Following a dedication ceremony on Oct. 27, the Virginia Commonwealth University, or VCU, Brandcenter will officially be known as “Mike Hughes Hall.” Besides being the president of The Martin Agency, Hughes has served as chairman of the Brandcenter board since 1995 and created and built the graduate program at the ad school with the help of its founder, Diane Cook-Tench.
Rick Boyko, director of the Brandcenter says in a statement,”Mike Hughes has been an integral part of the VCU Brandcenter since its inception. In fact, without his support, leadership and dedication the school would simply not exist. As chairman of the board from the day the school began, he has helped guide the school to earn top rankings by BusinessWeek, Advertising Age, Creativity magazine, the 4A’s and the industry itself. It is only fitting to have the building that houses the Brandcenter named in his honor.”
As far as Hughes’ day job goes, most of us are familiar with The Martin Agency’s client roster, including Geico of course, as well as Walmart, Pizza Hut and Tylenol. Under his leadership, The Martin Agency was named “Agency of the Year” in January by Adweek and earlier this year, Hughes was the 47th person in the history of advertising to be inducted into the One Club Creative Hall of Fame. At the ceremony, Hughes will be feted by the likes of IPG chairman Michael Roth and Martin’s CEO/chairman John Adams.