AAF's Advertising Hall of Fame Awarded 'Best of Industry' WebAward.

WASHINGTON -- The American Advertising Federation (AAF) today announced that its Advertising Hall of Fame Web site, www.advertisinghalloffame.org, has been honored with the "Best of Industry" 2005 WebAward in the Best Associations Website category by the Web Marketing Association (WMA). The WebAwards is the premier annual awards competition that judges Web site development against an ever increasing standard and against peer sites.

The Advertising Hall of Fame site acts as a virtual museum, celebrating the legends of the industry. This robust site offers in-depth resources, including speeches, bios and videos, on those whose hard work and achievements have made the advertising industry what it is today. With nearly 170 members, the Advertising Hall of Fame is the most prestigious honor given to advertising, media and agency professionals who have raised the standards and level of professionalism in the industry, while inspiring future generations.

"This site is intended to inform and educate everyone who is interested in the advertising industry and the legends who have helped build it," said Peter W. Shih, AAF executive vice president-marketing & communications. "AAF's 50,000 members, including corporate leaders, ad club professionals, students and academics, are able to utilize an immense amount of information easily and thoroughly as a result of the superior design and intuitive layout of the Advertising Hall of Fame site."

The Advertising Hall of Fame Web site was designed and implemented by Xtential Corporation. Added Shih, "Just as they did with our AAF corporate site six years ago, Xtential delivered a Web site of exceptional quality on an extremely tight deadline that has gone on to win a coveted award."

Now in its ninth year, the WebAwards recognize the individual and team achievement of Web professionals who create and maintain outstanding corporate Web sites. This year's field of entrants numbered a record 2,100 from 33 countries.

The American Advertising Federation (AAF), headquartered in Washington, D.C., acts as the "Unifying Voice for Advertising." Celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2005, the AAF is the oldest national advertising trade association, representing 50,000 professionals in the advertising industry. The AAF has a national network of 200 ad clubs located in ad communities across the country. Through its 215 college chapters, the AAF provides 6,500 advertising students with real-world case studies and recruitment connections to corporate America. The AAF also has 130 blue-chip corporate members that are advertisers, agencies and media companies, comprising the nation's leading brands and corporations. For more information, visit the AAF's Web site at www.aaf.org.