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Why One Black Creative Just Walked Away
A Stellar Book Wasn't Enough to Break Into Executive Ranks
Tiffany R. Warren |
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.
Tony, thirty-two and African-American, is a member of my large extended family within the advertising industry. He came out of a top portfolio school where, he said, "a daily regimen of harsh, critical feedback and rejection" was as much a part of the curriculum as creating spec ads for a local charity or small business. Tony knows that "great ideas feel new and completely uncovered and for every great idea that makes it, ten are rejected."
But what he and many creatives of color have experienced on their way to the top is that even though they've proven themselves, even though they've won the daily battles between perception and reality, compared to their white counterparts they often can't get the traction needed to become the executive creative director or the chief creative officer. When the bruises heal from the concrete ceiling they bump up against daily they usually hit the pavement and exit agency life for the greener pasture of a highly paid day-rate freelancer.
Before Tony left to become the hired gun he currently is, his first job out of portfolio school had all the right elements to make him stay: creative challenges, diverse team (international and domestic representation) and access to senior creative leadership. "It was a dream, and at the end of the day all that mattered was the idea. No ass-kissing involved, my contributions were colorblind. We all got a chance to shine or crash and burn."
Tony eventually moved on from this utopia and hooked up with creative recruiters that would help him land his next opportunity. Tony's book showed his impressive range and not -- as he puts it -- the scars from the ghetto-ization of black creatives: "basketball, soft drinks and cars" (It's a similar fate inflicted disproportionately on female creatives who always seem to be handed assignments on weight loss, feminine hygiene and fashion brands.) His phone often rang with calls from agency recruiters who just had to meet the man behind the book. In one of these meetings with the amped-up agency recruiters -- people who'd wanted to hire Tony based on his book alone -- Tony was subjected to a critique of his work instead of a discussion about next steps.
What happened between the phone call and the face-to-face meeting? He suspects, because it has happened way too often to him and other creatives of color, that he wasn't what they expected.
Tony is a working, successful creative and has experienced all the highs and lows the industry has to offer. He has received awards, financial reward and the visibility that comes with hitting creative homeruns.
But promotion to the higher ranks has eluded him.
Instead of completely walking away from it all, Tony is creating his own destiny and has some advice for the agency recruiters and creative directors he has come across along the way.
- Don't compare me to the last black creative that didn't "make it."
- Hire me because I can do good work, not because I can provide the urban point of view
- Although, like in sports, you hire the individual that can do the best job agencies still need to make a conscious effort to diversify your creative departments.
How sad, though, that Tony and others may get tired of all the ass-kissing and say "Kiss my ass" to the advertising industry because it refuses to see what is clearly visible: a talent that has little to do with their skin color.
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Despite the occasional internship program, it's still sad to say that Tony's experience is still more the norm than not.
I think you highlight a problem that none of the programs seem to address: what about the people who are not interns or entry level?
What is the industry doing to stop the creation of more "Tony's" and "Tonyas?"
It is like we have abandoned those who are sticking it out?
The first plan should have been to reduce the mass exodus of creative talent of color. Addressing this issue would show a REAL desire for change. Grow the people you have, then hiring more people of color would not be as hard.
As a creative who has been hustling like mad for many years, 14 car accounts so far, I can tell you, all of the bad experiences "Tony" had, every creative has, regardless of their book.
Quick examples:
1. Flew Miami to LA to meet with major agency for staff gig. "Loves book, reel, Cannes and Gold Pencil awards, massive account wins" etc etc. Meetings never happen. Flew back, pissed. Found out, ExecCD who liked my book, got booted the day I flew. New ExecCD had different plans. Million stories just like this one from people with great books.
2. Flew LA to NYC to major urban- (read that however you want) -centric agency who wanted to hire me. Two great interviews. All the handshakes and happy smiles and loved your book, awards, experience, hustle, etc. Recruiter told me they passed because I seemed SoCal not NYC to them. I could have thought, they passed because my last name sounds like it could have been black "Baker" but I am a white dude and they are 100% black. But the reality was, they were right, I love NYC but couldn't live there full time. No surf. No mountains. No thanks.
