America’s most beloved advertising icons and slogans will square off for induction into the Madison Avenue Advertising Walk of Fame. Voters across the nation are encouraged to vote for their favorite icon and slogan online at www.advertisingweek.com/wof. Winners will be inducted into the Madison Avenue Walk of Fame during Advertising Week V, to be held September 22-26. Both icon and slogan winners (two in each category) will gain a permanent position on the advertising industry’s version of Hollywood and Vine, Madison Avenue, and will also be recognized in the new Advertising Icon Museum, now under construction in Kansas City.
Previous icon winners include Juan Valdez, the AFLAC Duck, Mr. Peanut, Tony the Tiger, the Geico Gecko, Colonel Sanders, Chick-fil-A Cows, and the Kool-Aid Man. Previous slogan winners include “Melts In Your Mouth, Not In Your Hand” (M&M’s), “Can you hear me now?” (Verizon), “When It Absolutely, Positively, Has to Be There Overnight” (FedEx), “imagination at work” (General Electric), “Don’t Mess With Texas” (State of Texas Department of Transportation), “Where’s the Beef?” (Wendy’s) and “A mind is a terrible thing to waste” (United Negro College Fund).
“Great icons and slogans transcend advertising. They are a part of American popular culture and represent the best of what our industry does by creating indelible images and lasting impressions. We are proud to once again recognize America’s favorite icons and slogans on Madison Avenue in perpetuity and look forward to a spirited campaign,” said Matt Scheckner, Executive Director of Advertising Week.
Voting is powered by Yahoo! in partnership with USA Today. The program is now in its fifth year and more than 2 million votes have been cast by the voting public. Nominated icons and slogans may campaign for votes, though only one vote may be cast by any individual. “As in any public campaign, we expect fierce competition, heated debate and strong scrutiny of all the nominees. And while none of our nominees were evidently given consideration by either the Democratic or Republic parties for their respective national tickets, we consider our campaign to be a barometer of the mood of the nation,” added Scheckner.
Voting will begin on Wednesday, August 27, and will end Friday, September 19. Winners will be announced on September 22 at a special press conference at 10:00 AM EST on the corner of 42nd and Madison Avenue. The program is conducted by Advertising Week in partnership with the Advertising Icon Museum which opens in 2009 in Kansas City, MO.
2008 Icon Nominees
1. AOL Running Man
2. Budweiser Clydesdales
3. Burger King
4. California Raisin
5. Captain Morgan
6. Crash Test Dummies
7. Doublemint Twins
8. Energy Hog
9. Jared (SUBWAY)
10. Jolly Green Giant
11. Fruit of the Loom
12. Geico Caveman
13. Keebler Elves
14. Little Debbie
15. Maytag Repairman
16. McGruff the Crime Dog
17. Mr. Clean
18. Mr. Mucus
19. MSN Butterfly
20. Roaming Gnome (Travelocity)
21. Serta Sheep
22. Smokey Bear
23. Snap! Crackle! Pop!
24. Toucan Sam
25. Twinkie the Kid
26. Vlasic Stork
2008 Slogan Nominees
1.”All the News That’s Fit to Print.” (The New York Times)
2.”I Love New York.” (New York State Department of Economic Development)
3. “Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk.” (U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
4. “Give a Hoot. Don’t Pollute.” (USDA Forest Service)
5. “What Can Brown Do For You?” (UPS)
6. “got milk?” (California Milk Processor Board)
7. “Have It Your Way” (Burger King)
8. “I Live For This” (Major League Baseball)
9. “I Want My MTV” (MTV)
10. “If You See Something, Say Something.” (Metropolitan Transportation Authority)
11. “These Guys Are Good” (PGA TOUR, Inc.)
12. “IT’S NOT TV. IT’S HBO.” (HBO)
13. “Just Do It.” (Nike)
14. “Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires.” (USDA Forest Service)
15. “Take a Bite Out of Crime.” (National Crime Prevention Council)
16. “Intel Inside” (Intel Corporation)
17. “Eat Fresh” (SUBWAY)
18. “The Ultimate Driving Machine” (BMW)
19. “Think Outside the Bun” (Taco Bell Corp.)
20. “This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs.” (Partnership for a Drug-Free America)
21. “Priceless” (MasterCard)
22. “We Deliver For You”(U.S. Postal Service)
23. “What Happens Here, Stays Here.” (Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority)
24. “Wii Move You” (Nintendo)
25. “Army Strong.” (The U.S. Army)
26. “America Runs on Dunkin'” (Dunkin’ Donuts)
About Advertising Week:
Since its creation in 2004, Advertising Week has drawn thousands of participants from around the world to New York City for a week long think-tank comprised of over 200 different events, panels and discussions that focus on the power of advertising and its neighboring industries. Above and beyond celebration, the mission of the Week is to inspire young people to join the craft; focus the industry and public at-large on the social impacts of advertising; address the most important issues facing the industry and shine a bright light on the business and economic influence of the advertising, media and marketing industries.