The Advertising Club of New York, also known as The Ad Club and originally called the Sphinx Club, is an advertising industry group promoting self-regulation, professional training and good fellowship. The Advertising Club of New York is the only organization to bring the industry together across all disciplines – marketing, media and agencies – in the name of exchanging ideas and best practices for business and thought leadership. The Club offers the community access to conversations and key influencers, inspiration and recognition for creativity, innovative training for professional development, and networking and diversity initiatives.[1][2][3]
Origins
In 1896, a group of eight men working in advertising in New York City 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 growing 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 landmark Stanford White building at 23 Park Avenue, where Ad Club members, including the young Bill Paley, 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 (NYU).
1923: Held the first-ever advertising exposition at the 71st Regiment Armory to much acclaim, with an attendance of over 58,000.
1949: Founded the Advertising Hall of Fame immortalizing 10 giants of the industry the first year, and many more until it was turned over to the American Advertising Federation in 1973.
1964: Founded the International ANDY Awards to recognize creative excellence in advertising and to raise the standards of craftsmanship in industry.[4]
List of presidents
2005–Present Gina Grillo, Chief Executive Officer
2003–2005 Renee V. H. Simons, Managing Director, J P Morgan Chase
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.
