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The 2009 ADCOLOR® Awards presented by
A special advertising section of The 2009 ADCOLOR® Awards presented by: Arnold, CNN, Google, Microsoft Advertising, The Home Depot, Omnicom Group, One Club SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2009 Awards Journal sponsored by Advertising Age SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION OF ADVERTISING AGE ‘THIS IS YOUR SONG‘ “Thank you, thank you, thank you, you’re far too kind… hold your applause, this is your song, not mine.” — Jay-Z, The Blueprint 3 J ay-Z could not have created a more timely and pitch-perfect soundtrack for AdColor. The architects of AdColor’s blueprint want no awards, need no applause and receive no accolades; they simply act on behalf of furthering the belief that diversity creates not only innovation, but also limitless possibilities. From the beginning, their only motivation has been the industry’s opponents telling them what they could not be—a catalyst for real change. Now their hard work and unsung participation in AdColor’s mission have created a foundation on which current and future generations of professionals of color have and will build their dreams. Hundreds of years ago, Napoleon Bonaparte said, “A leader is a dealer in hope.” That line may have launched a thousand dreams, but the reality is that the true and everlasting equality our society dreams of has had trouble getting off the launching pad despite the best efforts of leaders, policy-makers and barrier breakers. A speaker at this year’s 4A’s Leadership Conference said that mobile has been the “next revolution for the last eight years.” I argue that diversity in advertising has been the next revolution for the last 50 years. The quiet revolution the AdColor Industry Coalition launched in 2005 has been fueled very consistently by monthly coalition meetings, the impassioned award nominations submitted by proud companies, the hundreds of unbillable hours donated by members of the AdColor Awards Steering Committee, the world-class contributions of our diverse vendors and sponsors, the unique stories of success offered by our honorees and, finally, the powerful network established not only among the Friends of AdColor and alumni of The AdColor Awards but also the Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter communities. AdColor is the new hope dealer in the advertising, marketing and media industries. During these uncertain times, President Obama has shown all of us that hope could move mountains—or at least get you the possibility of being chiseled into one. My hope is that AdColor will continue to etch new faces, stories and pathways to success into the rocky history of our industries. At this year’s AdColor Awards, as in the past, stars will be born. Let’s not only clap for them and the advertising, marketing and media industries that helped to create them, but also remind our Honorable Mention, Rising Star, Change Agent, Innovator, Legend, MVP, One Club|AdColor Creative of the Year and AllStar honorees that they are already home. ✰ Tiffany R. Warren Founder, AdColor and the AdColor Awards Chief Diversity Officer, Omnicom Group INSIDE PAGE 4: Building a New Era It’s one thing to market a post-racial world, but it’s another to actually build and live in one. And build one we must, says Ken Wheaton, assistant managing editor of Advertising Age. PAGE 6: AdColor Thank You AdColor thanks the people who have made the AdColor Awards a success for the third year. PAGE 8: Our Sponsors A look at the many companies supporting this year’s AdColor Awards. PAGE 10: The New AdColor After two years of success, the AdColor Industry Coalition is expanding its mandate—as well as its membership— to broaden its message, and its work, of inclusion in advertising, marketing and media. PAGE 14: AdColor Honorees This year’s AdColor Awards honor 17 individuals and three companies in seven categories: All-Star, MVP, One ClublAdColor Creative of the Year, Legend, Change Agent, Innovator and Rising Star. PAGE 16: Cristina Saralegui PAGE 17: PAGE 18: PAGE 20: PAGE 21: PAGE 22: PAGE 23: PAGE 24: PAGE 25: PAGE 26: MS&L Worldwide Egami Consulting Group Jimmy Smith Ernest Bromley Gilbert Davila Monica Gadsby Sheldon Levy Karla Gray-Mayers Procter & Gamble Co. Edgar Sandoval Michele Thornton Antoinette Zel Eduardo Dehesa-Conde Grace Hon Maria Lopez-Knowles LaTanya Beauregard Joydeep Dey Christian Jackson Phil Jackson Honorable Mentions Cover: Gary Mack Creative Director, NBA OCTOBER 4, 2009 I ADCOLOR I 3 SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION OF ADVERTISING AGE ADCOLOR BUILDING A ‘POST-RACIAL’ WORLD H ere we are, almost one full year into the administration of Barack Obama, and every corner of the country—right down to the advertising industry—is a fireside circle of diversity. OK. So not quite. By now, I think even those who expected Barack Obama to usher in a new, post-racial era in American life (c’mon, you know there were a few of you) remember now that progress isn’t ever so easy. And that success in one area doesn’t automatically lead to success in another. But there is a key lesson to be learned by comparing the Obama campaign to the Obama administration. It’s one thing to market a post-racial world, as Mr. Obama did to a certain extent—and as we tend to do sometimes in advertising. It’s another to actually build and live in one. And build one we must. Even if some question the value that the perspective of a “wise Latina” might bring to the nation’s highest court, I don’t think anyone in the advertising trenches would pass up a chance to get a wider range of views involved at the ground level on any and all marketing efforts. Such perspectives are not only good for business, they have the added benefit of helping to prevent some boneheaded mistakes. (One only need Google the phrase “Texican Whopper” to see an example of one such mistake—and be reminded that this phenomenon isn’t unique to the U.S.) So the work continues. You show up for work to crank out killer creative for your agency and clients, doing your small part and hoping that your own brand of wisdom seeps into the culture of the agency as a whole. The folks at AdColor do the same. Jackie Ghedine Managing Director, Sales 212-210-0725 [email protected] Angela J. Carola Director, Sales Strategy 212-210-0407 [email protected] Tiffany R. Warren may have shifted from an agency to a holding company (and may have slacked off on her blogging for a certain publication), but she’s still at the helm of the AdColor awards, steering the ship straight. On top of community- and pride-building efforts such as the awards show, AdColor is working in other areas. This year at Advertising Week, the AdColor Coalition announced it would be expanding into a full-fledged membership organization. That way, agencies, advertisers, media organizations, research firms, production companies and associations can actively participate in Coalition forums, events and task force meetings, “helping us to build and share the knowledge and experience that will meaningfully and sustainably advance diversity throughout the marketing industry.” Some, of course, will question the value of this work—saying it’s not enough. More is needed, they say. Maybe more is needed. I’ve always been quick to bang that drum. But why is it that some of those who grouse about efforts waged on behalf of diversity so often have a surplus of criticism but a paucity of practical ideas? And why does the criticism seem to so often be laced with an urge to tear down the efforts of others? I’ve probably mentioned it in this letter in previous years (and I’ll continue to do so in the future), but one of the most inspirational things about the AdColor Awards—and the Coalition’s mission in general—is the insistence on reaching back and pulling up those who come after you. At its best, this is an industry of inspiration, and the AdColor Awards show is nothing if not an example of the industry at its best. ✰ Karen Egolf