Affecting Change in Advertising & Marketing Right Now
Aired on Zoom - Wednesday, June 10th at 12:00PM PST
WATCH RECORDING HERE
It’s Time to Make A Change
We’ve all been inundated with rhetoric this week. I won’t waste words, because words are cheap. Mostly worthless. Action, when properly directed has real value, but only when it affects positive change. The first action everyone (and I do mean EVERYONE) should be taking right now, is an honest self-examination of their behavior. Either you are part of the solution or you are contributing to the problem. Consider your actions; what have you done to open doors of opportunity and abolish inequality?
For the past 30+ years I’ve built a career in the media business. I’ve grown and nurtured communities of marketers, agencies and their partners. I’ve been in a position to lift people up, to illuminate good practices and encourage equal opportunity. Time and again, I’ve failed to act. Oh, I’ve talked equality. I support equality. I want equality. I haven’t done shit to make it happen. This is uncomfortable. Shame and regret always is.
I’ve been looking at photos of the crowded rooms during Brand Storytelling at Sundance and Elevate in Park City. Most of the black presence in those pictures consists of musical artists and entertainers, not attendees. We don’t have one black voice on our advisory board.
Our newly forged mission, as individuals and an organization, is to take action that will affect change. We will add black voices to the advisory (there are many brilliant minds that can and will help direct us), we will form an industry task force with a focus on opportunity for young people of color, we will work with industry organizations to support their efforts of inclusion, diversity and equality and we will hold them accountable, as we expect ourselves to be. That’s just a start. Please, watch us and judge us by our actions.
It's time to make a change.
We've canceled our regularly scheduled Live Stream program to bring you a special discussion next week. I read Edward Cotton’s excellent article and immediately reached out to him to host a Live Stream focused on necessary ACTION for the advertising and marketing industry. I am grateful for the participation of panelists Jabari Hearn, Catherine Henry, Donnovan Andrews, and Marla Kaplowitz in this conversation that will focus on specific actions necessary for our industry to move ahead in a long-needed positive direction. Please mark your calendar to join this important discussion.
Sincerely,