The American Advertising Federation (AAF) unveiled the honorees for its 29th Annual Advertising Hall of Achievement (AHOA), celebrating those individuals 40 years of age or younger who are making a notable contribution to the advertising industry through both their work and philanthropic community activities. The seven inductees were chosen by the AAF’s distinguished Advertising Hall of Achievement Council of Judges. Winners will be inducted at luncheon ceremonies on Wednesday November 17, 2021 at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City. This will be an extra special celebration as it will also represent the first live event hosted by AAF since the start of the COVID lockdown in March 2020.
This year’s Class of 2021 honorees reflects a mix of diverse backgrounds, interests and communities and include top executives from dentsu, HBO, MikMak, RLVNT Media, Snap Inc., TikTok and UM Worldwide. In alphabetical order:
- Arielle Garcia, chief privacy officer, UM Worldwide. As the first-ever agency-based chief privacy officer, Garcia brings much-needed inspiration and diversity of thought to the industry, while driving ethical data use, transparency, brand safety and responsibility within client services and across the digital ecosystem.
- Emily Giannusa, VP, program marketing, HBO. Giannusa has forged new paths in emerging technology, building new fandoms, inspiring creativity and lighting the way for others to learn from their example. They have a spirit of innovation that drives results and empowers audiences.
- Jeff Miller, sr. director, global creative strategy, Snapchat. Miller was introduced to marketing through the AAF’s National Student Advertising Competition in 2003. His career has crossed the worlds of agency, client and platform, always focused on delivering campaigns that impact culture, while also investing personal resources to elevate underrepresented communities.
- Christena Pyle, chief equity officer, Americas, dentsu. Pyle has defined her career by challenging the status quo. She is a driving force in changing the workforce and work itself, with a profound influence on diversity, equity and inclusion.
- Rachel Tipograph, founder and CEO, MikMak. During COVID, eCommerce became a lifeblood for brands and MikMak provided them with eCommerce enablement and analytics software to grow sales. This growth also let Tipograph reimagine the future of work and build a company that people want to work for.
- Nick Tran, head of global marketing, TikTok. Good marketers change the cultural conversation, better marketers drive it; for Tran, it means marketing at the “speed of culture” and a chance to use his platform to be a vocal champion for marginalized voices and the AAPI community, specifically.
- Tina Wells, founder and CEO, RLVNT Media. Entrepreneur, strategist and best-selling author, Wells understands young people and has been a beacon for niche markets and emerging media trends, bringing 100% of herself to her work and driven by the belief that community is everything.
Pyle will also receive the esteemed Jack Avrett Volunteer Spirit Award, named in honor of the legendary co-chairman and founder of Avrett, Free & Ginsberg, for her exceptionally high commitment to public service and the betterment of both the advertising industry and the larger community.
“Attracting, recognizing and developing the next generation of talent is an ongoing mission of the AAF. And the Advertising Hall of Achievement is one of the many ways to celebrate the good people doing great work in our industry,” said Steve Pacheco, president and CEO, AAF. “I am especially proud of this year’s class for the depth and breadth of diversity and inclusion they project and reflect. And how fitting that the occasion of their celebration should mark the first chance we’ve had to be able to get together in person. A literal and metaphoric expression of how AAF is ‘The Unifying Voice in Advertising.’” He added, “I want to thank our AHOA Chairs Brian Monahan of dentsu and Melissa Barnes of Twitter and our esteemed Council of Judges for their time and diligence in evaluating the many, many worthy candidates who were nominated for this year’s Hall.”