Editorial Director, Custom Programs 847-577-9032 [email protected] Nancy Giges Section Editor Ken Wheaton is assistant managing editor of Advertising Age. Kathleen Barnes Christine Bunish Julianne Hill Katy Ingulli Nancy Coltun Webster Writers Richard K. Skews Associate Editor Barbara Knoll Copy Editor Hara Allison Art Director Jeanine Dunn Section Design Kate Costanzo Production Manager 4 I ADCOLOR I OCTOBER 4, 2009 SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION OF ADVERTISING AGE ADCOLOR AN ADCOLOR THANK YOU AdColor Industry Coalition NANCY HILL, CO-CHAIR President-CEO American Association of Advertising Agencies BOB LIODICE, CO-CHAIR President-CEO Association of National Advertisers Executive Committee CONSTANCE CANNON FRAZIER Exec VP-Corporate Programming and Development American Advertising Federation JIM DATRI President-CEO American Advertising Federation GINA GRILLO Executive Director Advertising Club of New York CHRISTINE MANNA Chief Operating Officer Association of National Advertisers LISA UNSWORTH Chief Marketing Officer Arnold Worldwide TIFFANY R. WARREN Chief Diversity Officer Omnicom Group JOHN WEBB Partner Reed Smith Awards Selection Committee ALLISON ARDEN Publisher Advertising Age CONSTANCE CANNON FRAZIER Exec VP-Corporate Programming and Development American Advertising Federation KIPP CHENG VP-Director of Public Affairs American Association of Advertising Agencies NANCY HILL President-CEO American Association of Advertising Agencies BOB LIODICE President-CEO Association of National Advertisers CHRISTINE MANNA Chief Operating Officer Association of National Advertisers SALLIE MARS Senior VP-Director, Creative Services & Diversity McCann New York DAVID PRINCE Director of Training, Education & Development American Association of Advertising Agencies LISA UNSWORTH Chief Marketing Officer Arnold Worldwide TIFFANY R. WARREN Chief Diversity Officer Omnicom Group JIM WHELAN Director of Talent & Agency Relations Advertising Age MARK ZANGRILLI VP-Human Resources Publicis USA Nominations & Criteria I humbly thank the AdColor Industry Coalition, the 2009 AdColor Subcommittee Awards Steering and Selection committees and our exclusive trade MARK ZANGRILLI, CHAIR media, presenting, friend, in-kind sponsors and preferred vendors for Publicis USA your selflessness, unwavering dedication, time and financial support. PRICE, VICE-CHAIR The third and most exciting chapter of the AdColor story has been DARLA Saatchi & Saatchi written. It reads: The tireless work of nine founding coalition members; ALVARO CIFUENTES 64 volunteers; 48 sponsors; 104 nominees; and 20 honorees helped con- DAS Latin America CARL DESIR tinue a movement that is entering its most important phase. Tiffany R.Warren Chair, AdColor Awards Steering Committee Branding & Collateral Subcommittee SALLIE MARS, CHAIR McCann New York GARY MACK, VICE-CHAIR National Basketball Association BENY ASHBURN McCann New York ARCHIE BELL Arnold New York AARON BELYEA Alphabet Arm Design MIKAL COOK McCann New York JOHN NGUYEN McCann New York CHANDLER SIMMS McCann New York KENJI SUMMERS OMD ERIC TAO McCann New York TONI THOMPSON McCann New York VICTOR VELEZ Arnold New York Awards Sponsorship Subcommittee TIFFANY R. WARREN, CHAIR Omnicom Group ALEJANDRO CLAIBORNE Carat RASHANA HOOKS A&E Television Networks KAREN LIST The New York Times SCAFFORD G. SIMMONDS JR. Thomson Reuters HILARY VARTANIAN Dig Communications and VWV Ltd. CAROL WATSON Tangerine-Watson Event Planning & Production Subcommittee MICHELLE NEWSON, CHAIR Onederland Events SEMHAR TESFAY, VICE-CHAIR Saatchi & Saatchi 6 I ADCOLOR I OCTOBER 4, 2009 SINGLETON BEATO JWT CARL DESIR JWT JOSÉ FERNANDEZ Deutsch Inc. FELICIA GEIGER Deutsch Inc. CHAD GERMANN Red Circle Agency LILLI HIGGINS Arnold New York DARLA PRICE Saatchi & Saatchi CHRISTENA PYLE Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide TONI THOMPSON McCann New York LINDEN WHITE Arnold New York MEGHAN WINSTON Deutsch Inc. NAVA YESHOALUL Google Inc. Host & All-Star Search Subcommittee CHIQUI CARTAGENA, CHAIR Latino Boom! MARCUS JIMENEZ, VICE-CHAIR Huemanitas SAIDAH NASH Reuters Media MIKE SCOTT MPIRE Management SUMITA SINGH Thomson Reuters Markets MICHELE THORNTON CNN JWT TARA J. GARCIA Arnold New York FELICIA GEIGER Deutsch Inc. CAROL WATSON Tangerine-Watson AdColor.org Subcommittee CHRIS MONTGOMERY, CHAIR Mr.Youth KINNEY EDWARDS, VICE-CHAIR Tribal DDB MICHELE ARINI Tribal DDB TRACEY COLEMAN Ogilvy Interactive JESSICA HARTLEY Sapient Admusic Compilation CD Subcommittee AKINTAYO ADEWOLE, CHAIR Akande Music+Publishing GAIL A. BROOKS MKTG MIKE A. SCOTT MPIRE Management ANGEL SUAREZ Disney ESPN Media Networks Alumni Outreach Subcommittee KARL CARTER, CHAIR GTM Inc. KEMBO TOM, VICE-CHAIR GTM Inc. ALVARO CIFUENTES DAS Latin America JULIUS DUNN The One Club/Adversity RUDY DUTHIL RD Global Enterprises SEMHAR TESFAY Saatchi & Saatchi PR & Outreach Subcommittee Special Projects SAPTOSA FOSTER, CHAIR 135th Street Agency SHANTE BACON, VICE-CHAIR 135th Street Agency DIANA HILSON Black Enterprise KENJI SUMMERS OMD HASSAN KINLEY Hassan Kinley Photography KIRSTEN MAGWOOD P.O.P. Media ERNEST MONTGOMERY Ernest Montgomery Group TODD TRIPLETT FreeDMC Better advertising through science. Presenting the UniÀed Theory of Advertising. You have great digital ideas. The hard part is what comes next. That’s where we come in. We work with you to make sure it all comes together: experiences and platforms, the right people and the right message, and the data you need to make sense of it all. Hey, we should get together. Microsoft Advertising and MSN Latino proudly support the AdColor Awards and congratulates all of the 2009 honorees. ® You dream it. We deliver it. ® SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION OF ADVERTISING AGE ADCOLOR 2009 ADCOLOR SPONSORS PRESENTING SPONSORS EXCLUSIVE TRADE MEDIA SPONSOR FRIENDS GHETTO FILM SCHOOL SPONSORS IN-KIND SPONSORS PREFERRED VENDORS dieste Hassan Kinley Photography Congratulations, Jose Fernandez. Honorable Mention, Rising Star Hassan Kinley Photography P.O.P. Media Worldwide 8 I ADCOLOR I OCTOBER 4, 2009 P.O.P. Media Congratulations! Thank you for leading the way! The Walt Disney Company congratulates all recipients of the 2009 Ad Color Awards. © Disney Hassan Kinley, Hassan Kinley Photography THE NEW ADCOLOR Coalition expands its mandate to broaden diversity awareness By Nancy Giges G ary Mack never imagined that a Facebook reconnection with a high school classmate could change his life so dramatically. But after catching up on 20 years over lunch with his classmate, it didn’t take long for Mr. Mack to spend most of his free time contributing his creative talent to a cause that has become his passion. 10 I A D C O L O R I O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 0 9 Mr. Mack, creative director of the National Basketball Association, and his classmate, Tara Garcia, a creative manager at Arnold, New York, discovered on Facebook that they were both in advertising. An AdColor volunteer, Ms. Garcia introduced him to the organization’s founder, Tiffany R. Warren, who soon drew him—as she has so many others—into the AdColor world. Since last October, Mr. Mack has contributed more than 300 hours to developing a strong visual brand identity and style guide, along with creative and collateral material, for the ad industry coalition dedicated to inclusion. The work of a cadre of volunteers such as Mr. Mack has propelled AdColor into the forefront of raising awareness of what the ad industry is doing about diversity. The AdColor Industry Coalition—the inspiration of Ms. Warren, chief diversity officer of Omnicom Group—is a cross-industry grassroots collabo- SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION OF ADVERTISING AGE Facebook and LinkedIn, as well as posting expanded profiles of AdColor honorees to the organization’s Web site. These offer an inspiring look into the ways these individuals are contributing to their professions. Now, to extend its reach and encompass even more individuals and