation that coordinates public service advertising campaigns, enlisting the volunteer services of advertising and communications companies and media facilities, and distributes the public service announcements (PSAs) to media outlets that run them free of charge. All told, the Ad Council receives about $1.3 billion in donated radio and television airtime and print space each year. The organization serves both government agencies and other non-profit groups. Ad Council campaigns have included some of the best known advertising of the past half-century, including such well-known slogans as "A mind is a terrible thing to waste," and "Friends don't let friends drive drunk." Advertising Council campaigns have also introduced several iconic characters, including Rosie the Riveter, Smokey the Bear, and McGruff the Crime Dog.

Wartime Roots of PSAs in the Civil War

Public service advertising in America was usually related to war efforts before the advent of the Ad Council. During the Civil War of the 1860s, for example, newspapers ran ads urged men to volunteer for the Army and made fundraising appeals to fund the war. During World War I, the U.S. government commissioned full-color posters to boost enlistment, recruit workers for war industries, and sell Liberty bonds. Much of the advertising work was done at cost and a lot of the media was donated, a harbinger of the Ad Council model a generation later. In the meantime, the concept of corporate advertising had emerged in the early 1900s, as corporations and trade associations sought to sway public opinion on important issues of the day that affected commerce. During the difficult days of the 1930s, when America suffered through the Great Depression, business was held in a poor light by many. The advertising industry had its share of critics as well, and by the start of the 1940s advertisers felt pressure to justify its place in the business world. The Association of National Advertisers and the American Association of Advertising Agencies commissioned studies, and the Advertising Research Foundation conducted polls to gain an understanding of how advertising was viewed and what was its perceived purpose. Not surprisingly, many in the industry wanted to develop an ad campaign to sell the idea of ad campaigns, to pitch the importance of advertising in creating jobs, lowering prices, and building wealth. When the two advertising associations decided to hold a joint meeting to discuss the plight of the industry in November 1941, one of the speakers took a different approach. His name was James Webb Young.

Young, whose formal education never went beyond eighth grade, worked his way up from office boy at the J. Walter Thompson agency to writer and eventually vice-president. In his 30 minute address at the joint meeting, Young maintained that the promotion of advertising lost sight of a more important goal, reviving confidence in business, of which advertising was a mere tool. But he went further, arguing that advertising should be used to promote the greater good: "It ought to be used to wipe out such diseases of ignorance as childbed fever. It ought to do the nutritional job this country needs to have done. It ought to be the servant of music, of art, of literature and of all the forces of righteousness." At the heart of Young's vision was an organization, a council, that would marshal the resources of the advertising community to promote worthy social causes, funded by business but with freedom and autonomy. The nobility of the effort would redound favorably on the reputation of advertising and business in general in the eyes of the public.

Young's call was taken up with enthusiasm by the attendees and committees were established to organize what the meeting minutes referred to as "the new Advertising Council, or whatever it is to be called." But war was raging around the world and within a matter of weeks, the United States would be drawn into the conflict following the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. The war effort took precedence, as virtually every industry rallied to the call to service, including advertising. In 1942 the organization became known as the War Advertising Council. It operated out of both New York and Washington, D.C., under the auspices of the Office of War Information, funded by $100,000 raised from ad agencies and media associations.

Ad Council's World War II Effort

The War Council's first assignment was to convince Americans not to hoard vital materials needed in the war effort that were now to be rationed, including rubber, sugar, and wool. The first full-fledge Ad Council campaign, also launched in 1942, was the sale of war bonds that would help finance the war. The campaign would run in some form until 1980, war bonds later becoming known as Savings Bonds. Also in 1942 the Ad Council created a campaign to urge Americans to be careful about discussing information that might be of interest to the enemy. One slogan, "Loose Lips Sink Ships," would be remembered long after the war ended. Generally forgotten was "Keep it Under Your Stetson," a slogan that revealed a practice at the time of tying brand names to war ads. Not only did the companies involved pay for the ads, the government believed it was important that trademarks be kept alive in the marketplace during a war of uncertain duration. Some companies went too far, however, placing what were called brag ads. Legendary adman Raymond Rubicam commented at the time, "A ball bearing manufacturer informed us that the subject of ball bearings is on everyone's lips nowadays, and sugar was an Axis-killer and castor beans had left the medicine cabinet for the battlefield." He also said that according to Madison Avenue air conditioners were responsible for sinking enemy ships and water conditioners for destroying Panzer tanks. The War Advertising Council stepped in to curb this practice, which dissipated within a year.

