The ANA (Association of National Advertisers) has announced the creation of a new Business-to-Business Hall of Fame, and named veteran B-to-B marketing executive Gary Slack as its first honoree.
The induction will be made by Linda McGovern, incoming BMA Advisory Board Chair, at the ANA/BMA16: Masters of B2B Marketing Conference being held June 1–3 at The Hilton Chicago.
McGovern said the Hall is intended to pay tribute to B-to-B professionals from all sides of the industry who have made significant and lasting contributions to the B-to-B discipline throughout their careers while serving as advocates of the industry and displaying a consistent spirit of innovation and professionalism.
ANA president and CEO Bob Liodice added, “This is a significant and exciting step forward for the ANA since our acquisition of the Business Marketing Association in 2014. It illustrates our strong belief in the power and importance of B-to-B marketing, and I can think of no other industry professional more deserving of this inaugural honor than Gary Slack.”
Slack is the founder and chief experience officer of Slack and Company, one of the world’s first integrated marketing communications agencies and one of the few worldwide that works exclusively with business marketers. Unlike most B-to-B marketing agencies, which specialize in either branding or demand generation, Slack and Co. has invested in both disciplines since its founding 25 years ago, enabling the company to bring the best of both B-to-B branding and B-to-B demand generation to clients. Both the BMA and B-to-B Magazine named Slack and Co. “Agency of the Year” several times.
Gary Slack also served from 2011–15 as a BMA board member and vice president of professional development, and from 2009–15 as organizer of the association’s annual global conference. During that time, he helped increase conference attendance from 125 in 2009 to 1,000 in 2015, drawn from nearly 500 companies from 26 states and 12 nations. He also twice served as president of the Chicago chapter of BMA, from 2001–03 and again from 2008–09.
“I’m very grateful to the BMA Advisory Board for this wonderful honor,” said Slack, who received BMA’s G.D. Crain, Jr., Award in 2014 and BMA/Chicago’s Proud Award in 2012. “We have so much more to do to advance the profession of B-to-B marketing, and I expect to keep doing my part for many more years to come.”
Slack’s selection was decided by the BMA Advisory Board, which will also determine all future Hall of Fame members. He will be inducted at a ceremony during the ANA/BMA16: Masters of B2B Marketing Conference on Wednesday, June 1.