companies, AdColor is becoming a membership-based organization, inviting companies and individuals to play a more active role in its operations. “We’ve done a lot of good work to engage and create a lot of passion among individuals, especially through the efforts of Tiffany [Warren],” says Bob Liodice, president-CEO of the Association of National Advertisers, who will serve as the first co-chair of the new structure, along with Nancy Hill, presidentCEO of the Four A’s. The 2009 AdColor Awards Branding & Collateral Committee ration of the Advertising Club of New York, the American Advertising Federation, the American Association of Advertising Agencies, Arnold Worldwide and Omnicom Group. What started with 15 volunteers on the AdColor Awards Steering Committee five years ago has now expanded to 64. The number of advertising, marketing, media, PR and design companies donating money and time has grown to more than 100, and the number of sponsors from 30 to 48. AdColor initially focused on raising awareness through an annual awards show celebrating the accomplishments of outstanding diverse professionals and now plans to extend the magic of that one night throughout the year. In the past year, AdColor has continued to build community by launching groups on Networking and a social connection Mr. Mack is a model example of the people charmed by the AdColor spirit. “I’ve benefited from my association,” he says. “It’s not just networking, but to have that social connection with people who are doing what you’re doing—it feels good, and it’s fun and it’s important to me as an AfricanAmerican man.” As AdColor moves from being an ad hoc group with a limited scope to a more formal organization with a broader agenda,Mr.Liodice says the goal is to be the most inclusive opportunity available so everyone can join the cause. The annual membership fee for companies is $5,000 and for individuals, $200. Along with rotating co-chairs, there will be an executive committee consisting of founding members and other individuals, and Ms. Warren will serve as chief branding officer, maintaining and growing the AdColor brand as she has since its start. The organization’s new initial activity will be promoting and publicizing what is taking place related to diversity within the industry in order to develop diversity management best practices and make the industry and others aware that there is quite a bit happening. CooperKatz & Co., New York, which handles PR for the ANA, has been hired as PR agency for AdColor. “We’ve come to recognize that we have to actively engage the whole industry,” says Mr. Liodice. “We [want more people and companies involved] in advancing this mission in order to become more effective, embracing broader principles and ideals. That will make our objectives easier and address the issues that have been raised by the marketing community’s critics.” There has long been the understanding of a need to change and improve diversity within the advertising and marketing community, Mr. Liodice says. For many, it’s simply good business in order to reach audiences that are increasingly diverse. “Everybody is really ready for something like this,” says Sallie Mars, chair of the AdColor branding and collateral committee and senior VP-director of creative services and director of diversity initiatives at McCann Erickson. For many of the honorees, the recognition has encouraged even bigger dreams. For Chad Germann, president-CEO of Red Circle Agency, Minneapolis, who was named a Change Agent in 2008, the honor “opened a door into a world that I never imagined I’d participate in—the world of big New York City agencies with international reach.” Mr. Germann says his life now includes all the things ad agency people dream of—the big clients, talented partners, exotic projects, industry-changing business ideas and adventure. “Hey, I’m a small-town Native American kid from northern Minnesota,” he says. “I came up working in my tribe’s casino marketing department. I started my agency with nothing more than a dream to make a living providing advertising work for a few casinos in Minnesota. I never thought to do more. … It’s exciting for a kid like me.” 'Incredible opportunity' Another 2008 honoree, Angel Suarez, brand manager at Disney ESPN Media Networks, New York, marvels at the“incredible opportunity” that comes with an AdColor award, allowing young honorees to make a significant impact on the success of their companies. “One thing that stuck with me,” he says, “is the motto of ‘rising up while reaching back.’ I think this is especially important for the category of the award I received, the Rising Star award. As a leader at [the coordinator, manager, director] level, the ability to rise up to senior-level management while reaching back to build on the strengths of colleagues is O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 0 9 I A D C O L O R I 11 SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION OF ADVERTISING AGE 12 I A D C O L O R I O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 0 9 The 2009 AdColor.org Committee Hassan Kinley, Hassan Kinley Photography gratifying, and I am blessed to work with colleagues who strive to make one another better every day.” The new AdColor structure and mission will shine a spotlight on such activities, formal or informal, by acting as an information and publicity center for all industry programs and events, whether organized by associations or individual companies. Says Mr. Liodice, everything the industry has done, such as the AAF’s Mosaic Center and awards and the Four A’s Multicultural Advertising Intern Program (MAIP), has been strong—but “siloed.” One expanding diversity program is at McCann, which rolled out an online training course to all North American offices in the past year. More than 90 percent of employees have taken the course. “We are changing thinking and changing behavior. It makes you think about things that you wouldn’t ordinarily think about,” Ms. Mars says. Another program designed for the VP level and higher at all McCann Worldgroup companies addresses the messages created by all disciplines and “how to avoid some of the potholes that exist. Sometimes people do an ad not realizing that it will offend a certain segment of the population because they don’t have that awareness; or sometimes they try to address a certain segment and they miss by a mile because they aren’t in tune with the segment,” she says. For digital agency Tribal DDB Worldwide, diversity has been on the agenda for more than a decade. “Our consumer targets on behalf of our clients generally are a bit younger, so we obviously are very heavy in the teen and young adult segments. These include large AfricanAmerican, Asian-American and Hispanic audiences, all not only large users of digital space but forward-leaning and leading-edge adopters of this technology,” says Paul Gunning, CEO of Tribal DDB Worldwide.“By focusing on that talent base, we are reflecting what we do for our clients and the consumer.” Since 1998, the agency has underwritten the Bill Bernbach Diversity Scholarship program for art directors and copywriters, which has helped about 45 students to date. “We make a big effort to hire those applicants when we can, and we’ve sourced a lot of talent from it,” Mr. Gunning says. In addition, the agency looks for diverse talent that fits the organization and that is “the “It’s not just networking, but to have that social connection with people who are doing what you’re doing—it feels good, and it’s fun and it’s important to me as an AfricanAmerican man.” — Gary Mack, creative director, NBA quality that we expect of all of our employees,” he says. “That allows us to do the best work, and that’s what it’s all about.” Diversity as business imperative CNN is another organization where diversity is a business imperative. “We feel the spirit has always been here because of the nature of what we are, who we are and how relevant we are,” says Greg D’Alba, exec VP-chief operating officer, CNN Ad Sales & Marketing. “We have a saying here: ‘We are what we air.’ Our programming reflects diverse audiences and perspectives that establish credibility.” Mr. D’Alba says that going back 10 or 15 years, news served a niche community and attracted only two or three categories of advertisers. Now, as programming has become more diverse, it appeals to a much more diverse audience. To present the expanded content to advertisers and agencies, CNN put together a team called CNN Advantage. The team not only represents the multicultural content to mainstream marketers and agencies but also calls on agencies and creative shops developing advertising targeting these audiences. Getting hooked on AdColor Once companies get involved with AdColor, they are hooked. Google has been involved since the beginning and has been a returning sponsor ever since. Nava Yeshoalul, a Google recruiting specialist, says AdColor has opened all sorts of doors for her and for her company. That has led to new partnerships, broader networks and to building “a pipeline of professionals in advertising, marketing and media,” she says. “We’ve been able to expand the Google brand among Hispanics and the African-American community particularly,” Ms. Yeshoalul says. This year, Google established a new program offering eight to 10 AAF Mosaic Alumni and Friends Association members an opportunity to be mentored by a Google employee for six months. “That we are able to connect with industry leaders responsible for running programs such as MAFA is immeasurable,”she says.“That probably would not have happened without the access of AdColor.” Now, with its new mandate, AdColor will address a “major gap … coming forward with a singular voice,” Mr. Liodice says. “Our voices have been fragmented. [Each organization and company has] its own unique agenda items— and they are all important, all appropriate and very responsible. We are trying to unify the stories, case histories, best practices and learnings so that we can elevate this at a faster rate and make the industry, and the critics and the advocates all aware of what is taking place.” Ms. Mars does not believe the ultimate goal is that far away. “Within five years’ time, the whole industry, will look a lot different,” she says. “All the people we are hiring and training right now are going to be productive and take those senior management jobs. We are just a few years away from that.” ✰ ADCOLOR HONOREES The AdColor Industry Coalition is honoring 17 outstanding professionals at all levels as well as three companies in marketing, advertising and media in the third annual AdColor Awards. The awards recognize outstanding performances in seven categories: All-Star, MVP, One Club|AdColor Creative of the Year, Legend, Change Agent, Innovator and Rising Star. Through hard work and efforts such as those of the AdColor Industry Coalition, the advertising, marketing and media world is becoming more inclusive. As demonstrated by the stories of this year’s AdColor honorees, the move toward a more diverse workplace is gradual, but it can be satisfying. This year’s legends say they are seeing a definite move toward inclusion in the workplace—one that mirrors the changes in American society. Says Gilbert Davila, VP-global diversity and multicultural market development for Walt Disney Co., “We’re moving to a process of integration within the fabric of the business. What was once a multicultural point of view can become embedded and ingrained in everything we do to ensure our efforts reach our target audience.” Adds Ernest Bromley, CEO of Bromley Communications: “It’s all about performance now. There’s no question that people of color can perform—and outperform—each other and bring the richness of our ethnic backgrounds into this industry.” To address disparities in the business, the AdColor Industry Coalition was formed in 2005 when a group of advertising, media and marketing executives met to discuss ways to increase diversity in their fields. The coalition also wanted to establish a forum for honoring individual accomplishments and to perform industrywide research. While the coalition is now expanding its mission, the AdColor Awards remain a key part of its effort to raise awareness of diversity within the industry. The awards were created as a way to provide role models for people of diverse backgrounds who want to succeed in advertising, marketing and media. As the following profiles show, success can come in many ways. Here, this year’s winners offer their stories of how they got into the business, why they stayed and what advice they have for others. 14 I A D C O L O R I O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 0 9 SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION OF ADVERTISING AGE ADCOLOR Rising Star LaTanya Legend Ernest Bromley Legend Gilbert Davila Legend Monica Gadsby Change Agent Karla Gray- Innovator Grace Hon Legend Sheldon Levy Innovator Maria Lopez- Knowles MVP MS & L Worldwide Egami Consulting Group One ClublAdColor Creative of the Year Change Agent Michele Change Agent Antoinette Beauregard Jimmy Smith Mayers Thornton Innovator Eduardo Dehesa- Rising Star Joydeep Dey Rising Star Christian Rising Star Phil Jackson Change Agent Procter & All-Star Cristina Saralegui Conde Jackson Gamble Co. and Edgar Sandoval Zel O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 0 9 I A D C O L O R I 15 ALL-STAR & MVP ALL-STAR I CRISTINA SARALEGUI Host and Executive Producer, “The Cristina Show,” Univision Celebrating 20 years on the air as host and executive producer of “The Cristina Show,” Cristina Saralegui is a 30-year veteran journalist and one of the most influential role models for Hispanic women today. After 12 Emmy Awards and 4,000 shows, her prime-time talk show, which airs on Univision, remains one of the highest-rated programs on Spanish-language television. Ms. Saralegui is also CEO of a media and licensing empire and an ardent social activist, especially in the field of AIDS awareness and education among Hispanics. Media is in Ms. Saralegui’s genes: Her grandfather, Don Francisco Saralegui, founded several publications in Cuba before the family was forced to flee to Miami in 1960 when she was 12. She interned at the Spanish-language magazine Vanidades, quickly moved up in the ranks and was named editor in chief of Cosmopolitan en Español at the age of 33. At that time, Ms. Saralegui received what she calls “the wisest advice” from her then-boss, Guillermo Bermello. “He didn’t pull any punches, which I loved because I am the same way,” she says. “He told me, ‘Prepare yourself because you are the editor who worked her way up from the staff. The people who were your friends are now your employees. You cannot be both boss and friend to an employee. This is going to cost you your friendships. You are a very popular person and everyone likes you. From now on, though, it will seem as if you walked into a shooting gallery and you are the duck!’ ” “Everything he warned me about happened,” Ms. Saralegui recalls. “Within a year I hadn’t a single friend at work. I learned that you cannot be a friend to your employees. You can be good to them and fair, but you must earn their respect or they will take advantage of you.” Under the banner Cristina Saralegui Enterprises, Ms. Saralegui and her husband and manager, Marcos Avila, have built a media company housed at their Blue Dolphin Studios, a cutting-edge TV production facility in Miami. Her personal style has also inspired the Casa Cristina Collection of home furnishings and a home decor partnership with national retailer Kohl’s. ✰ —Christine Bunish 16 I A D C O L O R I O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 0 9 MVP I MS&L WORLDWIDE AND EGAMI CONSULTING GROUP MS&L Worldwide, part of Publicis Groupe, gets a lot of offers for partnerships, but when Teneshia Warner Jackson showed up on MS&L’s diversity marketing radar, the agencies found a match made in heaven. Ms. Jackson is the founder and chief creative officer of Egami Consulting Group, an African-American marketing firm specializing in linking brands to urban consumers. And for Jim Tsokanos, the North American president of MS&L, a global network of PR consultancies with clients seeking to target many constituencies, the relationships Ms. Jackson and Egami have with urban musicians and other organizations are invaluable in reaching urban consumers. The combination of MS&L’s global reach and vast capabilities and Egami’s strong diversity credentials provide clients and consumers with innovative diversity brand experiences. For Procter & Gamble Co., the agencies partnered to launch a record label, TAG Records, named after the marketer’s TAG Signature Series body spray to give the brand an authentic urban voice. The label launch—using music, celebrities and community action—sparked sales of the body spray. An important element is a philanthropic partnership among TAG, Russell Simmons’ Hip-Hop Summit Action Network and the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education to create the TAG National Make History Grants Program, recognizing extraordinary accomplishments of select urban students. The agencies again partnered to support Moet Hennessy USA’s Hennessey 44 cognac, a special-edition bottle honoring the inauguration of President Barack Obama. The signature bottle resonated with its core 21-to-29-year-old urban audience by combining social media, PR events and commemorative packaging to send the message that dreams come true. Most recently, the agencies were in Chicago with actor-rapper Ludacris for Heineken’s Red Star Soul to present the beer brand as forward-thinking. Mr. Tsokanos says the access that Egami brings gives his agency an important advantage. Says Ms. Jackson: “You are going to see MS&L act as a leader in giving urban culture a voice and in giving feedback to brands.” Mr. Tsokanos concurs.“We have to reflect what’s happening in the world. If we are going to be a global agency and represent different markets for different people and voices, then we need an authentic look and feel.” ✰ —Nancy Coltun Webster SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION OF ADVERTISING AGE ONE CLUB|ADCOLOR CREATIVE OF THE YEAR ONE CLUB|ADCOLOR CREATIVE OF THE YEAR I JIMMY SMITH Group Creative Director, TBWA\Chiat\Day, Los Angeles When a recruiter in 1985 at CampbellEwald in Warren, Mich., abruptly ended a job interview for a junior copywriter position with Jimmy Smith, it opened his eyes. “She had my portfolio. She saw my work and called me in,” he says. “It became obvious that she didn’t know I was black until I walked in. Then she didn’t want to talk about the job. It blew me away.” That didn’t stop Mr. Smith from pursuing his dream of working in advertising. He persevered, and is now group creative director at TBWA\Chiat\Day, where he developed unconventional advertising for Gatorade’s “That’s G” campaign, including TV spots directed by Spike Lee that featured world-class athletes of all ages and ethnicities as well as a sports and entertainment network, missionG.com. It’s that kind of breakthrough work that earned the 47-year-old Mr. Smith honors at Cannes and the Clios, as well as his being named the first-ever One Club|AdColor Creative of the Year. Throughout his career, Mr. Smith has cleared hurdles that were before him. During two stints (1985-86 and 1990-91) at Burrell Advertising, a Chicago agency specializing in the African-American market, he faced a different kind of resistance. “I worked on a campaign for the McDLT. It was the first man meeting the first burger of its kind. McDonald’s loved it, but the issue was that ‘It’s not black enough,’ ” he says. “It was something that could play in the general market, but we were pigeonholed into doing what makes something black or not.” At other agencies, he confronted clients who considered hip-hop too urban and black for a general market. “I needed to find a place [where] no one looked at it as a black or white thing,” he says. That place was sports. His work on Nike at Muse Cordero Chen (199194) brought him to the attention of Wieden+Kennedy, where he served, beginning in 1994, as the agency’s first black copywriter. There, Mr. Smith’s creative sensibility helped him develop Nike’s hip-hop “Freestyle” basketball spot as well as the street-smart “Book of Dimes” campaign featuring athlete LeBron James and comedian Bernie Mac. Beyond the ad industry, Mr. Smith has written two books, a graphic novel and a documentary about basketball, as well as created a video game and started a sports apparel company. ✰ —Julianne Hill Your dedication to innovation has helped light the way to a brighter future. ¡Felicitaciones on your award! Eduardo Dehesa-Conde SVP, Group Creative Director ADCOLOR® Innovator Recipient O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 0 9 I A D C O L O R I 17 SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION OF ADVERTISING AGE LEGENDS LEGEND I ERNEST BROMLEY LEGEND I GILBERT DAVILA Chairman-CEO, Bromley Communications, San Antonio VP-Global Diversity and Multicultural Market Development, Walt Disney Co., Burbank, Calif. Ernest Bromley thought he was headed for a career as a political operative, analyzing attitudes and motivation in Latino voter behavior. A prescient friend who recognized the early trend to a burgeoning U.S. Hispanic population persuaded young Mr. Bromley that a career in marketing to that group would take him further. So armed with a fresh MBA, the New York-born son of a Canadian father and Puerto Rican mother joined San Antonio Hispanic agency Sosa & Associates in the early 1980s. Recognizing that the growing Hispanic population would forever alter the culture of the U.S., Mr. Bromley, now 58, developed a unique multitiered approach to the Hispanic consumer: “Hispanic immigrants who did not speak any English, Latinos who spoke not a word of Spanish and those who spoke a strange dialect called Tex-Mex that at the time I couldn’t understand.” By targeting all three of those groups as well as some subgroups, Sosa— with Mr. Bromley rising to its chief operating officer—found success. “[Multicultural marketing pioneer] Lionel Sosa was a wonderful mentor and colleague,” says Mr. Bromley.“Between us, we used our acculturation philosophy to better convey our message.” By 1989, the ad agency had been named Hispanic agency of record for Anheuser-Busch Cos., Burger King Corp., Coca-Cola USA and other prize accounts. Over the years, the agency’s name was changed to reflect the involvement of several different partners, including Mr. Bromley, and evolved into Bromley Communications in 1997. Now as chairman-CEO of Bromley, one of the nation’s leading Hispanic agencies, Mr. Bromley predicts that the populations of Texas and several other large states will become majority Hispanic in the next decade. “The 2010 census may show we already have a Hispanic majority in California,” he says. “All of us in the marketing and communication business are going to be faced with a marketplace that is redefining culture and language,” adds the man who calls himself an American Latino, part of a rich Hispanic heritage that includes a vast array of skin colors and ethnic backgrounds. Thankfully, says Mr. Bromley, there is no longer a racial stigma for those entering the industry. “It’s all about performance now. There’s no question that people of color can perform—and outperform—each other and bring the richness of our ethnic backgrounds into this industry.” ✰ —Kathleen Barnes 18 I A D C O L O R I O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 0 9 Gilbert Davila started delivering newspapers when he was 12. By the time he was 16, he was carrier of the year. Now at Walt Disney Co., he recognizes that his passion for marketing began in those newspaperslinging days. It also presaged a rapid climb up a career ladder from what Mr. Davila calls “incredibly enriching” sales and marketing roles at Coca-Cola USA and Procter & Gamble Co. to VP-marketing at Sears, Roebuck & Co. and, finally, to Disney in 2003 as VP-multicultural