The list below is a sampling of Hall of Fame members who championed this issue.
- Edwin T. Meredith - wrote in the first issue of Successful Farming, "We believe... every advertisement... is backed by a responsible person. But to make sure, we will make good any loss." He was also quoted as saying, "Service is the keynote... service is the basic meaning of it all. The great businesses... have performed an utterly immeasurable amount of service to the nation. And what has spread the news of this service…what makes it possible to rapidly and efficiently distribute these immeasurable services? We all answer advertising - most highly developed in America of all nations."
- John Wanamaker - published his four cardinal points: "full guarantee, one price, cash payment, cash returned." He also served as Postmaster General, fighting in Washington for the creation of a rural delivery system and parcel service.
- James Webb Young - developed a PR program during WWI that helped inspire Americans to support the war effort and helped to found the Advertising Council.
- James E. Burke - drawing on Johnson & Johnson's 100-year reputation as a company that cares, he showed that he was not afraid to take a financial setback in order to protect the public during two Tylenol crises. He also worked to eliminate illegal drug use as chairman of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America by using effective advertising to educate the public.
- Edward N. Ney - served as the U.S. Ambassador to Canada from 1989 to 1992.
- Sam R. Bloom - Believing that advertising could change the way people think and influence their the decisions, developed a campaign to sell the logic of peaceful integration to key southern cities in the late 1950s. His commitment to civic affairs led to an appointment by President Kennedy to the White House conference on equal employment in 1961.
- William Cheever D'Arcy - As the elected president of the Associated Ad Clubs of the World, he guided the AACW through the war years, organizing a committee devoted to the preparation of a nationwide campaign selling 100 million people on war loans, war services, war contribution and war work.
- Samuel Chandler Dobbs - As president of the Associated Advertising Clubs of America, he waged an unrelenting war against wildcat advertising schemes and crooked promoters. He and his organization drew up the rules of ethics, barred misleading ads and generally raised the tone of advertising to the position of honesty and good taste.
- James O'Shaughnessy - During WWI, he was instrumental in forming the Advertising Agencies Corporation, a group of 135 agencies that donated their services to the government.
- Herbert Sherman Houston - was an active member of the U.S. Government Committee on Information in WWI and did much in the use of advertising to promote war causes.
- Paul Brown West - helped found the Advertising Council. During WWII, the Ad Council enlisted support of both the advertising and communications industry in nearly 100 vital home front drives. In the post-war period, the council worked to advance the interests of the nation at the request of the government and public service groups.
- Jesse H. Neal - was one of seven men who constituted the First War Federal Division of Advertising and mobilized the business press.
- Samuel Chester Gale - kept public education in the center of his personal and company activities. He was a member and officer of the National Citizens Committee for Public Schools as well as of the Minneapolis Commission and of the Governor's committee on the subject.
- Bruce Barton - represented Manhattan's old 17th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1937 to 1941.
- Leo Burnett - served on the Ad Council since its inception in 1942 until his death. At the end of WWII Burnett was instrumental in continuing the council: "We haven't solved all the country's problems," he said, "nor is advertising even halfway up the prestige pedestal. I think we will be wise to keep on with our public service."
- Thomas D'Arcy Brophy - was an organizer and chief officer of the American Heritage Foundation, the inspiration of the Freedom Train, chairman of the National War Fund during WWII other significant activities.
- Barton A. Cummings - was dedicated to industry service and to advancing the social and economic values of advertising. The American Advertising Federation established the Barton A. Cummings Gold Medal Award in 1994 to recognize individuals for their volunteer service to advertising with the federation.
- Don Belding - helped to organize the War Advertising Council in 1942. He also personally directed the history-making campaign on forest fire prevention.
- Raymond Rubicam - made significant contributions to the war effort during WWII through his agency, Y&R. The agency donated its time and resources to the War Advertising Council, the Treasury Department on War Loan Drives and to the Department of Agriculture for farm labor recruitment campaigns.
- Neil Hosler McElroy - His government service was as illustrious as his work in advertising. He also served U.S. Secretary of Defense and chairman of the White House Conference on Education under President Eisenhower's administration.
- Paul Foley - Among his countless personal causes were the National Urban League, Tri-Faith World Hunger Fund, United Fund, Ralph Bunche Institute, National Multiple Sclerosis, United Nations and the Ad Council.
- Arthur Harrison Motley - As president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, he inspired business leaders to become more involved in the social and economic problems of our society.
- Vance L. Stickell - served as the Ad Council's senior vice chairman and was instrumental in shaping the committee to address 32 major causes through public service advertising. He also helped raise $6 million for the American Red Cross Los Angeles chapter.
- Charles T. Coiner - designed the famous Blue Eagle symbol for the National Recovery Administration and the Red Feather emblem for the leading American charity, the Community Chest. As wartime design consultant to the Office of Emergency Management, he volunteered in Washington where he designed the various symbols used by the U.S. Citizens Defense Corps for preparedness in the event of attack.
- Edwin L. Artzt - has been active in foreign affairs and an influential advocate of world trade, particularly through his strong support of the North American Free Trade Agreement and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. He served as a member of President Clinton's Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations.
- Leonard S. Matthews - was appointed Assistant Secretary of Commerce by President Gerald Ford, an experience he describes as a "crash course in international trade which compressed four years experience into one."
- Frank Stanton - was appointed by Presidents Johnson and Nixon to three terms as chairman of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Information and chairman of the American Red Cross.
- William S. Paley - took a leave of absence from CBS in 1943 to work for the Office of War Information. His efforts during WWII led to his receipt of the United States Legion of Merit and Medal for Merit and the French Legion of Honor and Croix de Guerre with Palm.
- John Smale - headed a commission in 1986 to make recommendations on Cincinnati's declining municipal infrastructure, leading to the restoration of Cincinnati's streets, bridges and parks. He served for 10 years on the board of The Nature Conservancy and led the development of an ad campaign announcing the organization's "Save the Last Great Places on Earth" project.
- Theodore S. Repplier - served as the first president of the Ad Council his retirement in 1966. Repplier organized and directed the campaigns for the public good in war and peace he helped establish public-service advertising as a powerful implement for social change.
- David Sarnoff - During WWII, he developed and implemented electronic news coverage systems for D-Day and the liberation of Paris. He served as communications consultant to General Dwight Eisenhower and was appointed brigadier general, U.S. Army, in 1944.
- John H. Johnson - received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest American civilian honor. Presidents Nixon, Kennedy and Johnson appointed him to a number of national service appointments.
- Dave Thomas - tirelessly worked for public awareness of the need for permanent homes for foster children. In 1992 he established the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. His other accomplishments for the cause included the creation of an adoption postage stamp, filming of numerous public-service announcements and advocacy for congressional and state legislation culminating in the Adoption and Safe Families Act.
- Phil Dusenberry - headed the team that created the public-service campaign, "The New York Miracle," aimed to rally the spirit of New York after the attacks on September 11. He spearheaded the Advertising Council's campaign for freedom and their Freedom Corps campaign urging volunteerism.
