NYC Agencies Subpoenaed For Diversity Probe During Ad Week
The Human Rights Commission has subpoenaed 16 executives at New York agencies to probe their supposedly poor history of hiring black people at public hearings during Advertising Week September 25 through September 29. A nifty strategy by the Human Rights Commission but one question that doesn't seem to have been addressed publicly surrounding this issue is how many black people actually want to work for an ad agency. Currently, in the 16 agencies the Commission is looking into, nine percent of employees are black. In New York, blacks represent 25 percent of the population. It's the gap between Nine and 25 that have critics steamed.
Perhaps the probe will reveal whether the lack of black employed in ad agencies is deliberate or whether it's just a representation of how many African Americans have an interest in advertising. Certainly, things could be done to at least make those other than white country club boys aware of advertising as a possible career path through job fairs and other forms of outreach. But all that should really matter is finding really smart, really creative people no matter what color they are.
Comments
Wonder what would happen if they probed Connecticut ad agencies, or the midwest for that matter.
Try probing agencies in the South and Southeast - lily white
How about looking at the percentage of miniority students in advertising related studies?
this doesn't make any sense to me. Even though these agencies are based in NY, their "market" for talent is a national one (or arguably even an international one), not a local one. As such, the demographic makeup of a NY-based ad agency should reflect national averages, not local NY averages...
Minorities are sent to "Negro League" agencies like Spike Lee's or Hispanic agencies. Advertising people here are not too comfortable working with minorities. This is a problem seen only in the U.S. I've seen Latin Americans and blacks working in ad agencies throughout industrialized countries. Now women in creative departments is another story. They're MIA in most of the world.
Don't blame the midwest. I'm in Chicago and there are more minorities working in this agency than any I've seen in New York.
Bull. After the hearings NYC ad agencies will probe we employ lots of minorities. In my agency all janitors, mail people and food delivery guys are all minorities. You tell me how any agency can operate without their contribution.
I've worked at three agencies, two in NYC and one in the midwest. At all three, I've been The Black or The Other Black in Account Management. On occassion, I've been solicited to help my non-Black peers to sell Black products from liquor to lotion.
It is disheartening, frustrating and annoying, almost as much as it was at my Top Midwest Private High School and my Top NYC University. I thought about going to Spike Lee's Joint, but I did not want to be pigeon-holed as a minority marketer. Its a shame that more isn't done to diversify, and that is why I volunteer for the Torch Program (www.thetorchprogram.org) which reaches out to minority youth in high school and exposes them to career options in communications.
http://txadv.blogspot.com/2006/05/industry-white-management-of-madison.html#comments
(Those are some perspectives on the whole white Madison Avenue situation)
Ok I'm gong to start a fight with the HRC boys because I want to see more white hair in the Madison Avenue play rooms. Boy am I happy I live in a flyover state. In reality in the midwest I spend a couple of days a year being a judge for the state DECA kids in Sports Entertainment Marketing and I see a few minority kids come through and a few of them are pretty good. The same for the college classes I talk to. The problem is that word "FEW."
They dont want to pay the money that's why they cant get the top black talent. I came out of college and came to new york. I had my own agency while in college and wanted to get some experience working for the greats.....they said 29,000 plus overtime in nyc! I work for a finance company now nuff said....
Dear Sirs,
We are a new Cross-Cultural advertising shop that helps brands to speak and understand
the dynamic of the new U.S. Market in a traditional and non-traditional way, delivering sales
and achieving market leadership.
We are obsessed by brands. They are our passion, our reason for being. We believe in
their uniqueness and personal appealing. We strongly think that, when built upon a solid
foundation, brands can transform the lives of everyday people.
Our new model sees the market as one Cross Cultural group influenced by different
backgrounds and ethnicities instead of several Multicultural buckets. A Cross Cultural
Market is a group of savvy and well informed consumers always looking for a brand that
is able to speak to them in a relevant, entertaining and memorable way.
Our partners combined have more than 30 years experience working for blue chips clients
including Verizon Wireless, Masterfoods, HSBC, New Balance, International Paper,
Yahoo en Espaņol, Volvo, MCI, Nasdaq, Puig, New York Lottery, Procter & Gamble,
AstraZeneca, Universal Studios, Disney, Diaego, Pernod Ricard, Subway, The Red Cross
and Panasonic.
Here I am sending you our credentials and reel, I hope to have the opportunity to meet with
you at your convenience. You can get in touch with me at my cell 646 331 7589 or
my email carlos.montano@brand-addict.net
Thank you for your time.
Best regards
Carlos Montaņo
Partner