The Big Tent

How Coke Is Targeting Black Consumers

Q&A With Yolanda White, Assistant VP of African-American Marketing

Posted by Natalie Zmuda on 07.01.09 @ 06:53 PM

Coca-Cola re-established a dedicated African-American marketing group in 2006. The beverage giant has spent the past few years testing programs and conducting market research. And in the first half of this year, those efforts have come to fruition, with four new campaigns for the Dasani and Coca-Cola brands.

Do African-Americans Need a Separate Search Engine?

What Went Wrong With Rushmore Drive

Posted by Pepper Miller and John Parikhal on 06.25.09 @ 04:26 PM

Pepper Miller

RushmoreDrive.com, the first black search engine, recently shut down only a year after its launch. This raised the question about whether there is a market for a black version of Google.

Rushmore Drive was the brainchild of Barry Diller's IAC, which just reported a "first-quarter net loss of $28.4 million compared to a profit of $52.8 million in the same quarter a year ago."

Hispanics Face Discrimination Even Among Their Own

When Hiring, Look at Talent not Surface Features

Posted by Rochelle Newman-Carrasco on 06.23.09 @ 11:38 AM

Rochelle Newman-Carrasco

I often receive phone calls from advertising colleagues who are looking to add Latino talent to their teams. The caller might own or work for a Hispanic market agency, or a multicultural agency or a general-market agency. He might be a headhunter hired to work with any of these agency types. In most cases, the request is simply about who I know that is talented, easy to work with and has all the right skill sets. However, in some cases, certain biases rear their ugly heads. I'm asked questions that have no business being asked in this day and age. At a time when jobs are hard to find, it pains me to believe that there are worthy candidates being passed over because of:

NBC Just Can't Quit Same Old Hispanics

Can We Have One Segment Without Gloria or Dora or Shakira?

Posted by Laura Martinez on 06.18.09 @ 04:04 PM

Laura Martinez

This week the Hispanic blogosphere was abuzz with one topic in particular: NBC's "We the People," a week-long series on Hispanics in America which kicked off Monday and looks to address several topics facing the Hispanic community in the U.S.

Even in Obama Era, Ethnic Identity Is a Big Deal for Some Youth

Don't Be Too Hasty in Assigning Ethnicity a Secondary Role

Posted by Pepper Miller on 06.11.09 @ 11:14 AM

Pepper Miller

I have the proverbial egg on my face. In a somewhat knee-jerk reaction, I applauded Culture Lab for a post called "Marketing to Youth in the Obama Age -- Is Urban or Multicultural Still Relevant?"

I was excited to see the youth perspective that I have been hearing in focus groups about race for some time. And among Black youth, many often say they want to be recognized for their accomplishments first and "blackness" second.

AdColor Awards Could Make You a Bad Parent

New Spots for Show Unveiled

Posted by Ken Wheaton on 06.08.09 @ 11:28 AM

Here's one of three PSAs for the AdColor Award show unveiled at a kickoff party at the JWT Bar two weeks ago. It was created by a young team at McCann, New York, and it's pretty damn funny. You can read more about the event--and find out whether or not I cried--here.

National Hispanic Group Is Wrong About the Census

Boycotting Census Is Bad for Hispanics, for the Country and for Marketing

Posted by Bill Imada on 06.04.09 @ 11:25 AM

Bill Imada

On May 31, Los Angeles Times staff writer Teresa Watanabe published a story titled "Latino Group Urges Census Snub." According to the article, the National Coalition of Latino Clergy & Christian Leaders, a Washington organization claiming to represent 20,000 Latino charities in 34 states, maintained that one-fourth of its 4 million members were prepared to join a national boycott of Census 2010. I was floored.

What a 'Mes'

May Brings a New American Girl Doll, Sonia Sotomayor and More on Prop 8

Posted by Rochelle Newman-Carrasco on 06.02.09 @ 01:32 PM

Rochelle Newman-Carrasco

I never liked dolls. I was a stuffed-animal kid. Never had a Barbie (until recently that is, as I couldn't resist the urge to buy Puerto Rican Barbie, Mexican Barbie and Cinco de Mayo Barbie for the camp value of the stilted copy that's written on the back of each box).

Carrying Cash Can Seriously Hurt Your Dancing Skills

MasterCard Launches 'Priceless' Hispanic Spot

Posted by Laura Martinez on 05.18.09 @ 01:55 PM

Laura Martinez

When it comes to paying for stuff, it is not a secret that many Hispanics still rely on cash, something, I suspect, that makes pitching them a credit card a bit tricky. But today MasterCard is launching its first ever nationwide effort to pitch its prepaid and debit cards among U.S. Hispanics. The creative, from McCann Erickson, is part of the "Priceless" campaign, now in its 12th year, and it includes TV, radio, out-of-home and online spots.

Howard, 4A's Kick Off Fundraising Efforts for New Center

Center for Excellence in Advertising Launches First Classes This Fall

Posted by Marissa Miley on 05.15.09 @ 02:42 PM

Diversifying the agency world is the common goal, but what the Madison Avenue Project is doing with legal threats, the Center for Advertising Excellence at Howard University's John H. Johnson School of Communications is doing by collaboration. As the CEA celebrated its inaugural major fundraising event yesterday in Manhattan, it demonstrated its focus on building partnerships with advertising execs, not bulldozing ahead with potential lawsuits.