• by Larissa Faw , January 28, 2019

Publicis Groupe's Maurice Lévy, MediaLink's Michael Kassan and Horizon Media's Bill Koenigsberg are three of the Adland luminaries being inducted into American Advertising Federation’s Advertising Hall of Fame this year.

The five other leaders inducted this year are: John J. Dooner, chairman emeritus and founding CEO, McCann Worldgroup; Anne Finucane, vice chairman, Bank of America; Debra L. Lee, CEO Emeritus, BET Networks; Indra K. Nooyi, chairman, PepsiCo; and Hector Orci, founder and co-chairman, Orci. 

Orci will also receive the David Bell Award for Industry Service to recognize "extraordinary and unique contributions and service" to the advertising community and industry as a whole. 

While it may seem odd that it has taken this long for so many of these notable leaders to receive their invites, nominations are open to the public so it’s not the AAF’s decision on the timing.

Plus, one nomination criteria is that candidates serve a minimum of 35 years in the advertising industry. The group typically inducts anywhere from 6-8 honorees each year from around 25-50 nominations.

“These Hall of Fame honorees are true trailblazers in our industry," stated Carter Murray, FCB Worldwide CEO/vice chairman, AAF. "This extraordinary class has made – in their own individual and innovative ways – a lasting impact on the advertising landscape, and their work will continue to empower others for decades to come."

The induction ceremonies and gala dinner will be held on April 30, 2019, at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.