NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - March 4, 2011) - Young & Rubicam, the WPP Group-owned global advertising agency, was honored last night with a Lifetime Achievement Award by longtime client the UNCF for having created the iconic advertising tagline, "A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste," and the campaign that endures forty years after its 1971 launch.
UNCF celebrated the agency, the campaign and its supporters at its annual black-tie dinner last night in New York City. Beyond celebrating the past, the gala was an occasion to rededicate UNCF and its supporters to the work that lies ahead: ensuring that all Americans get the education they need, and that the nation needs them to have.
"Though it began in the African American community to articulate an aspiration of African Americans, 'A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste' is a powerful universal expression of aspiration," said Dr. Michael Lomax, president and CEO, UNCF. "It is a line of poetry that expresses a universal desire to be fully developed and to live a full and rich life. That's what makes it work 40 years after it was first created and what will continue to propel people to support this cause in the future. We thank Young & Rubicam for its ongoing support of our efforts."
Young & Rubicam executive Forest Long wrote the "A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste" tagline for the educational services organization. "It was a plea to everybody to reject the prejudices of the past and consider the inner person," Mr. Long said.
"Our work with UNCF exemplifies what advertising does at its best -- find the human truths, then artfully transform them into powerful, emotional ideas that persuade and motivate. The campaign -- like all great emotional creative -- has a timelessness that's rooted in insight, in emotion, and in a great story that has the power to create a legacy," said David Sable, global CEO of Young & Rubicam. "It's been embraced in a meaningful way by people of all colors, and has helped the UNCF both broaden its base of support and help set the agenda in the U.S. for education."
Young & Rubicam was one of a trio of honorees that the UNCF bestowed with its highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award, at its annual gala celebration. Young & Rubicam's global chairman, Hamish McLennan, was joined by Vernon Jordan, head of the UNCF at the time of the 1971 campaign launch, and Peggy Conlon, CEO of the Advertising Council, which selected the campaign for national exposure.
ABOUT YOUNG & RUBICAM
Young & Rubicam is one of the world's leading marketing communications companies. Run by Global CEO David Sable and Global CCO Tony Granger, the agency's work spans the communications spectrum and reflects the transformation that digital has driven across all media. In 2010, Y&R was ranked among the Top Three global agency networks for creativity at the prestigious Cannes International Festival. Y&R's flagship New York agency was also named the #1 agency in the U.S. and #2 worldwide at Cannes. Y&R was also awarded Network of the Year ranking by the Art Directors Club, the NY Festivals and the London International Awards. Young & Rubicam has 186 offices in 90 countries around the world. Its clients are some of the world's most prestigious global brands, including Virgin Atlantic, Xerox, Accenture, Bacardi, Campbell's Soup Company, Colgate-Palmolive, Danone, GAP, Land Rover, MTV, LG and Telefonica, to name a few. For more information, visit www.yr.com.
ABOUT UNCF
UNCF -- the United Negro College Fund -- is the nation's largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students' education and development through scholarships and other programs, strengthens its 39 private member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 21 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at over 900 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized motto, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste."® Learn more at www.UNCF.org.