Mad Men shows us an, albeit a bit antiquated, analogous workforce which is still often the case in this industry. Fifteen percent of those employed in the advertising industry are people of color, while our country’s minority population is 37%1. There are, however, several different forces looking to change the industry status of the quo and the makeup of the every-day agency.
Providing open doors for new professionals will guarantee success and The Marcus Graham Project, headed by Lincoln Stephens, is leading that cause.2 The project runs multiple programs to promote diversity within the industry like an experience-building boot camp, developing a fund to support applicants attending expensive conferences to further educate, and lunch & learn programs for high school and college students. Current GHer Daidria Grayson is working with the program to help identify and interview potential participants. “It’s really important to catch students’ interest in advertising/marketing earlier to assist the cause of diversity in the industry long-term. MGP serves that purpose, starts the conversation, and includes current ad/marketing professionals who want to make a difference.”
Recognizing success and promoting it to entrants into the field encourages the drive for success. ADCOLOR® is a nonprofit focusing on celebrating and championing diversity in advertising and related fields by creating a diverse network of successful professionals and leveraging their stories as a road map for others to follow. By using programs such as ADCOLOR® University, an intensive training program for both agencies and individuals to promote continued career growth and ADCOLOR® FUTURES, a program geared toward teaching students looking to enter the field, the organization is continuing to open doors for diverse ad professionals both from the front and back end.3
By starting the conversation in groups of young people, the industry can also grow the “cool” factor. The Pursuit of Passion: Diversity in Advertising is a documentary that “aims to inform and inspire tomorrow’s Mad Men and Women about careers in advertising/marketing”4 and was produced by the VCU Brandcenter and the 4As to “serve as a tool to encourage young people, particularly minorities, to consider advertising as a possible career. The film also does a fantastic job of making everybody in the business — no matter what your background is — to reflect on the very reasons we all got into this crazy industry to begin with.”5
By continuing to change the makeup of the typical ad agency to close the gap and match the diversity of today’s society, we can actually help our clients speak better to their audiences, and that is how we succeed at changing the status of the quo.
References
1. Stephens, Lincoln. “How to Solve Adland’s Diversity Problem.” Ad Age® Blogs Web. 25 Jan. 2013.
2. About Us, Marcus Graham Project. “Our Mission/Our Purpose.” Web. 27 Mar. 2013. http://marcusgrahamproject.org/about-us/.
3. About ADCOLOR®. Web. 27 Mar. 2013 . http://adcolor.org/about-2/about/
4. About The Pursuit of Passion. “About.” Web. 27 Mar. 2013. http://www.passion4advertising.com/?page_id=2.
5. Jimmy Smith, Creative. “IHAVEANIDEA.” 29 Sept, 2010. http://ihaveanidea.org/creatives/2010/09/29/jimmy-smith/.
-Jen Fine, Account Executive, GlobalHue