In the five months since The Richards Group was rocked by its founder’s racist remark, a lot has changed—and a lot hasn’t.
The shop is smaller, having shed 15% of staff, or 100 people. It has hired a diversity, equity and inclusion consultant called Do What Matters. But the agency’s name remains the same, and the Stan Richards School of Advertising lives on at the University of Texas’ Moody College of Communications. A spokeswoman for the school says it is “still gathering information and viewpoints. We will share updates and conclusions as they are available.”
The most visible change is a cottage industry of small shops springing up from Richards alums. At least three have hung up their shingle since the beginning of the year: Baker & Bonner Creative Emporium, PlotTwist Creativity and Trace Element.
Opened earlier this month, Baker & Bonner was founded by the creative team of Rob Baker and Jimmy Bonner, who worked together for 17 years and are perhaps best known for Jeep’s “God Made a Farmer” commercial (below) that ran on the 2013 Super Bowl.