The point? Advertising is a seriously fickle biz. One day they love you, next they ignore you. Regardless of your book, your awards, your experience, your skin color, your weight, your breath, or even your ability.
I've seen all shapes and sizes and colors and races and talent and talentless succeed in this biz. As a creative, nobody cares about your Diesel jeans or your ethnic background, for all they know, you could be in jail, but if you're turning out Gold Pencils and Pitch Winners, they'll pay your day rate through the bars with a smile.
Your ability as a creative, is not just how fast can you come up with great ideas, but how fast can you throw away bad ideas. Same goes for career opportunities. -AB @ www.andrewbaker77.com
All things being equal the industry never sees the "mainstream perspective" as negative. But if you have an "urban perspective" as Tony or myself and others do, you have to--ontop of being good, convince everyone from CDs to Brand managers to INSERT HERE that you can "rise above " it. There's an inherent cultural arrogance that "urban" is inferior or childish or a gimmick that mainstream professionals (the 'real ones') would never stoop to.
Secondly, imagine having a VP, Exec GCD look at your portfolio and and being so impressed with your work asks repeatedly, "Where did someone like you learn how to do this kind of work?" Imagine walking into client meetings with your white colleagues and having the brand manager be so confused with the notion of high-caliber work being done by ethnic professionals that he introduces you to everyone in their lily-white corporate headquarters with: "You'll never guess who's actually creating our campaign!"
Imagine being brought in for interviews simply because they wanted to "see what the guy with the 'interesting name' looked like." Imagine being hired over the phone based on your portfolio then having job offers rescinded within the first 2 minutes of interviews because the VP has determined that "you're not the best fit for our corporate culture".
That's a taste of what it is to be a Tony or a Tonya, my dear Andrew.
No one's ever surprised that the Andrews of the world (or Andrea) can walk and chew gum at the same time. No one's ever surprised when "andrew"/"andrea" does great work. No one assumes that when "andrew"/"andrea" does poor work that it's somehow the result of some innate inferiority that probably exists in everyone who looks like them No one will ever consider taking extra steps hire/retain "andrew"/"andrea" because "andrew"/"andrea" will be get plenty of opportunities, even if they prove they're not deserving of them.
That Tony and Tonya continue to fight and excel is a testament to Tony, not the industry.
Your perception is that all creative experiences in "Tony's" and "Tanya's" life are based on race.
Maybe Tony didn't get the job because the Creative Director is worried that Tony is so talented, Tony will eventually take the CD's slot, leaving the CD out of work. (true story)
Maybe Tony didn't get from the phone call to the promised hand shake meeting because the ECD just found out that the agency is gonna loose their biggest account and has to trim overhead. (true story)
Maybe Tony's interview ended in two minutes because the agency has a serious drug problem and they realize Tony is a straight up good dude who isn't gonna play along. (true story)
The point is simple. A million possibilities exist to explain every example you cite. Choosing race to explain all of them, is the same as a creative having one idea on the wall instead of one hundred.
Yes, there is tons of racism in the world, way way too much. (As a white guy with an Indonesian girlfriend and a baby adopted from Sierra Leone, I see it from SoCal to Singapore to SL.)
And certainly there is plenty in advertising. But to call out a creative's struggle as racially based, when there are hundreds of other possibilities, is a weak example of racism.
PS: If this "Tony" figure really believes a creative can get "hired over the phone" without a face-to-face sit down, then "Tony" has a lot to learn about the business. - AB @ www.andrewbaker77.com
That there is a place in film for him but not a dominant place for the "urban" voice. I am sure that Mr. Lee's frustrations would be very similar to the individual depicted here.
