Watch: Ad Age Town Hall on multicultural marketing
Watch the livestream replay above and follow the conversation on Facebook, Periscope, LinkedIn, Twitch and Twitter.
For years, the ad world has recognized that diversity is the new mainstream. Yet despite industry associations, pledges and countless studies showing the nation’s racial makeup is shifting to a “minority-majority,” agencies and brands still lack representation of Black, Latinx, Asian and multiracial (not to mention LGBTQ and differently abled) talent in leadership positions and in the content created. And investment in minority-owned media is inadequate at best.
So how can advertising and marketing move beyond surface-level attempts at diversifying casting or running commercials on media specifically targeting people of color? And can general-market agencies or a total-market approach truly reach multicultural audiences?
In the second in a series of town hall events, Ad Age dives into this debate, bringing together ad and marketing industry leaders on Oct. 27. We discuss the issues surrounding the current state of the marketplace, how to target these consumers authentically and why it's so important to get it right.
The discussion took place in a town hall format, using questions submitted by attendees in advance of the event.
AD AGE TOWN HALL: DEBATING MULTICULTURAL MARKETING AGENDA
Welcome remarks
State of multicultural marketing
Jill M. Kelly, chief marketing officer, GroupM U.S.
Kimberly Paige, executive VP and chief marketing officer, BET Networks
Redefining and understanding the new "general" marketing
Gilbert Davila, CEO, DMI Consulting and co-founder, ANA's AIMM
Isaac Mizrahi, co-president and chief operating officer, Alma DDB
Sarah Squiers, senior VP of business development, Univision Communications Inc.
The culture within: how a diverse workforce influences multicultural marketing
Tiffany Edwards, global head of diversity and inclusion, Droga5
Soon Mee Kim, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer and executive VP, Omnicom Public Relations Group
Where and how to find multicultural audiences
Andrea Carrasquel, head of brand partnerships, Tumblr
Vinay Shahani, VP of integrated marketing operations, Toyota Motor North America
Making authentic creative for multicultural audiences
Yari Blanco, senior manager of multicultural partnerships, Twitter
Ryan Robertson, global head of brand marketing, Popeyes
Lewis Williams, executive VP and chief creative officer, Burrell Communications Group
