The American Advertising Federation is saluting two culture-shapers who bridged entertainment and brand storytelling. At an Advertising Week New York kickoff this morning, the AAF named Barry Manilow and Marlo Thomas as the 2026 recipients of its prestigious President’s Award, an honor reserved for public figures whose primary careers aren’t in advertising, but whose work has left a lasting mark on the industry.
The award will be presented April 23, 2026, at the AAF’s Advertising Hall of Fame induction gala at Cipriani Wall Street.
For Manilow, the recognition is a full-circle moment. Long before Mandy and sold-out arenas, the Grammy, Tony, and Emmy winner helped define the modern jingle—penning unforgettable hooks for State Farm (“Like a good neighbor”), Band-Aid (“I’m stuck on Band-Aid”), McDonald’s (“You deserve a break today”), Pepsi (“Join the Pepsi Generation”), KFC, and more.
Those earworms didn’t just sell products; they proved the power of melody and memory in brand building. Across a five-decade career, Manilow has sold more than 85 million albums, landed 51 Top-40 singles (13 No. 1s, 28 Top-10s), and been named Billboard’s No. 1 Adult Contemporary artist of all time.
“When I was just starting out, I never imagined that the jingles I wrote to pay the rent would still be remembered—let alone celebrated—all these years later,” Manilow said. “Advertising gave me one of my very first creative playgrounds, and those early lessons about melody, storytelling, and connection have stayed with me throughout my career.”
Marlo Thomas’ influence has traveled a different, equally enduring path—fusing entertainment, advocacy, and purpose-driven marketing. As National Outreach Director for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Thomas conceived and championed the annual Thanks and Giving campaign, helping raise more than a billion dollars over two decades and reframing how cause marketing can mobilize empathy and action.
On screen and on the page – That Girl, Free to Be… You and Me, and eight New York Times bestsellers—Thomas has challenged norms and centered inclusivity, using her platform to show how values-led storytelling can move audiences and markets alike.
“People basically want to do good. And they want to work with companies with a heart,” Thomas shared. “The best way to bring them together is through advertising and marketing… When you can get a win-win like that with your advertiser, it’s the best kind of symbiotic relationship.”
“The President’s Award isn’t given annually, it’s bestowed at the discretion of our Council of Judges,” noted AAF President & CEO Steve Pacheco. “Barry and Marlo remind us of advertising’s unique hold on culture and its ability to inspire, unite, and endure.”
In tribute, the AAF will make contributions to causes chosen by the honorees: The Manilow Music Project, which supports underfunded school music programs, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, a leader in treating and defeating childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
Past President’s Award honorees include Spike Lee, Michael J. Fox, Robert De Niro, and Annie Leibovitz (2022). This year’s selections underscore a simple truth the industry sometimes forgets: when art, heart, and a great hook line up, culture—and commerce—sing.
REELated:
The Gerety jury has spoken: here are the winners for the 2025 edition