I don't think advertising is any different than any other business as far as the pucker factor is concerned. I think the issue is what you said and wrote about several blogs ago -- about the "Big Idea," where you stated that they did have the big idea but yet were ignored. But then you went on and cited their successes. My thought then and now is that if the idea is "big" as you stated then, it will rise to the top. But no matter, because the idea that was not taken was none the less paid for and in advertising that is what we do -- present ideas and are paid money when we do. Many times ideas are presented to give the advertiser choices with different voices, and even if the idea was not selected, the fact that it was presented and the agency received real money from the advertiser, is the process. Some advertisers take bigger risks then others. If there is a crime, it is that agencies don't pitch broader ideas to their clients not that people of color ideas are not selected. There are many factors that go into idea creation, but the lack of ideas presented to advertisers by agencies hurts people of color more than anything else.
Although I agree with Hadji's comments, the comments from Andrew are interesting, POSSIBLE and unlikely.
Simple put, if Andrew is walking and a rattlesnake is in his path, will he: (a) attempt to pet it, (b) try to avoid it, (c)keeping straight ahead?
Whatever Andrew's choice, it will be based on what he has experienced (first/foremost) and then heard about rattlesnakes. Yes, it is POSSIBLE that if he walks straight, the rattlesnake will not bit him..but that is an UNLIKELY...so is Tony's response above irrational?
What I expect from the "Andrews" is a limited understanding unless the "Andrews" wake up one morning as an African American and experiences that associated reality first hand.
When persons, arbitrarily tell me, I am not Racist. I find 90% of the time, BY CHOICE, they live, worship, eat, etc (ex. work). in places that are populated predominately by their race...conscious choices that support a separatist mindset. The world would be so much better with active INCLUSIVENESS instead of just the illusion of diversity.
In contrast, many minorities, many times, find themselves in the same situations noted above without choice. For example, as of 2/6/08, American Indians are living on Reservations in the most powerful nation in the world, not to mention Hurricane Katrina and the horrendous comments from the mother of the President of United States. What are the odds Tony's experience/responses are not valid?
Andrew, what if just your acknowledgement that "RACISM" exist and is wrong is not enough! The question is, "If you get to an executive position, what will you do when you meet the next meeting Tony/Mohammed/Sanjev?
When the righteous sit back and do nothing, evil flourishes....when you silently disagree, it can be interpreted as silently agreeing as well. Again, the world could be so much better with active INCLUSIVENESS instead of just the illusion of diversity.
But all workplaces are populated with stupid people, and a few smart ones. I had an Executive from Texas tell a group of us over lunch here in Canada not too long ago how thngs were changing in Texas, that his wife is a teacher, that his daughter was in her classroom and that, when he lost a local school board election, the new school board, "set mah daughter next to a 'Negrah' and they wasn't a thang Ah could do about it." His associate, a 40-ish white Engineer from Alabama, immediately got up from the table in outrage, told the Texan off and quit the company when he returned to the USA.
My advice to all strong, good and capable people is to keep your dreams alive, maintain your dignity, fight the good fight. The strong, the good and the capable always recognize the strong, the good and the capable when they see them. Sometimes it seems like it's a pretty small club. And Tiffany R. Warren, I wish some middle-aged white guys in baseball caps or blue suits would feel compelled to write the stories that you write and ultimately allow you just write about anything and everything about advertising, and never give a second thought about race.
But all workplaces are populated with stupid people, and a few smart ones. I had an Executive from Texas tell a group of us over lunch here in Canada not too long ago how thngs were changing in Texas, that his wife is a teacher, that his daughter was in her classroom and that, when he lost a local school board election, the new school board, "set mah daughtah next to a Negrah and they wasn't a thang Ah could do about it." His associate, a 40-ish white Engineer from Alabama, immediately got up from the table in outrage, told the Texan off and quit the company when he returned to the USA. Bigotry is everywhere but so is goodness.
My advice to all strong, good and capable people is to keep your dreams alive, maintain your dignity, fight the good fight. The strong, the good and the capable always recognize the strong, the good and the capable when they see them. Sometimes it seems like it's a pretty small club. And Tiffany R. Warren, I wish some middle-aged white guys in baseball caps or blue suits would feel compelled to write the stories that you write and ultimately allow you just write about anything and everything about advertising, and never give a second thought about race.
