From July 2011:
The Press Release Parade
I’m on the list.
That doesn’t make me special by any standards. Press Releases are like virtual confetti nowadays.
A thousand flacked flecks later, one fell in my eye:
Hi Chuck,
At the height of Advertising Week, something has become quite clear: diversity in the advertising industry is still not a part of the conversation. This is particularly surprising following Omnicom’s recent discrimination lawsuit, Muse Communications’ viral video titled “White Space,” and the New York Times article last month illustrating the lack of recruitment and retention programs within ad agencies. Clearly, when it comes to diversity, the advertising industry is still coming up short…
No kidding. I’ve written, spoken, and blogged about diversity for a decade. A few of the many posts (embedded links within moldier ones may be barren):
11 September 2006
Managing Age Diversity in the Advertising Industry05 November 2006
Ignore the Research and Trust Your Gut01 May 2007
Rance Crain Makes Perfect Sense Yet AgainIt makes all the sense in the world for ad makers (both clients and agencies) to be well-stocked with people who understand consumers, whether young people who fathom the mysteries of cyberspace, a good mixture of people who reflect the ethnic and cultural diversity of our country, and, yes, even older people who understand the vitality and buying power of the great gorge of baby boomers overtaking our land.
10 January 2008
Diversity = Productivity31 August 2009
The Trouble with HR06 July 2011
Diversity = Productivity Redux13 July 2011
Non-Diversity = Solipsism
… The spots were targeting Baby Boomers. Yet the themes revolved around Millennials, with Boomers portrayed as smiling, vapid – with no real personalities whatsoever.
And two snippets from my book ©2005, 2007:
Each re-invention of advertising has had its blind spots. More often than not, these blind spots had to do with diversity…
It’s time for another change; time for diversity. Advertising agencies need to add Baby Boomers to the mix. They need a healthy blend of professionals of all ages.
African-American, Hispanic, Asian, Older. Let’s mix it up with creative diversity.