The War Advertising Council also produced a campaign to recruit women workers for war industries, which had to deal with a shortage of workers because of the millions of men serving in the military. The effort was personified by the invention of Rose the Riveter, who proclaimed to women, "We can do it!" Approximately two million women answered the call and went to work. Not only did their involvement help sustain the war economy, it began to change society's view of women's role outside of the home. It was also during the war, in 1944, that the Ad Council launched its longest running campaign, Forest Fire Prevention and its famous slogan, "Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires." At the time, the vast majority of forest fires were the result of accident, and the lack of available manpower hindered the government's ability to respond. Many conscientious objectors to the war, in fact, were recruited to fight the fires. Disney allowed Bambi to be used in the first poster, but the dear was soon replaced by an Ad Council creation that became an American icon: Smokey Bear, who would become Smokey the Bear in the 1950s. It was also during World War II that the Ad Council established a 50-year relationship with the American Red Cross, helping the organization in blood drives, the recruitment of volunteers, and fund raising.

As the end of the war neared in 1945, President Roosevelt, before his death, urged the War Advertising Council to remain active after the peace. By now, the image of American business was much improved and James Young's vision for the Ad Council had been affirmed, as it became apparent that public service provided business with the kind of positive public relations no amount of money could buy. Theodore Repplier, who served as the War Advertising Council's executive director, commented, "The war never stopped. Only the enemy has changed." The organization reverted back to The Advertising Council name and in 1947 Repplier was named its first president.

After the war, the Ad Council continued to urge forest fire prevention, sell savings bonds, and work with the Red Cross. It also launched campaigns that dealt with veteran's rights and housing, tolerance for religious and ethnic groups, the danger of nuclear weapons, and the value of world trade. In 1947 the Ad Council began working with the National Safety Council in an effort to cut down the staggering number of highway fatalities. With the onset of the Cold War between Communist countries and the West, the Ad Council supported Radio Free Europe and promoted freedom and free enterprise. During the 1950s the organization moved beyond radio, print ads, and billboards to use comic books and television. Perhaps the most important, and successful Ad Council campaign of the 1950s was the drive to get parents to have their children immunized against Polio, a childhood scourge for many years. Also during the 1950s the Ad Council formed the Campaigns Review Committee to examine each campaign at every stage of its development and execution in an effort to make it as effective as possible.

New Projects in the 1960s

The Ad Council tackled a number of new subjects in the 1960s. It was also during this period that advertisers ceased to sponsor their own television shows and the networks took control of programming. As a result, the influence of advertisers on Ad Council spots was diminished. The organization also refined its operating procedure, as agencies donated their efforts to create the advertising and media companies ran the campaigns free of charge. In 1961 the Ad Council began promoting the Peace Corps, the volunteer organization envisioned by President Kennedy. The recruitment effort would last three decades.

Company Perspectives:

The Ad Council has endeavored to improve the lives of all Americans since first creating the category of public service advertising in 1942.

Pollution was becoming a concern in America and in 1961 the Ad Council launched the Keep American Beautiful campaign, which ran until 1983. It originally focused on "litter bugs," but also dramatized the effects of other forms of pollution. The best known television spot in the campaign was aired on Earth Day in 1971 and featured a tearful Native American actor, Iron Eyes Cody, and the slogan, "People start pollution. People can stop it." Called "The Crying Indian," the PSA won a pair of Clios and was ranked 50th among the top 100 advertising campaigns of the 20th Century by Ad Age magazine. "It also represent what some critics believed was wrong with the Ad Council," according to John McDonough writing for Advertising Age. "The Keep American Beautiful campaign rested on the premise that 'people start pollution, people can stop it.' But what people and how? 'The damage done by litter is … inconsequential.' writer Kennen Peck noted in The Progressive in 1983, 'compared to the damage done by industrial pollution …' While different versions of the '70s campaign spots showed smokestacks as well as garbage, critics argued that by placing responsibility for pollution on individuals rather than institutions, the campaign was a powerful political decoy devised by corporate interests to divert public attention from the real issues of industrial waste."

