photo credit: Univ of Maine
Adage published a very interesting and perhaps unflattering article on March 6, 2006 about how the NYC City Council is going to subpoena ad agency executives to ask them about the lack of diversity in the advertising industry.
One interesting factor to take note of is how diverse are the the current portfolio classes at the leading portfolio programs around the country? Here at UT, they're very diverse with students hailing from all over the world.
Why is that relevant to this article and to the ad industry?
Because students, and jr. creatives, are the future of the advertising industry.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
The white management of Madison Ave
Labels: industry
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9 comments:
Not to depress the hell out of you starry eyed students with bright futures, but ad schools have always been diverse. My graduating class in London many moons ago (12yrs) was 50-50 male female and a eclectic mix of people from all social classes, countries worldwide, color and religion.
Tge ones who made it into advertising and stayed there until today can be counted on less than one hand. Oh, and they are all white boys. Weird huh?
(Don't take that too hard tho, many dropped off the ad-map and switched jobs more or less straight after school - became book authors, football players, nightguards, own business owners and whatnot. Mostly some other creative type of job.)
i agree. with dabitch and makethelogobigger. i interviewed at a small shop in seattle for an AC position and it was going great until she asked me about how culturally chinese i was.
Sorry for the late arrival to this party.
Yes, chilluns, the ad industry you hope to enter does have deep-rooted issues surrounding exclusivity on nearly every level.
The bad news is that serious change may not happen until the current Baby Boomers controlling class retires or dies.
The good news is the generations following the Baby Boomers can and will change things for the better.
The so-so news is the generations following the Baby Boomers may have to wait for their predecessors to croak. Or you can try to accelerate the change by calling them out on these issues. Don’t make outsiders like the NY City Council do all the heavy lifting. Speak up and demand answers. Otherwise, you’ll be forced to stuff your portfolios in a drawer and seek employment as a clerk at The Gap or Target. While some old White guy hauls in six figures producing talking heads for Excedrin.
ok ok, so now im thoroughly depressed. help a brother out. do you guys know of any minority friendly agencies? or ways to trick them into believing im white so they'll hire me?
Huh,
Didn’t mean to depress you.
Can’t think of any minority-friendly agencies — besides the minority agencies. At the same time, it’s probably not fair to presume everyone else is minority-unfriendly.
It all depends on the job you’re seeking. If you’re a creative, here’s some advice:
1. Connect with as many creative directors as possible. Don’t bother dealing with agency recruiters. They’ll just consider you a minority that may help them meet diversity quotas versus judging you by your work. Try to connect with the non-Boomer creative directors. Don’t mean to imply the Boomers are biased. Most of them are not. But they will have a more difficult time relating to you on many levels. And race is not the major issue. It also involves having different attitudes about work and society; plus, they’ll probably be paranoid that you’ll replace them before they reach retirement age.
2. Don’t focus on the old-school big shops. The new media has created new kinds of agencies. Landing at an interactive shop will actually make you more dynamic and more employable in the long run. Even working at a below-the-line enterprise is not a bad thing. It’s unlikely that you’ll spend your entire career at only traditional advertising agencies. You shouldn’t even want to spend your career like that. Diversify and you’ll win in the end.
3. Network with working creatives of your own ethnicity. Let them help you make connections. Let them give you insights and advice. Hey, White guys sticking together built the industry. Nothing wrong with using the same fundamental tactic to your own advantage.
4. Unite with your fellow students to address the dilemma of exclusivity and discrimination. Create an ad campaign to bring light to the problem. Do something about it.
Don’t let discrimination serve as an excuse for your inability to move forward. At the same time, don’t believe you’ll land a job in advertising unless you’re willing to put forth greater effort than your White peers.
The problem comes with clients. Even when they're diverse, they like their agencies to reflect the audience they want to reach. Read, affluent white young guys. Trust me: If diversity would make more money for agencies, they'd done it already.
I'm Dominican and the trick to get into an agency is to go to Abercrombie & Fitch and get a pair of chinos. And I know Hispanics and blacks cringe when they think about buying used clothes. Well, they're not used: They're vintage. Get over it. White guys dig Bill Cosby and Kanye West for a reason. Black guys, cornbrows and tattoos will get you into sports but not into creative. And Hispanic guys, save those soccer jerseys unless you apply for W+K.
Funny many of the commercials you see black guys being cool and stuff are written by white copywriters living below 14 St. in Manhattan.
Im black with a ad degree, and all I'm going to say is get your portfolio right and temp till you find a good paying ad job dont take that 30,000 grand just because its there. Also remember its jut like college, you have to be 2X the best just to get in and 4X better to stay in..
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