market development. (The global diversity role was added to his title a year ago.) Mr. Davila humbly honors mentors and executives all along the way who nurtured his desire to explore the multicultural market and to think outside the box. He credits the higher-ups in those companies with nurturing his drive: “The people I worked with were intelligent individuals who wanted to build their businesses. They provided me with the opportunity to demonstrate what we could do in approaching multicultural markets.” The streets of Brooklyn, where he sold P&G brands early in his career, were the perfect training ground for the Puerto Rico-born salesman. “I could see the mosaic, the multicultural artwork that New York was. I knew there were many cities throughout the U.S. that were experiencing the same cultural shifts; yet I had the feeling that major marketers weren’t marketing to the multicultural segment in relevant ways that were really going to result in sales,” Mr. Davila says. Twenty years later, at Disney, Mr. Davila finds that marketing to multicultural segments has matured. “Changes in acculturation levels, consumer sophistication, technology, more options and more media channels have made marketing to multicultural segments more complicated—and a heck of a lot more exciting,” Mr. Davila says. Yet he says he sees a day when multicultural marketing may become unnecessary.“We’re moving to a process of integration within the fabric of the business,” he says. “What was once a multicultural point of view can become embedded and ingrained in everything we do to ensure our efforts reach our target audience. I believe that is a direction we should all strive to achieve.” ✰ —Kathleen Barnes Grace Hon Worldgroup Retail Maria Lopez-Knowles MRM Worldwide Toni Thompson McCann Erickson Good things really do come in threes. Congratulations to Grace, Maria and Toni — you make us proud. LEGENDS LEGEND I MONICA GADSBY LEGEND I SHELDON LEVY CEO, SMG Multicultural, Chicago Exec VP-Deputy Director of Broadcast Production, Saatchi & Saatchi New York Monica Gadsby grew up in three countries, speaks five languages and carries two passports—making her the ideal trailblazer for multicultural marketing. Born in Brazil, the now-CEO of SMG Multicultural moved to Brussels for high school, then to Texas for college. “I grew up forced to look at different ways of thinking and acting and embracing the world as a whole,” Ms. Gadsby, 44, says. “Did I know this would be a career path for me? Absolutely not.” Two years into a liberal arts program at the University of Texas, Ms. Gadsby “got the American bug” and pursued a second major in advertising. The cachet of joining Leo Burnett Co. and a job as a media planner and buyer pulled her to Chicago after graduation. Two years later, her language skills earned her an invitation to help create Burnett’s groundbreaking Hispanic unit (in 1987) to develop opportunities for Procter & Gamble Co. in the growing, yet underserved market. This set Ms. Gadsby’s career path for the next 20 years. She helped build Burnett’s—and later Starcom’s—Hispanic media operations into one of the largest in the country. That success encouraged Starcom to found Tapestry in 2000 and extend the same philosophy to other ethnic groups, such as Asians and African-Americans. Since the early 1990s, the marketplace has grown more sophisticated, she says. Advertisers now realize multicultural marketing means more than creating a campaign in a different language, and they understand the importance of creating nuanced campaigns, she adds. For instance, clients must now consider their target market’s cultural assimilation and country of origin. “Particularly as these populations gain in numbers and importance, things cannot be one-size-fits-all,” Ms. Gadsby says. She oversees two of SMG Multicultural’s companies, Tapestry and 42 Degrees. Currently, she’s conducting research with community leaders such as priests, doctors, authors and teachers to gain their perspective on the diversity inside their ethnic communities. It all comes naturally to Ms. Gadsby. “By growing up as a global citizen, I had an appreciation of people of different colors and interests,” she says. “Now, I make everyone aware of the good in any culture and beauty in every people.” ✰ —Julianne Hill 20 I A D C O L O R I O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 0 9 Sheldon Levy arrived on Madison Avenue at the end of the “Mad Men” era as one of the Four A’s first MAIP (Multicultural Advertising Intern Program) interns. Looking back 30 years, he says there were more people of color working in the industry’s creative offices then than now. Today, as exec VP-deputy director of broadcast production for Saatchi & Saatchi, Mr. Levy makes it his business to attract a pool of diverse talent. “I’ve been nurtured in a unique place,” he says of his 25 years at Saatchi. However, Mr. Levy, 57, credits Jim deBarros of Doyle Dane Bernbach for launching his career. “I learned to love advertising [at DDB]. Jim made me a whole cloth. He didn’t just hire me, he mentored me,” Mr. Levy says. Today, Mr. Levy’s pet projects include Saatchi’s sponsorship of the Nothing Is Impossible Producer’s Award that supports aspiring and established African-American filmmakers as part of Run & Shoot Filmworks’ annual Martha’s Vineyard AfricanAmerican Film Festival. He believes the ad industry needs to discover more people of color, and people of color need to discover advertising. “Every film school kid knows who [movie director] Spike Lee is. None of them knows who Sheldon Levy is, but some have talent related to what we do,” Mr. Levy says. He sits on the board of Streetlights, a Los Angeles program that trains disadvantaged individuals to be production assistants. Saatchi hires two Streetlights workers for every Los Angeles TV project and he’s still active in the MAIP program. “I’ve made it my business to work with young people. … I’m beginning to see some of that bear fruit,” Mr. Levy says, mentioning with pride @Radical Media’s director Dennis Liu, honored as a first-year AdColor Rising Star while working as an assistant producer at Saatchi. When Mr. Levy counsels young professionals, he tells them to work on their writing skills to sell their point of view and to develop good relationships with their parents to build a foundation of support in a tough business. His personal solar system revolves around his wife of 27 years and their two children. ✰ —Nancy Coltun Webster SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION OF ADVERTISING AGE CHANGE AGENTS CHANGE AGENT I KARLA GRAY-MAYERS VP-Director of Supplier Diversity, BBDO New York “Any role in diversity is not easy,” says Karla Gray-Mayers. “You have to have a passion for it.” Ms. Mayers, VP-director of supplier diversity at BBDO, New York, who has been spearheading diversity for a good part of her career, definitely does. Initially working in retail buying and store management, she didn’t learn about vendor diversity until she moved into the sports arena and interviewed with Major League Baseball’s Wendy Lewis, who remains a mentor. “She got me really excited about a program they were instituting that married my buying and procurement with something I could relate to as an African-American woman who had worked with small businesses in the past. Until then, I had no clue that supplier diversity existed,” she says. Ms. Mayers, 35, served as supervisor of quality control at Major League Baseball until 2005, when she joined the U.S. Tennis Association as diversity coordinator. But supplier diversity comprised just part of her work, and she was eager to take on a position “100 percent dedicated” to the field. When BBDO structured a supplier diversity program that didn’t require prior agency experience, she sought and won the job. Today she works with all departments within BBDO New York to increase and develop external business relationships with minorityand woman-owned suppliers, and also manages the agency’s client relationships with respect