The Advertising Club of New York, also known as The Ad Club and originally called the Sphinx Club, is an

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a Product (business), product or Service (economics), service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of int ...

industry group promoting

self-regulation Self-regulation may refer to: *Emotional self-regulation *Self-control, in sociology/psychology *Self-regulated learning, in educational psychology *Self-regulation theory (SRT), a system of conscious personal management *Industry self-regulation, ...

, professional training and good fellowship. The Club offers the community access to conversations and key influencers, training for professional development, and networking and

diversity Diversity, diversify, or diverse may refer to: Business *Diversity (business), the inclusion of people of different identities (ethnicity, gender, age) in the workforce *Diversity marketing, marketing communication targeting diverse customers * ...

initiatives.

Origins

In 1896, a group of eight men working in advertising in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

began meeting for lunch on a regular basis to share ideas on the business that sustained their livelihood. They called themselves the Sphinx Club, and in 1906 this group incorporated as the Advertising Men's League, eventually becoming The Advertising Club of New York in 1915. Most of The Ad Club's early years were spent at the

Stanford White Stanford White (November 9, 1853 – June 25, 1906) was an American architect and a partner in the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, one of the most significant Beaux-Arts firms at the turn of the 20th century. White designed many houses ...

building at 23 Park Avenue, where Ad Club members, including the young

Bill Paley William Samuel Paley (September 28, 1901 – October 26, 1990) was an American businessman, primarily involved in the media, and best known as the chief executive who built the Columbia Broadcasting System ( CBS) from a small radio network into ...

, J.C. Penney, and Bill Bernbach, conducted business in the main dining room over lunch.

Initiatives

* 1906: First formal course in advertising to be offered by an educational institution at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

(NYU). * 1911: The first supporter of the " truth in advertising"

program Program (American English; also Commonwealth English in terms of computer programming and related activities) or programme (Commonwealth English in all other meanings), programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program m ...

, which remains a hallmark of

consumer protection Consumer protection is the practice of safeguarding buyers of goods and services, and the public, against unfair practices in the marketplace. Consumer protection measures are often established by law. Such laws are intended to prevent business ...

and formed the first "

Vigilance Committee A vigilance committee is a group of private citizens who take it upon themselves to administer law and order or exercise power in places where they consider the governmental structures or actions inadequate. Prominent historical examples of vigi ...

", which evolved into today's

Better Business Bureau The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is an American private, 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization founded in 1912. BBB's self-described mission is to focus on advancing marketplace trust, consisting of 92 independently incorporated local BBB organizati ...

. * 1923: Held the first-ever advertising

exposition Exposition (also the French for exhibition) may refer to: *Universal exposition or World's Fair *Expository writing *Exposition (narrative), background information in a story * Exposition (music) *Trade fair * ''Exposition'' (album), the debut alb ...

at the 71st Regiment Armory, with an attendance of over 58,000. * 1949: Founded the Advertising Hall of Fame. It was turned over to the

American Advertising Federation The American Advertising Federation (AAF) is the nation's oldest national advertising industry trade association. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AAF has 15 district operations, each located in and representing a different region of the na ...

in 1973. * 1964: Founded the International ANDY Awards to recognize creative excellence in advertising and to raise the standards of craftsmanship in industry.

List of presidents

*2005–Present Gina Grillo, Chief Executive Officer * 2003–2005 Renee V. H. Simons, Managing Director, J P Morgan Chase * 2001 - 2003 Robert Mate, VP/Publishing Director,

Meredith Corporation Meredith Corporation was an American media conglomerate based in Des Moines, Iowa, that owned newspapers, magazines, television stations, and websites. Its publications had a readership of more than 120 million and paid circulation of more than ...

* 1999 - 2001 Carla Loffredo, Sr. Partner/Director, Brand Comm, J. Walter Thompson * 1998 - 1999 Steven Farella, jordanmcgrathcase & partners * 1997 - 1998 Joanne Davis, Bozell Worldwide * 1996 - 1997 R. Jeffrey Petersen, ''

Architectural Digest ''Architectural Digest'' (stylized in all caps) is an American monthly magazine founded in 1920. Its principal subjects are interior design and landscaping, rather than pure external architecture. The magazine is published by Condé Nast ...

'' * 1995 - 1996 Ronald S. Fierman, Warwick Baker O'Neill * 1994 - 1995 Susan C. Russo, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' * 1993 - 1994 Wenda Harris Millard, ''

Family Circle ''Family Circle'' was an American women's magazine that covered topics such as homemaking, recipes and health. It was published from 1932 until the end of 2019. Originally distributed at supermarkets, it was one of the " Seven Sisters," a grou ...

'' * 1991 - 1993 Wilder D. Baker, Warwick, Baker & Fiore * 1989 - 1991 William F. Marlieb, General Media International * 1987 - 1989 Richard D. O'Connor, Lintas: Campbell-Ewald * 1985 - 1987 Leslie Winthrop, Advertising Agency Register * 1982 - 1985 Judy Guerin de Neco, Judy Guerin, Inc. * 1981 - 1982 Michael Chamberlin, Lebhar-Friedman * 1979 - 1981 Fred R. Messner, Poppe Tyson * 1978 - 1979

Al Ries Alfred Paul Ries (November 14, 1926 – October 7, 2022) was an American marketing professional and author. He was the cofounder and chairman of the Atlanta-based consulting firm Ries & Ries with his partner and daughter, Laura Ries. Along with ...