Criticism was not new to the Ad Council, however. In the beginning, Republicans accused the organization of being an arm of the Roosevelt reelection effort, and others claimed the Ad Council was only trying to prevent the taxation of advertising. In 1950 one headline-seeking politician claimed that the Ad Council, along with the Ford Foundation, was little more than a Communist Front. The Ad Council was also criticized in the 1960s for being slow to recognize the plight of minorities and the conditions in America's urban centers. In response, the organization began addressing more sensitive topics. During the 1970s the Ad Council began its work on behalf of the United Negro College Fund, best known for the slogan, "A mind as a terrible thing to waste." During the 1970s the Ad Council also tackled once-taboo subjects like venereal disease and child abuse. Also of note in the 1970s, the Ad Council began working with the National Crime Prevention Council, urging Americans to "Take a bite out of crime," as espoused by one of the Ad Council's most popular characters, the trench coat-wearing McGruff the Crime Dog, who would issue a wealth of safety tips to children and adults alike.

In the 1980s, Ad Council campaigns took on drug abuse. At the behest of First Lady Nancy Regan, it created the "Just Say No" campaign, and later in the decade began to work with the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. Also in the 1980s the Ad Council launched a Drunk Driving Prevention campaign, which coined the slogan, "Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk," as well as a Safety Belt Education campaign that featured Vince & Larry, the Crash Test Dummies and the tagline, "You Could Learn A Lot From a Dummy." While the anti-drug campaigns had little impact, the auto safety efforts proved highly effective. In 1988 the Ad Council tackled the controversial issue of AIDS, urging prevention through the use of condoms.

International Influence in 1990s and Beyond

The 1990s saw the Ad Council extend its influence beyond North America. With the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe, the Ad Council helped in the organization of volunteer Ad Councils in emerging democracies such as Russia and the Ukraine. It also aided similar efforts in other countries, including Belgium and Thailand. In 1994 the Ad Council launched a campaign to prevent domestic violence. It was at this point that the organization decided that instead of targeting a wide variety of messages it would focus much of its resources on a single topic: children. In 1995 the Ad Council announced the initiative, "Commitment 2000: Raising a Better Tomorrow," a 10-year effort that would pursue a range of issues relating to children, from violence to education and healthcare. Some of the current campaigns, such as drunk driving, would be recast to include children.

While the Ad Council might have focused its mission, it still remained ready to respond to new challenges. In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the organization was quick to become involved. Employees of Texas ad agency GSDM&M were in Maryland in a client meeting when the attacks unfolded. As they drove home to Texas (because air flights were suspended) they decided to create a PSA that celebrated America's diversity. The agency's president contacted the Ad Council about being a partner in the endeavor, and for the first time in its history the Ad Council became the sole signatory of a PSA. The result was the "I am an American" spot, featuring a wide range of men and women, young and old, of different races declaring "I am an American." The spot was on the air within ten days of the attacks.

Also during this time, three advertising industry associations met to plan an advertising campaign to celebrate freedom. The Ad Council was enlisted to manage the Campaign for Freedom. Unlike traditional Ad Council campaigns that were developed by a single agency, this would be the joint work of four agencies, and instead of relying on the backing of a sponsoring organization, the Ad Council itself raised the necessary funds to cover costs. After several months of development, the Campaign for Freedom was ready to launch in time for the Fourth of July holiday in 2002. A second phase was timed to coincide with the second anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The campaign evolved into a long-term effort called "Explore Freedom."

Key Dates:

1941:: Advertising associations meet to plan Advertising Council.
1942:: Ad Council formed and becomes The War Advertising Council for duration of World War II.
1943:: Rosie the Riveter is created.
1944:: Smokey Bear character is created.
1958:: A polio vaccine campaign is launched.
1962:: The Peace Corps campaign is launched.
1972:: "A mind is a terrible thing to waste" tagline is coined for the United Negro College Fund campaign.
1988:: An AIDS prevention campaign is launched.
2002:: Campaign For Freedom, a joint venture with three other agencies, is launched.

While the essential mission of the Ad Council remained unchanged, the organization was finding new ways to disseminate its messages. Just as it was quick to embrace television in the 1950s, it seized on the possibilities of the Internet as early as 1998, not only advertising on the Web but serving as a host. As Nat Ives wrote in the New York Times in 2005, "These days, Ad Council campaigns receive exposure in forms like Internet video, e-cards from American Greetings, taxi-top signs and video kiosks in stores. Google supports the campaigns through a grant program that allows nonprofit groups to secure keyword search terms; when Web surfers enter searches for those terms, links to public service ads appear next to the regular search results." The Ad Council was also taking steps to improve the television time slots for its PSAs, typically relegated to the early morning hours. The organization created what it called an "upfront" model that allowed media companies to determine what issues they wanted to support and time commitments could be secured ahead of time. As a result of these changes, the Ad Council, more than 60 years old, remained a vital force in American culture.