to supplier diversity. The latter is “heating up,” she says. “Supplier diversity is a hot topic now. Two years ago we reported to three clients; now, we’re up to seven.” Ms. Mayers says she and her counterparts at other agencies and client organizations aren’t letting the nationwide recession slow their efforts. “We don’t accept the recession. We’re operating as we always have. There are a lot of resources out there, and funding is available to small businesses. It’s a great time from the corporate end to make that leap to supplier diversity. Go for it!” ✰ —Christine Bunish CHANGE AGENT I PROCTER & GAMBLE CO. AND EDGAR SANDOVAL General Manager-North America Marketing, Procter & Gamble Co., Cincinnati Winning with the multicultural consumer is a high priority at Procter & Gamble Co. It’s a top-down strategy and an objective the entire organization is expected to deliver, says Edgar Sandoval, general manager-North America marketing for P&G. Mr. Sandoval, 45, and P&G have been honored together by AdColor this year as Change Agents. At the core of the marketer’s strategy is the conviction that this is an indisputable choice for the company’s future. “The moment I came to Procter, it was an instant match,” says Mr. Sandoval, who left the aerospace industry to join P&G after earning a masters degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. “Marketing is about communicating, and being in touch with people and establishing relationships that are based on common interests. That is why I have enjoyed the marketing world so much.” “When I joined, my manager said, ‘We get rewarded for two things: One, for building the business and improving consumers' lives; and two, for building the organization by developing a diverse group of leaders for the company.’ I thought that was breakthrough. I realized that I had joined a special company and they were invested in me. I want to give back to others and help them achieve their potential,” he says. On Sept. 30, Mr. Sandoval was inducted into the Hispanic Scholarship Alumni Hall of Fame. He is on the board of the Association of National Advertisers and the ANA Alliance for Family Entertainment. “There are two important priorities ahead for me. One is to continue to help the company meet the needs of our ethnic consumers. The demographic trends demand this from us all. Second, we want to help all moms and families enjoy more family-friendly entertainment, and I want our brands to be part of that experience,” he says. He urges young professionals to be on the search for excellence. “Understand the rules of the game, the rules of the environment. Do an assessment of the landscape before you just put your head down and get to work,” Mr. Sandoval counsels. “But never compromise who you are. Be authentic.” ✰ —Nancy Coltun Webster O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 0 9 I A D C O L O R I 21 CHANGE AGENTS CHANGE AGENT I MICHELE THORNTON CHANGE AGENT I ANTOINETTE ZEL Director of Multicultural Ad Sales, CNN (Turner Broadcasting), New York President, La Comunidad, Miami Beach, Fla. Michele Thornton says her favorite life lesson is that “what is required of us is to take what our parents started and make it bigger.” Antoinette Zel has come a long way for someone who has only officially been on the advertising side of the industry fence for a year. Now, in her job as CNN’s director of multicultural ad sales, Ms. Thornton, 43, hopes to “create a path for other people who have a passion for community.” But Ms. Zel, a former MTV Networks and Telemundo Networks executive, just couldn’t say no when La Comunidad owners and brothers Joaquín and José Mollá invited her to become president of their agency and, as they said, “have some fun.” Ms. Thornton follows her father’s lead. He celebrated the achievements of members of their Oakland, Calif., community by handing out awards to kids with good grades or athletic prowess. Along with her work, she also helped advocate for diversity in the media and ad communities, creating strategic alliances with the Ghetto Film School, the National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications of New York and on the network’s in-house Diversity Council. After three years as senior exec VP-network strategy at Telemundo Networks and 13 years at MTV Networks Latin America, where she served as president for five of those years, Ms. Zel, 44, was excited by the opportunity to move from internal branding and marketing at the multiple networks to what she regards as “a more agile way to impact consumers.” “It’s an obligation, my duty,” she says. “It’s the price we pay for our place in life.” For his part, José Mollá calls Ms. Zel an innovator and an effective leader who can take La Comunidad to the next level. In college, media sales never entered Ms. Thornton’s mind. After graduating from Golden Gate University on a full academic scholarship in 1995, she worked at Pacific Bell as a tax manager. “She knows the vehicles to use to get consumers to care—whether through branded extensions, or original digital applications or even content. That’s very exciting for us,” Mr. Mollá says. “I was born to be a salesperson. I talk a lot and ask a lot of questions,” Ms. Thornton says. “I fought it at first, but then I fell in line.” For Ms. Zel, a second-generation Cuban-American with a law degree, the appeal of becoming president of such a highly awarded advertising agency was “working with influential brands they already had as clients and to move quickly, and try new things and explore new terrain.” A friend from Oakland approached her about the Walter Kaitz Foundation Fellowship, a program helping people of color make contacts and work in television and video. She was chosen in 2000. Through that program’s networking, The Weather Channel hired Ms. Thornton as a media planner in 2000. That led to sales posts at A&E and The History Channel. The multicultural market is “really fertile,” Ms. Zel says.“Brands are so personal and visceral—and are a part of your heart and who you are. They’re with you. You touch them every day.” When she was courted for a similar position at CNN in 2000, she was asked: “Who is Michele Thornton?” She responded: “My passion is community. I hope together we can find out what that means.” Ms. Zel says it shouldn’t be surprising that U.S. Hispanics, who are on average nine to 10 years younger than the general market, are often the first to adopt the latest technologies. “I have not second-guessed my choice to come here,” she says. “I’m pleased to be on a team of peers including Hispanics, Asians, African-Americans and different sexual orientations. “Hispanics are broader than what they are given credit for. They are openminded and prepared to navigate the hybrid world of the U.S. Hispanic,” Ms. Zel says. “Our business will not succeed if it doesn’t look like the changing face of America,” she says. “This is not a black, or Asian or Latino issue. This is an American issue.” ✰ —Julianne Hill For Latinos, she says, communication is a huge part of the culture. “Advertisers who understand how to authentically celebrate their world will succeed in this market.” ✰ –Kathleen Barnes 22 I A D C O L O R I O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 0 9 SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION OF ADVERTISING AGE INNOVATORS INNOVATOR I EDUARDO DEHESA-CONDE INNOVATOR I GRACE HON Senior VP-Group Managing Director, Worldgroup Retail, New York Senior VP-Group Creative Director, Draftfcb Chicago Eduardo Dehesa-Conde has viewed diversity from two perspectives. In his native Spain, he was an advocate for disenfranchised minorities, both in college and as a young boy with a beloved aunt who reached out to gypsies. Then as an accomplished creative when he immigrated to the U.S. in 1995 at the age of 30, he himself became a minority. His efforts to find a job as a creative were rebuffed: He was told that his advertising experience in Spain was not applicable to the U.S. Hispanic market, that his portfolio was “too