AdColor has appointed Droga5 to be its agency of record, selecting the award-winning creative shop to help amplify its global influence ahead of the diversity-focused organization’s 15th anniversary.

“We’re ecstatic to partner with Droga5 and tap their industry-leading skills to evolve our brand and continue pushing boundaries in the DE&I world,” says Tiffany R. Warren, founder and president of AdColor.

“We’re confident Droga5’s top-notch creativity and brand thinking coupled with AdColor’s immense ambition will help us take the organization—and the way our community experiences our brand—to the next level,” she says.

The search for an agency of record was spurred in part by the pandemic, which saw the annual AdColor Awards, Conference and Futures program shift to virtual formats, thereby exposing the formerly domestic events to a wider, global audience for the first time.

Droga5, named Ad Age’s Agency of the Decade last year, “will help AdColor capitalize on this increased engagement and overall awareness,” the organization said in a statement. It will also expand the virtual footprint of AdColor Everywhere in 2021 and beyond, and “drive the evolution” of the group’s business model, which is aimed at becoming a global leader in diversity, equity and inclusion in the creative industries.

The group has previously partnered with agencies including GSD&M, TBWA\Chiat\Day and McCann for creative work.

“We are honored to support [AdColor] in their continued groundbreaking work in community organizing, mentorship and gathering of the best and brightest year after year,” says Droga5 chief operating officer Susie Nam, who’s also a current AdColor board member and was named a 2020 Asians for AdColor Community Hero.

The selection of Droga5 as AdColor’s leading creative partner makes sense as the two entities have a long-running relationship. The global agency has a history of supporting AdColor’s yearly conference and award show, often serving on the selection jury. Meanwhile, many of Droga5’s employees and campaigns have been recognized by AdColor with honors including Ad of the Year and Creative of the Year.

“We are humbled to bring our talent and heart to AdColor—a natural extension of our deep ties to the organization and our commitment to making meaningful change to the fortunes of people of color in our industry,” Nam adds.

First up on Droga5’s agenda for its newest client: continue preparations for AdColor’s 15th annual Awards, Conference and Futures program later this year, as well as work on the organization’s new AdColor in Music collective.