The AdColor Industry Coalition held its annual 2009 AdColor Awards show in Phoenix, Ariz., this past Sunday. The event kicked off the Association of National Advertisers' Multicultural Marketing & Diversity Conference, where McDonald's and Comcast took top honors. The host for the AdColor evening was CNN's Soledad O'Brien and the group's All-Star Award was given to Hispanic media sensation Cristina Saralegui (also known as the Latin Oprah). You can check out party pics and evening highlights (with the celebrities and such) at AdColor.org. We figured we'd share the photos of the evening's honorees -- which is what the evening is all about.
Posted
by Tiffany R. Warren
on
01.05.09
@ 08:00 AM
Tiffany R. Warren
Due to the recession, the economy isn't the only thing that has suffered. My writing has receded in recent months as well. I spent many a weekend waiting for the mental levee that the negative state of the world had created within my mind to break. What finally broke through was the thought that where we stand and what we do in challenging times pushes us to create either good or bad chapters in our own story. Right now, it is hard to write any real happy endings -- especially about the state of diversity in advertising -- when tough decisions are being made daily, budgets are being cut, accounts are being lost and, with them, jobs. In such circumstances, the unique benefits of building a diverse workforce become secondary to keeping the doors open. But I'd hate to be the one to stop writing the chapters to this continually unfolding story because it's a good one.
There are a few things the seasoned attendee of ad awards shows notices about the AdColor Awards.
One: The dress code was "sexy black tie" (as I was told by Tiffany R. Warren). I hate wearing ties, but I must say the award show looked like an actual event rather than the large-scale game of "Hipster or Homeless" that usually results when industry creatives and their account execs gather in the same room.
Two: This was the first ad awards show I've ever attended that was started off with a prayer. And I'm not talking moment of silence favored by big-city types made nervous by displays of faith. I'm talking an actual prayer that mentioned God and everything.
Three: Oh yeah, it's an ad industry awards show in which the majority of the 400 gathered were African American. I don't have an actual count, but I'd wager that the second biggest group was Hispanic. Considering the snow-white fields of advertising -- especially at the other award shows -- it was a refreshing change of pace.
In Road to White House What Will Win? Gender or Race?
Posted
by Tiffany R. Warren
on
09.23.08
@ 09:08 AM
Tiffany R. Warren
Roland S. Martin, a CNN contributor and host of a provocative CNN special entitled "Race, Age & Gender," said in a recently posted commentary about this year's presidential campaign that "it's wonderful to talk about the economy, immigration, the war in Iraq, health care and education, but we can't be naïve to the reality that when voters go into that voting booth, they will vote with their tribe."
Taking the White House Might Give the Impression It's OK to Cut Back on Diversity Programs
Posted
by Tiffany R. Warren
on
05.22.08
@ 07:55 AM
Tiffany R. Warren
At a recent panel discussion sponsored by The New York Times, Thomson Reuters and Time Inc., someone asked, "If Obama wins, do we lose?" By "we," the attendee meant those that lead the diversity efforts in corporate America. In other words, will a Barack Obama win create the false impression that America has gotten over its racial issues? And will that in turn give corporate America "permission" to trim or dismantle diversity programs? The panelists could not quite connect Obama's ascension to the downfall of diversity programs across the country but the question did leave me with an uneasy feeling of what exactly the impact might be on the environment most initiatives are grown in if he does win.
Posted
by Tiffany R. Warren
on
04.14.08
@ 03:28 PM
Tiffany R. Warren
In March, I had the honor of being a guest lecturer in a freshman communications class at Howard University in Washington. Joining me as guests of Professor Constance Cannon Frazier were Mike A. Scott, managing partner of MPIRE Management, and Arnold Worldwide talent recruiter Tara J. Garcia. We were given the task of summing up our collective work experiences in one hour.
The Job's Hard Enough Without the Scrutiny and Hyper-Criticism
Posted
by Tiffany R. Warren
on
03.31.08
@ 08:52 PM
Tiffany R. Warren
Although I have never visited the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tenn., I have read that as you walk out of the museum there is a plaque that reads "Together We Can Accomplish So Much." Unbeknownst to the general advertising industry, "working together" is very much what many of those charged with diversifying all levels and segments of the industry have chosen to do. Egos and propriety aside, sharing best practices as well as the ups and downs of this role has become a welcome respite from the quiet storm that seems to rage around the issue of diversity in advertising.
Posted
by Tiffany R. Warren
on
03.05.08
@ 12:25 PM
Tiffany R. Warren
Everyone who knows me knows I look forward to two things in life: the next New Edition Reunion Tour (even with Bobby Brown) and the sequel to "The Goonies."
But seriously, a bit of nostalgia hit me when I caught an airing of Boomerang, an advertising-industry satire starring Eddie Murphy, Robin Givens and Halle Berry among others. The movie premiered in 1992 when I was a senior in high school. Even though the heart of the story was the Eddie Murphy character's philandering ways, the bigger story for me was the office politics, the suits Robin Givens' character got to wear and the details of how to launch an advertising campaign that I could glean from the storyline.
Posted
by Tiffany R. Warren
on
02.19.08
@ 12:04 PM
Tiffany R. Warren
In response to my last post, Why One Black Creative Just Walked Away, there was a torrent of comments. One reader said that there are two kinds of people "successful talents" and "talentless complainers." Can't I be both a successful and talented complainer? Why can't I use my success to draw attention and awareness to the problem of the lack of diversity within advertising? In another comment, a Big Tent reader said "the blamers write books and blogs and posts and create a little club of similarly disgruntled people, all of whom talk the talk, none of whom walk the walk." Yes, this is a club that I wake up every morning so excited to be a part of! In an earlier comment, another reader wrote that my blog may scare potential advertising industry recruits away with my stories of injustice. Really?
A Stellar Book Wasn't Enough to Break Into Executive Ranks
Posted
by Tiffany R. Warren
on
02.04.08
@ 05:40 PM
Tiffany R. Warren
Ralph Ellison wrote "I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me." For different reasons -- fear of financial and professional retribution -- the subject of this post will remain invisible, or at least unidentified. Like it or not, such retribution is still a very real possibility for those individuals who seek to make visible the invisible struggles they face.
Being a creative in the advertising industry is not easy for anyone. But since the age of 13 it is what one young man -- let's call him Tony Jackson* -- has wanted to be.
How should web video be valued and measured? Who are the most successful companies in this space? Who can you work with? This white paper answers those questions and more.
The 2010 Agency Report will cover more than 900 agencies including ad, marketing-services, digital, media and PR agencies. Make sure yours is included by submitting our questionnaire. Ad Age has e-mailed forms to agencies. If your agency didn't receive one, e-mail AgencyReport@AdAge.com or go to AdAge.com/arq
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