, Ries, Cappiello, Colwell * 1976 - 1978 Michael Chamberlin, Lebhar-Friedman * 1974 - 1976 Edward Malluk, Timely Linens * 1973 - 1974 Vincent A. Carberry, Precision Valve Corporation * 1971 - 1973 Charles E. Ballard, Winius-Brandon Company * 1969 - 1971 Milton Riback, Milton Riback, Inc. * 1967 - 1969 William T. Leslie,

TWA The Twa, often referred to as Batwa or Mutwa (singular), are indigenous hunter-gatherer peoples of the Great Lakes Region in Central Africa, recognized as some of the earliest inhabitants of the area. Historically and academically, the term � ...

* 1964 - 1967 Walter B. Bruce,

American Can The American Can Company was a manufacturer of tin cans. It was a member of the Tin Can Trust, that controlled a "large percentage of business in the United States in tin cans, containers, and packages of tin." American Can Company ranked 97th amon ...

* 1963 - 1964 Mervin P. Bickley,

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six ...

* 1960 - 1963 Horace H. Nahm, Hooven Letters * 1959 - 1960 Gene Flack, Sunshine Biscuit Co. * 1957 - 1959

Robert M. Gray Robert M. Gray (born November 1, 1943) is an American information theorist, and the Alcatel-Lucent Professor of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. He is best known for his contributions to quantization and co ...

, Esso Standard Oil * 1955 - 1957 Thomas B. Haire, Haire Publishing * 1953 - 1955 George A. Phillips * 1951 - 1953 George S. McMillan,

Bristol-Myers The Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, doing business as Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), is an American multinational pharmaceutical company. Headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, BMS is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies and consiste ...

* 1950 - 1951 Frank M. Head, United Cigar-Whelan Stores * 1948 - 1950 Andrew J. Haire, Haire Publishing * 1946 - 1948 Eugene S. Thomas, Bamberger Broadcasting Service * 1944 - 1946 Allan T. Preyer, Vick Chemical Company * 1942 - 1944 John A. Zellers,

Remington Rand Remington Rand, Inc. was an early American business machine manufacturer, originally a typewriter manufacturer and in a later incarnation the manufacturer of the UNIVAC line of mainframe computers. Formed in 1927 following a merger, Remington ...

* 1941 - 1942 I.S. Randall * 1939 - 1941 G. Lynn Sumner, G. Lynn Sumner Co. * 1937 - 1939

Lowell Thomas Lowell Jackson Thomas (April 6, 1892 – August 29, 1981) was an American writer, Television presenter, broadcaster, and documentary filmmaker. He authored more than fifty non-fiction books, mostly travel narratives and popular biographies of ex ...

television anchor A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces or hosts television show, television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. It is common for people ...

* 1935 - 1937 H.B. LeQuatte, Churchill-Hall Advertising * 1932 - 1935 Grover A. Whalen,

John Wanamaker John Wanamaker (July 11, 1838December 12, 1922) was an American merchant and religious, civic and political figure, considered by some to be a proponent of advertising and a "pioneer in marketing". He served as United States Postmaster General ...

* 1930 - 1932 Charles E. Murphy, Murphy, Block, Sullivan & Sawyer * 1929 - 1930 James Wright Brown, ''

Editor & Publisher ''Editor & Publisher'' (''E&P'') is an American monthly trade news magazine covering the news media industry. Published since 1901, ''Editor & Publisher'' is the self-described "bible of the newspaper industry," with offices in Hendersonville, ...

'' * 1927 - 1929 Gilbert T. Hodges, ''

New York Sun ''The New York Sun'' is an American conservative news website and former newspaper based in Manhattan, New York. From 2009 to 2021, it operated as an (occasional and erratic) online-only publisher of political and economic opinion pieces, as we ...

'' * 1925 - 1927 James P. GillroyTimes Union Bklyn, 29APR 1926 Charles C. Green, Charles C. Green Advertising Agency * 1923 - 1925 H.H. Charles, H.H. Charles Advertising Service * 1922 - 1923 C. King Woodbridge, The Dictaphone Co. * 1921 - 1922 Frank E. Fehlman, Churchill-Hall Advertising * 1919 - 1921 George W. Hopkins, Columbia Gramophone Co. * 1919 - 1919 F.A. Wilson-Lawrenson,

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

* 1917 - 1919 George B. Sharpe, DeLaval Separator Co. * 1914 - 1917 Harry Tipper, Automotive Industries * 1908 - 1914 William H. Ingersoll, Robert Ingersoll & Bros. * 1907 - 1908 Gerald B. Wadsworth * 1906 - 1907 Charles Capehart * 1896 - 1905 Data not available Thirteen Presidents from the first 20 years of the organization include: M.M. Gillam, Artemas Ward, Herbert B Harding, Frank Presbrey, F. James Gibson (founder and first president), Samuel Brill, Phillip A Conne, W.R. Hotchkin, George B Van Cleve, Collin Armstrong, E.D. Gibbs, Henry C Brown and Preston P Lynn.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Advertising Club Of New York, The Advertising organizations Business organizations based in the United States Clubs and societies in New York City Organizations established in 1896 1896 establishments in New York City Advertising in the United States