Cliff Franklin, FUSE
"Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get". The great thing about it is, you can always keep sampling until you find the one that you like best.
Same principle holds for social and business relationships, including your employer.
Although I agree that their are many companies and executives that will evaluate you by ethnic background . . . They're also many progressive brand managers and agencies in this country who are open-minded and care more about the idea and work performance.
Not only do we live in a FREE society with the ability for change when challenged, moreover, we have the opportunity to invest in ourselves and our futures with our own ideas and moral guidelines. Many professionals have taken this leap of faith and started their own successful agencies on this premise.
We are fortunate it enough to have had forefathers (or industry leaders) break-thru in the past so future generations have better opportunities of crossing over to mainstream america, and this is still continuing on today. Case in point: Steve Connor - Budweiser "Whassup" campaign and today's break-out minority leader in the Democratic race - Barack Obama, and I can keep going and going.
The moral of these comments are: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!!! When you get knocked down, Get back up and keep going until you reach your goals.
Its my opinion. That the Black man will not live the American Dream, and white man is not strong enough to live the Black American Dream.
For a Black man to be successful he cant share the White Dream he needs to make his own. I am not angry about this I understand it as the nature of white folks.
Very well said. Great words. - AB
Alice, Chicago
for any creative undertaking.
I find it simply unacceptable that a business that is supposed to be progressive, open-minded and result-driven remains stuck in outdated biases and beliefs.
Shame on us, if we continue to tolerate these narrow-minded practices.
"Not only do we live in a FREE society with the ability for change when challenged, moreover, we have the opportunity to invest in ourselves and our futures with our own ideas and moral guidelines. Many professionals have taken this leap of faith and started their own successful agencies on this premise."
This translates in my mind, "Sweep the problem under the rug, and do your own thing."
Doing your own thing can be wonderful. Ignoring a problem isn't.
PS - Forrest Gump was a mentally deficient individual who stumbled upon opportunity; not exactly the most winning business model
It is obvious you didn't understand my comments and you're trying to fight a battle (in Life) that you will never win. Smart, Successful people can see opportunity through a small crack at a door, and open it. Others, will walk right passed it and keep tying to find there way out.
There are so many examples of highly successful individuals from every ethnic background, who fought all odds to overcome many challenges in life but because of perseverance, determination and SMARTS, they accomplished their goals.
Others, like yourself, will keep banging your heads against a wall, always blaming everyone else for your failures.
- these comments really seem to nail it. - AB
have been alive. I started as a trainee at FCB Chicago in 1971 and rose to become a VP, Creative Director. After a stint in New York at
Y&R in the early eighties, then JWT, I joined BBDO. I eventually became Chief Creative Officer of BBDO Chicago in about 1987 and remained CCO until 2004, before a move to BBDO Detroit as Executive Creative Director. After two years, I left BBDO for personal reasons and started consulting. After another two years, I rejoined the agency business. I'm currently a VP, Creative Director.
I only bore you with that resume to make a point. It can-and occasionally does-happen for an African American creative.
The ceiling is hard and it hurts your head after repeatedly banging it. But that ceiling does occasionally break.
A couple of observations for "Tony", who is apparently a great creative but left day-to-day agency life because he couldn't get a top management job.
Observation one: Creative skills and management skills are usually polar opposite skill sets. Manys the great creative that has no business anywhere near a client or presentation. It just ain't their thing.
Observation two: If you're really that good, and you're not dragging along some other significant baggage, you will succeed. Great people -of any color- are just too hard to find.
Observation three: I wish I had some uplifting stuff to say, but I don't. It's a service business. It's a political business. It's an extremely paranoid business where shit almost always happens and being right never guarantees a win. Or anything else, for that matter.
Other than that, it's been OK.
I don't want to make this battle of words so this will be the last comment I make regardless.
1. YOU don't understand ME.
2. I happen to be a very optimistic person, but a realist. Are you?
3. You apparently don't understand the nature of Ms. Warren's column. Perhaps if you took off the rose colored glasses you might understand it clearly.
