Black MBA - Spring 2008 - (Page 18)

FEATURE Blacks in Advertising President of Corporate Development & Diversity of PepsiCo. Using the report as a starting point, the panel went beyond the basics of “why” to look at how to change the status quo by calling on NBMBAA and BE’s partnerships with major corporations to shift the thinking on diversity at the highest levels. Attendees not only heard why diversity should be a business imperative to help their companies to achieve their strategic objectives, but were given concrete options for action to better position themselves and diversity within their organizations. Diversity, the message was, is crucial to success in new competitive environments. To some extent the message has sunk in and the two years since the New York City Human Rights Council’s report and the NBMBAA panel have seen some positive results. The outcome of the GM situation represented a step forward for African-American advertising and marketing companies – yet the possibility that a major U.S. automaker would step away from longstanding commitments to inclusion and to doing business with minority-owned agencies only underscores the vulnerability that all advertising agencies face. Williams, for example, was not picking up a new account in GM, but rather retained an existing relationship when GM decided not to restructure its advertising and marketing work. (Williams declined through CHW’s public relations representative to comment for this article.) More broadly, the GM incident underscores the precarious state of Blacks in today’s business world, even though the purchasing power of African Americans has never been greater, with some 40 million Blacks spending roughly $720 billion annually, according to Target Market News, the magazine that studies African-American marketing and media. Of that amount, about $28.7 billion goes to cars and trucks – a figure surely not lost on GM. ETHNIC CAMPAIGNS With that kind of money in play, advertising campaigns that target Blacks are legion. Many simply place people of color in the same situations that typically feature whites. A more sophisticated approach celebrates Black consumers specifically, as in the Dove brand’s current “Campaign for Real Beauty,” urging non-stereotypical females, some of them Black, to see themselves as beautiful. The same message drives “My Black Is Beautiful,” a campaign rolled out last summer by Procter & Gamble, the world’s largest advertiser. “My Black Is Beautiful” is promoting “conversations” nationwide among women of color to explore issues of self-image; the campaign also involves awarding a grant of $50,000 to organizations that serve women and girls. What’s bigger than any advertising campaign and more powerful than any purchasing-power dollar figure, however, is how deeply and broadly Black culture influences every aspect of American life. Nowhere is that impact more evident than in advertising, which readily appropriates from the streets the latest image, the latest music, the latest slang. Yet in numbers and in power, the presence of Blacks working in advertising is nowhere near what this level of influence would suggest. And nowhere is that clearer than in New York City, the capital of America’s advertising industry. This exquisitely appropriate pairing unites an industry that lives and dies by buzz with a city that does the same. In New York City’s advertising circles, the buzz among and about Blacks in the business was for many years a steady, unhappy hum. The complaints circulated chronically, in cubicles and conference rooms, at company retreats and cocktail parties – the secret everyone knew. But what to do? There were no studies, no up-to-date statistics. And there certainly weren’t any answers to the increasingly bitter questions. Finally, in November 2004, the New York City Human Rights Commission launched its full investigation of the allegations that kept surfacing about the poor representation of African Americans in one of the city’s largest industries. Employing many thousands of New Yorkers – estimates of 46,000 This was a heartening development, particularly for African Americans in the advertising field. Yet the selection of both firms must be placed in the context of GM’s earlier announcement that it was planning to restructure its advertising and marketing business in ways that could exclude Black-owned agencies. Predictably, a wave of concern and protest rose from such African-American leaders as the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. In a matter of weeks, the fallout evidently caused GM to blink and rethink. And when GM announced its choice of Sanders-Wingo and Williams, those who had stood to lose now stood to cheer. “Both firms are eminently qualified and GM has once again shown a leadership role,” Rev. Jackson notes. “More corporations should follow GM’s lead and give the many talented AfricanAmerican ad agencies, finance managers, pension fund managers, attorneys and other professionals the opportunity to contribute to their success.” The situation is far from new. Questions regarding African-Americans’ representation in advertising and marketing companies took center stage in 2006, following a landmark report from the New York City Commission on Human Rights on the dismal hiring record of the city’s top advertising firms. At the 28th Annual Conference and Exposition in Atlanta, The National Black MBA Association and Black Enterprise teamed up to present “Diversity: Diversion? Delusion? Delivered?”, a groundbreaking panel discussion that revealed how diversity can help corporations to achieve their strategic objectives, make a difference in global competition and contribute to winning the “war” for talented employees. Moderated by journalist Ed Gordon, the panel included Earl Graves, Jr. President & CEO of Black Enterprise magazine; Rev. Al Sharpton, President of National Action Network; Dr. Jason Chambers, Assistant Professor of Advertising at the University of Illinois; Kent Matlock, Chairman and CEO of Matlock Advertising & PR; Paul T. Parker, Chief People Officer at Deloitte & Touche USA LLP; and Maurice Cox, Vice 18 BlackMBA • Spring 2008 • www.nbmbaa.org http://www.nbmbaa.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Black MBA - Spring 2008

Black MBA - Spring 2008 Passion, Purpose and Power Contents Web Browsing From the President & CEO Up Front Advertising for Change CEO to CEO: Straight Talk with Barbara L. Thomas and Renetta McCann The New Executive Search Wealth Building: A Head Start on Investing and Saving Young Continuing Education: Lifelong Learning is Easier than You Think Making Good: Catching up with some of NBMBAA’s 2007 Scholarship Winners On Campus: Universities Win Grants to Fight Poverty Public Service: Does Your MBA Fit in the Government Sector? Bridge Building: Make a Career of Giving Back Steady Speed: Kim Harris Jones Shares what Drives a Successful Auto Industry Career Financial Planning: A New Way to Work Your MBA Global Focus: Keeping up with the Competition Clock On the Move: Member News, Promotions and More Industry Focus: Biotechnology, Energy, Food & Beverage, Global Media and Entertainment Employer Profiles: Campbell Soup, FINRA Financial Finesse: Denise Hales Harrod and CompuCredit Advocate for the Financially Underserved Creating Lasting Change: GE Impacts Quality of Life in Africa William W. Wells Jr.: Finding Strength in Diversity Leaders of Tomorrow® Community Service Program: NBMBAA® and Wal-Mart Partner to Reward Students Who Give Back Reaching Out: NBMBAA® Chapters Give Back to Their Local Communities How To… Buy a Franchise: Understanding the Basics of Acquiring a Franchise After the Gridiron: Keith Sims – Dunkin’ Donuts Franchise Confidential: Paul Hubbard – Papa John’s pizza Strength Through Adversity: Bob and Hortense Bobbitt – McDonald’s On the Ground Floor: Valerie Daniels-Carter – Pizza Hut, Burger King, Auntie Anne’s Use Your Superstar Status: Black Entrepreneurs Break into Japanese Economy Marketing Maven: Odyssey Media Entrepreneur Linda Spradley Dunn Staying the Course: Black Marathoners Share Lessons from the Race Relationship Forum: Soul-Mate Strategies for the Career-Minded Vacations that Matter: Travel to Make a Difference Advertisers Index

Black MBA - Spring 2008

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