WASHINGTON, D.C., June 25, 2010 – With GEICO's unique ads dominating the airwaves, radio waves, and billboards across the country, it's no surprise that GEICO's own Ted Ward was honored by The ADVERTISING Club of New York as the 2010 Advertising Person of the Year.
Ward joined GEICO in 1984 as director of media advertising and was named vice president of marketing in 1996. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia and holds an MBA in marketing from the College of William and Mary. He is a member of the Direct Marketing Association and the Advertising Club of Washington, D.C.
Upon learning of the award, Ward said, "I am proud to receive this honor and look forward to celebrating the achievement with this year's scholarship recipient, Carolyn Yim. I'm really pleased that our marketing efforts are so popular with the public and that our brand is so recognizable."
Both the GEICO Gecko and the GEICO Caveman were honored as favorite U.S. advertising icons.
Each year, The ADVERTISING Club of New York celebrates "Advertising Person of the Year" at a 'Roast & Toast' reception. Proceeds from this event help fund a scholarship in Ward's name. This year's scholarship recipient is Carolyn Yim from Columbia University in New York City.
"We're very pleased to acknowledge Ted and his work with the 2010 Advertising Person of the Year award. His leadership and vision behind one of the most successful and beloved ad campaigns both elevating the GEICO name and providing enormous entertainment value surely proves the power of advertising," said ADVERTISING Club of New York President and CEO, Gina Grillo.
The Advertising Person of the Year Award recognizes those who have made outstanding contributions to the advertising industry. Established in 1959 by The American Advertising Federation, recipients are those active in furthering industry standards, creative excellence and responsibility in areas of social concern.
GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company) is a member of the Berkshire Hathaway family of companies and is the third-largest private passenger auto insurance company in the United States. GEICO provides millions of auto insurance quotes to U.S. drivers annually. The company is pleased to serve more than 11 million private passenger customers and insures more than 18 million vehicles (auto & cycle).
GEICO's online service center helps policyholders take care of policy sales, policy changes, claims reporting and to print insurance ID cards.
GEICO also provides insurance quotes on motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), travel trailers and motorhomes (RVs). Coverage for boats, life, homes and apartments is written by non-affiliated insurance companies and is secured through the GEICO Insurance Agency, Commercial auto insurance and personal umbrella protection are also available.
For more information, go to www.geico.com.
The ADVERTISING Club 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. www.theadvertisingclub.org.