1. Can u find at least 3 or more black creatives at your agency (on staff) in the NYC. R/GA, Ogilvy, Arnold, AKQA, Avenue A, digitas, etc -- Id love to see those numbers--lol
2. Are these creatives being mentored, and trained for success?
3. Does your recruiter at the interactive agency care about finding black creatives?
4. Has anybody discussed, mentioned black history month, at your agency?
5. Do u you yourself know or met at least 5 black creatives?
6. Have you met any upper level black creatives within the ad industry?
7. Does the industry value or care about black creatives?
The facts still exists the creative culture at most ad agencies is still resembles a old boys club needing of some refreshing.
A: When I am on the mountain bike, I see zero black riders. Does this mean the sport of mountain biking is racist?
2. Are these creatives being mentored, and trained for success?
A: Are any creatives being mentored anymore?
3. Does your recruiter at the interactive agency care about finding black creatives?
A: If she or he did, wouldn't that be racist? A recruiter should be interested in finding the best talent. Period.
4. Has anybody discussed, mentioned black history month, at your agency?
A: No. And on July 5th, nobody mentioned a thing about the veterans, just talked about the fireworks and beer and brautwurst.
5. Do u you yourself know or met at least 5 black creatives?
A: And does that mean I should also know three Koreans, 2 Indians, and 1.5 Native American creatives?
6. Have you met any upper level black creatives within the ad industry?
Yes, and it's because they don't work so hard to blame someone or something else for their failure, but rather, focus on personal responsibility and within it, find success.
7. Does the industry value or care about black creatives?
A: No. They industry doesn't. The industry values money. Nothing else. It's a business, not a social club. Companies care about profits, profits and profits, which means, if there is someone, anyone, that turn one dollar into five, they will hire that person, promote that person, and keep that person, until they find the person who will turn a dollar into six, and then, regardless of how amazing Mr Five Dollars is, what a great person or golf player or schmoozer they are, the company will kick them to the curb.
Black creative. In the biz for over 30 years. SVP/Creative Director at Leo Burnett before becoming Chief Creative Officer at Burrell Communications in Chicago. Been thru a lot, know a lot, know a lot of folks, don't mind sharing or mentoring.
Lewis Williams
LWilliams@burrell.com
We don't need you. Not we the white man, we the agency.
You're just another complainer looking for a reason to whine, and anybody who's spent any time at all in a shop knows, advertising is already chocked full of whiners.
Jesse Jackson reminds the black man he's oppressed.
Obama reminds the black man he can become president.
Life isn't fair Tony, get used to it. Those aren't my words, those are the words of one of the most successful people on earth, beige Bill Gates.
He's not black. He's not white. He's a guy with a dream and doing whatever it takes to make it happen, for better or for worse. But one thing he isn't doing, is complaining.
Keep playing the race card and I bet you a million, you never ever get to the top.
Keep working on your so-called stellar book and I bet you a million, you reach your ultimate dream.
We don't need you. Not we the white man, we the agency.
You're just another complainer looking for a reason to whine, and anybody who's spent any time at all in a shop knows, advertising is already chocked full of whiners.
Jesse Jackson reminds the black man he's oppressed.
Obama reminds the black man he can become president.
Which one are you Tony? You can't be both.
Life isn't fair Tony, get used to it. Those aren't my words, those are the words of one of the most successful people on earth, beige Bill Gates.
He's not black. He's not white. He's a guy with a dream and doing whatever it takes to make it happen, for better or for worse. But one thing he isn't doing, is complaining.
Keep playing the race card and I bet you a million, you never ever get to the top.
Keep working on your so-called stellar book and I bet you a million, you reach your ultimate dream.
Dear Mr. Santos.
So you can't be oppressed and strive beyond it? Umm, who says so. You? Really, in this entire comment stream (which to Ms. Warren's credit) has been quite interesting, yours actually moved me to register just to comment.
