Bobby Shriver of (RED) Named 2007 Advertising Person of the Year

Bobby Shriver of (RED) Named 2007 Advertising Person of the Year

AD Club Honors Co-Founder of Successful Global Marketing Initiative

Opening Lunch of ADVERTISING Week Underscores Importance of Brand Commitment to Social Responsibility

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The ADVERTISING Club today honors Bobby Shriver, co-founder of (RED), with the 2007 Advertising Person of the Year award. (RED) is the groundbreaking marketing initiative that marries the private sector with the buying power of the public to generate a sustainable flow of funds towards the fight to eliminate AIDS in Africa. The eminent industry award is being presented to Shriver today at the kick-off luncheon of ADVERTISING WEEK held at The Metropolitan Club in New York.

The dais of toasters are:
Russell Simmons, Chairman, Rush Communications
Richard Plepler, Co-president, HBO
David Maddocks, Chief Marketing Officer, Converse
Mark Dowley, Partner, Endeavor

Master of Ceremonies for the program is Wenda Harris Millard, President, Media, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, and 2006 Advertising Person of the Year. Special guest Caroline Kennedy is bestowing a scholarship in Bobby Shriver’s name to a deserving undergraduate student pursuing a career in advertising. The scholarship is funded by the proceeds of the event which benefit the AD Club Foundation.

Previous Ad Person award winners include John Hayes, Keith Reinhart, James McDowell and David Bell. The event is sponsored by OTX Research, MSN and the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

(RED) (www.joinred.com), founded in 2006 by Shriver and U2 lead singer Bono, engages the world’s top brands in creating and marketing (PRODUCT) RED branded products that are designed to raise awareness and generate funds for the fight against AIDS in Africa. (PRODUCT) RED partners — American Express (UK only), Emporio Armani, The GAP, Converse, Motorola and Apple — send up to 50% of the profits from their (PRODUCT) RED collections to the Global Fund (www.theglobalfund.org) to invest in African AIDS programs with a focus on women and children.

In its first year, (RED) has become one of the most well-known marketing efforts of its kind. (PRODUCT) RED items have generated more than $45 million for the Global Fund. More than $30 million of this is already invested in AIDS programs in Swaziland, Rwanda and Ghana. To date, these programs have helped put more than 30,000 people on antiretroviral treatment and have provided more than 300,000 HIV positive pregnant women with the counseling and treatment they need to ensure their babies are born without HIV.

”While it is in my name, this award truly honors the outstanding work of our partners. First, they partnered with (RED) when it was just an idea, and second they put their most brilliant minds to work for the world’s poorest people,” says Shriver. “Our shared success is due to their investment and to the hundreds of thousands of consumers who have chosen (RED).”

The event is a celebration of all things (RED): a gallery display of (PRODUCT) RED partner advertising campaigns, a collection of the latest (PRODUCT) RED items, and videos showcasing the many aspects of the initiative (business, philanthropic, and celebrity).

Friends and Colleagues On the Dais

The four executives toasting Shriver are some of his oldest friends and (RED) colleagues.

Richard Plepler, co-president, HBO, has known Shriver for more than 25 years. He first met Bobby’s father Sargent Shriver while working for Senator Christopher Dodd; the senior Shriver felt Plepler “was a promising young man his son should get to know,” and the two men were introduced.

David Maddocks, CMO, Converse, met Shriver three years ago when (RED) was still just a concept. Maddocks believed in the idea so strongly, he sent a team to Africa to source materials for Converse’s iconic (PRODUCT) RED Mudcloth shoe.

Russell Simmons, Chairman, Rush Communications first worked with Shriver during production of the first Very Special Christmas album. The classic Run D.M.C. song “Christmas in Hollis” arose from their meeting. They have since collaborated on Phat Farm, follow-up Christmas albums for Special Olympics and (RED).

Mark Dowley, Partner, Endeavor, was introduced to Shriver by Bono six years ago and began working with him on DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa). Several years later, this team of philanthropic thinkers began the conversation about (RED).

A Legacy of Social Engagement

Bobby Shriver’s family legacy, associated with the Peace Corps, Head Start and the Special Olympics, has driven his personal commitment to social engagement.

Shriver started his career in journalism (Chicago Daily News) and law (Yale Law School) and then moved to New York in the early 80’s to work in venture capital at James D. Wolfenshon, Inc. In 1987, his career transitioned into full-time social activism when he produced the first prime time Special Olympics program on ABC and followed with the multi-platinum classic, Very Special Christmas. The production of other TV specials and albums has helped raise more than $100 million to support Special Olympics worldwide.

Shriver’s involvement in (RED) is an outgrowth of his last eight years addressing the financial and health emergencies in Africa. In addition to (RED), Shriver is chairman and co-founder of DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa), which lobbies governments on the issues of debt and AIDS policies. His global concerns, though, do not overshadow his focus on issues closer to home. Shriver was elected to the Santa Monica City Council in 2004. The position allows him a platform for spearheading new approaches to reduce homelessness in Los Angeles.

“Bobby Shriver’s outstanding track record of helping those in need, in the U.S. and worldwide, makes him an extra special recipient of the AD Club’s 2007 Advertising Person of the Year award,” says Ian Parmiter, President, The ADVERTISING Club. “Not only is the (PRODUCT) RED initiative a stroke of marketing brilliance that resonates with millions of consumers and all of us in the international advertising and marketing communities, but Bobby himself is a shining example of how personal commitment can be translated into demonstrable, effective results to support those suffering around the globe. We are immensely proud to bestow this award to him and hope that it underscores the tremendous need for continuous social responsibility by all of us, as individuals and companies.”

The Advertising Person of the Year event opens 2007 ADVERTISING WEEK, the high-profile program supported by all of the ad industry’s leading organizations as well as business and civic groups. Throughout the Week, the biggest names in advertising participate in a series of conferences, lectures, parades, parties, and exhibits to educate, inform, discuss and entertain about advertising’s role from various perspectives. This year, the week-long agenda is underscoring the vital importance of corporate responsibility to social issues.

ABOUT THE ADVERTISING CLUB

The ADVERTISING Club (www.theadvertisingclub.org) is the premier organization for all communications professionals in New York. The Club, founded in 1896, offers its members a forum to exchange ideas, make connections and honor excellence. The Club’s Foundation provides students numerous educational outreach programs that give back to build a stronger and more diverse advertising and marketing community. The Club is the facilitating sponsor of the International ANDY Awards, which acknowledge outstanding creative achievement around the world in the field of advertising.

About (RED)™ and (PRODUCT) RED

(RED)’s primary objective is to engage the private sector in raising awareness and funds for the Global Fund to help fight AIDS in Africa. Companies whose products take on the (PRODUCT) RED mark contribute a significant percentage of the profits from that product to the Global Fund to finance AIDS programs in Africa, with an emphasis on the health of women and children. Current partners are: American Express (U.K. only), Apple, Converse, Gap, Emporio Armani, and Motorola. MySpace.com is the first media sponsor in the United Kingdom and MTV Networks is the first media sponsor in the U.S.

Contacts

The ADVERTISING Club
Gayle Taryn, 212-533-8080 x211
or
Sunshine, Sachs & Associates
Jay Strell, 212-691-2800