So there's only two types of black men? Complainers and the others who succeed. But, what about the ones (seemingly like Tony) who have worked hard and true and found that they can't catch a break. And after examining themselves and their environment they happen to believe race plays a role. I think everyone of every color realizes life "ain't" fair (so no need to speak down to people.) Hell, part of the reason the post is anonymous is because he's still trying to make it.
Ms. Warren offers his quotes and observations about creative, they seem informed and true to his experience.
And not to needle you too much, but sorry, Bill Gates is white. That's sounds nice to say he's a guy with a dream. And he is. But so is Tony. But Tony doesn't want to start up a software company, he wants to be a creative without recording a hip hop album first, or having to do basketball ads to get a shot.
it's a hard road in this industry, and the only thing that keeps me going is that I have mentored to younger associates of color who don't have any other mentors to look to. I had only one mentor when I first started and now she's 1/2 way around the world. I owe it to those who come after me to stay and fight the good fight, but realize until you walk in a Tony or Tonya's shoes, the fickleness of this industry has an entirely different meaning and set of rules....
Bad things happen to everyone. (black, white, Jew, Filipino, Cambodian, Hindu, old, young, blind, deaf etcetcetc.)
It's what we do with those experiences that makes us who we are.
Some rise above the blame game and instead focus on their personal goals, and before you know it, have a very very good chance of taking the majority of votes in the presidential elections.
Others wallow in it, the blame game, and attempt to pull everyone around them into the cesspool of anger and hate and "life's not fair and it has nothing to do with me" blindness.
And while people just like them, with stellar books and stellar personality and stellar abilities rise to the proverbial "corner office," 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.
It's easy to blame.
It's hard to shine.
You think Obama, or Michael, or Jordan, or Oprah or SpongeBob would be half as successful if they spent their time writing books about how life isn't fair?
PS: You know why Oprah didn't open her school for disadvantaged girls in the US? Google it. To paraphrase “because the disadvantaged girls in South Africa wanted to learn, while the disadvantaged girls in the US wanted iPods.” Bad happens to us all, it’s what we do with it, that makes our character.
I am currently a freelancer (again, African American and male) whose opinions and skill sets are called upon with fair regularity by urban, targeted, niche, and general market agencies alike. I chose to go the way of the "hired gun" nearly four years ago not because of any glass ceiling that my head bumped up against but due to the overall malaise brought upon me by a combination of circumstances—personal and occupational, internal and external to the agency at which I was then employed.
With this decision came the freedom from the thicket of bureaucratic protocol and politics that often constrict any creative's thinking and the freedom to manage and be held accountable for my life—something that I implore every man and woman of any creed or color to consider, today and always.
The arguments and conversations about cultural, moral, and professional responsibilities, and experiences, good and bad, will undoubtedly continue. I offer my opinion and guidance to all comers—young, old, black, white, green, purple, gay, straight, seasoned, jaded, downtrodden, optimistic—pretty much anyone who's curious and willing to take it.
It's a shame that in this day and age certain things seem to precede us more than our reputations themselves. For me, however, it's always been more of an impetus and less of an obstacle.
This idealistic little bubble of mine may seem impossible to some and trite to others but there are a rare few out there who are with me and it is for them, myself, and the greater good of the world we dream of and don't necessarily live in just yet that I contribute what I do, great or small.
Black, creative, proud.
Dana Satterwhite. danasatterwhite@mac.com
That you refuse to consider—even for a moment— that there just might be a problem that you are either unfamiliar with, unqualified to discuss or incapable of comprehending from any vantage point beyond your own comfort zone shows a stunning inability to relate to those outside your thought process. (Relating to different people is a required core competency for succeeding in this business, in case you're wondering.)
Lastly, your desire to regurgitate the same myopic message across multiple blog entries designed in the name of targeting one group of readers shows wasteful media planning skills, too.
Lastly, insulting people whose track record you are wholly unfamiliar with on the basis of little more than a disagreement says far more about which of your above mentioned categories that you belong in than it does about those you're attacking.
The truth of the matter is that individually, everyone is basically correct. Corporately, the reality is that the industry alienates African-Americans, in my opinion, more than any other diversity employee. It is a grave error to extrapolate a few individual success stories across an industry ripe with empirical evidence that proves this business is not one where diversity employees and especially African-Americans, and especially those in the Creative discipline enjoy the same fair and unfair rights as their White counterparts.
All internal agency recruiters have been told at one time or another who would be the "ideal" candidate to hire for an account. This account really needs a woman or this account needs an "urban" perspective, i.e. Black. The request list is not uncommon and as weird as this will read, sometimes provides one of the only avenues to recruit diversity talent. Obviously, this is not ideal because this type of hiring is rooted in seedy motives cultivated by years of "this is the way the ad business works." Interestingly, these requests stop at race and gender.
I also noticed that someone wrote that the digital/interactive initiatives will be the path whereby the old guard's way of doing business will be obsolete and more opportunities do/will exist for more diversity creatives. Sad to say, this is not necessarily true when you look at the pipeline of African-American talent. Consider that there is a shortage of African-American in most industries, especially technical talent and an even greater shortage of African-American men. African-American women tend not to go into the digital/interactive space solely. If they have interactive experience, it will most likely be because of an integrated campaign.
I don't make any judgments about Tony's departure from the ad business. Nor do I make any judgments about the successes a few individuals had in the ad business. Rather, I would say that as you have opportunity, make a way for someone. Differences are actually okay and in my recruiter opinion, the agency that chooses to finally understand that differences are okay will have the true foundation of the new model that will reflect the desires of clients, enjoy greater creativity, client retention and how can I ever leave out, new and organic growth.
I am Black.
Charles Henderson
Advertising is a sunset business. It creates no value other than borrowed interest and it drives up the cost of goods and services without providing any perceivable benefit, other than an opportunity to provide those at the top an opportunity to pretend they are in the entertainment business.
I have worked for and with the greatest names in advertising. I started the 4A's program Ms. Warren rose to fame on (but did not have the courtesy to credit me for in these pages). I created two of the longest running campaigns in advertising. Tom Burrell started his agency in my living room and Sandy Moore and I helped Doug Alligood develop the pitch that got him from Uniworld to BBDO. So what? None of these things mean squat on a resume. Advertising is not a creative business. It is a financial business. Minorities (except for Asians)are considered a liability, not an asset. This is not a problem of bias, this is a problem of value perception.
If you think advertising lacks diversity, you should take a look at the interactive side of the business. And even that is starting to sink from it's own weight (take a look at Google's share price lately) The truth is, this business is doomed to go the way of the dinosaur. Generations X and Y and the new Millinials are advertising immune. They believe that advertising is for people who don't know any better. The work of the agencies you are whining about being "unfair" is engaging or meaningful to no one. This is all the clients are concerned with right now. This is the best time in history to be in advertising. That is because the average lifecycle of an account has dropped from eight years to 2.5 years. When accounts change opportunity abounds. The average CMO has a job tenure of 28 months. When clients change opportunity abounds. Yet here we sit, moaning about unequal opportunity. Shame on us."Two guys and a Mac" are starting up new business model companies and getting major accounts all over America. While we waste our time on Ad Age crying over the unfairness of it all. Get a clue people. This game is over. Time to start your own game. Find a smart white boy as a front man and go for it. Forget about creating advertising. Start thinking about creating competitive advantage. Way to go "Tony."
I rose to "fame" because I've mentored, nurtured and suuported the careers of many. I rose to "fame" because I highlight the achievements of people of color. Wow, how foolish and sad is that?
Honestly, during my tenure at AAAA, your name was NEVER mentioned as a founder of MAIP. Sorry. You may very well be the founder but your name is no where to be found. You should look into that. It is not too late to be invloved, the program begins in 21 cities starting June 2. To read up on how well your program has done, you can visit www.aaaa-maip.org
If my words have brought you out of the shadows then it was all worth it. As for excluding you from the history of GAP--well reach out to Jason Chambers so that he can make an addendum to his book "Madison Avenue and the Color Line" per the example you'v set in your comments, I just want to help you get your observations in line with the truth.