European” and that he would never make it as a creative in the U.S. His resume, loaded with a wealth of experience in advertising and other marketing communications disciplines, said otherwise and included a prestigious position as head of protocol and PR for a Spanish governmental body. He also sensed he was getting much less respect as an immigrant than when he had traveled to the U.S. with a government title, although he acknowledges that power, not ethnicity, was likely a key reason. Eventually, Y&R’s Bravo Group gave him a break as a proofreader and translator. Within a year, he moved into creative for Bravo and two other Y&R multicultural agencies, Mosaica and Kang & Lee. The work was very hard but challenging, he says. “Sometimes I put in 17 hours a day. I haven’t forgotten how much I learned.” But after several years, Mr. Dehesa-Conde wasn’t sure the ad business was for him; so in 2004 he resigned to decide what to do next. His phone immediately began ringing with calls from agency recruiters, all of which he declined until one was so insistent, he felt he couldn’t refuse a meeting. The agency was Draft, and Mr. Dehesa-Conde was so impressed he told himself,“I would love to work here.” Fortunately, the feeling was mutual, and he was offered the job on the spot. What made such an impact was how he was treated. “We understand [advertising is] a business,” he says, “but the human aspect is extremely important.” Ever since, it’s only been upward for Mr. Dehesa-Conde at what is now Draftfcb. “It feels great, and it’s the right fit for me.” ✰ —Nancy Giges Growing up in Houston, the daughter of a tightly-knit Chinese immigrant family, Grace Hon abided by her mother’s wishes for her to stay at home for college rather than go “far away” to her first choice, the University of Texas, a three-hour drive. In retrospect, Ms. Hon, 43, believes that concession jump-started her career. “It allowed me to build relationships with key agency [people] in Houston. There were a lot of advertising professionals who were part-time professors at the University of Houston; so, rather than learn textbook methodology, we had practitioners come in,” she says. Ms. Hon’s family moved to Houston from Hong Kong when she was 6, and it was there that she became aware of cultural differences.“I was one of only two Chinese kids in school; and people would say, ‘Oh, you’re Chinese,’ ” she recalls. Back in Hong Kong, she says her house was “like a mini UN. I never thought about one race or another.” But nothing could hold her back or diminish her drive. Within a few years of graduation, her competitive nature and aspirations took her from agencies in Houston to Ogilvy in New York and, at age 28, to BBDO in Shanghai, where “I didn’t know a soul and didn’t speak the language.” After three years in China and six years at several agencies and consultancies on the West Coast, Ms. Hon joined McCann Worldgroup New York. Drawing on her experience with a number of clients that sold products at retail, she created Worldgroup Retail, which helps marketers build new and measurable experiences at retail. It is supported by a work flow system that enables the 70-person unit to handle more than 550 projects annually. Ms. Hon says her innovations in strategy and management likely stem from her attraction to solving big problems. “In fact, the more complex and challenging, the more I embrace that.” She starts by taking a fresh look. “I’ve never gone into solving a problem in a formulaic way. There is no right one thing that is exactly the same.” Attributing that lesson to her experiences in China, she says, “[I learned] that situations are always in movement and you have to adjust and adapt to the situation at hand.” ✰ —Nancy Giges O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 0 9 I A D C O L O R I 23 INNOVATOR & RISING STAR INNOVATOR I MARIA LOPEZ-KNOWLES RISING STAR I LATANYA BEAUREGARD Senior VP-Group Account Director, MRM Worldwide (McCann Worldgroup), San Francisco and New York Art Director, Yellow Shoes Creative Group, Walt Disney Co., Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Maria Lopez-Knowles’ first exposure to the business of marketing came when she was a child in New Orleans and her aunt, who worked on the Avon and Dial accounts for J. Walter Thompson Co., would visit and talk about her work. Ms. Lopez-Knowles, 47, senior VPgroup account director for MRM Worldwide in San Francisco and New York, went on to study psychology and wrote her masters’ thesis in 1985 on marketing to Hispanics. Today she leads the agency’s charge to reach U.S.-born Hispanics through direct and digital marketing. A U.S.-born Hispanic, she didn’t pursue work with traditional Hispanic shops because “they weren’t speaking to me, the offspring of a Spanish father and Cuban mother.” She identifies with all bilingual, English-language-dominant consumers, noting that “American advertising also wasn’t speaking to me.” She worked on the client and agency sides of the general market for 20 years before arriving at MRM five years ago with the realization that second-generation Americans are the brand influencers of immigrant families. A defining moment for her came when the U.S.-born Hispanic population became bigger than the foreign-born. “I realized that’s a huge opportunity. I’m no longer the minority; I’m the majority,” Ms. Lopez-Knowles says, adding that marketers need to target the U.S.-born Hispanic. “They aren’t being reached by ‘Hispanic’-language marketing or Englishlanguage marketing.” Such a strategy is game-changing because most Hispanic shops are creating Spanish-language communications, she says. “It’s about the kids. How do you market to those kids? It is validating to me. I’m one of those kids.” The implications, however, go far beyond U.S. Hispanic marketing. “This is a global issue,” she says.“There is so much immigration. How do agencies market to Africans in France or Japanese in Brazil? Do they recognize that assimilation doesn’t happen in one or two generations? It takes at least three.” The challenge is to speak to immigrant consumers in a way that is relevant to them. “I would bet my bottom dollar that the second-generation immigrant across the globe is the brand influencer, because they are the sherpas for their parents.” ✰ —Nancy Coltun Webster 24 I A D C O L O R I O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 0 9 In her five years with Yellow Shoes Creative Group, the internal creative agency for Walt Disney World Parks & Resorts, LaTanya Beauregard has seen firsthand how Disney embraces diversity. It’s one of the many ways the company nurtures big ideas, she says. Big ideas have been part of Ms. Beauregard’s repertoire since she interned in 2004 with Yellow Shoes fresh out of Florida A&M University and learned that Disney creative comprised much more than its famed animated films. She has spearheaded the creative strategy of brands and campaigns within various Disney company divisions, including revamping the brand identity for Disney’s Weddings and Honeymoons, making couples aware that their nuptials didn’t have to feature theme-park characters but could have “an elegant, chic, couture aspect.” She also developed new print and interactive campaigns for Cirque du Soleil at Walt Disney World and is currently creating the new look for advertising and the Web presence for Disney Cruise Line. At 28, Ms. Beauregard is the youngest art director at Yellow Shoes. She juggles a 50-plus-hour work week while pursuing an online M.A. degree in graphic design from Savannah College of Art and Design, which she will complete in March. She also manages to find time to mentor Disney College Program participants and return to her alma mater to inspire students “to use their skills, talent and the knowledge they’ve gained at the university to propel them to the next level.” At Yellow Shoes, Ms. Beauregard says she has found a “welcoming environment that challenges me every day.” Her extraordinary work ethic and “passion for the business” have fueled her goal of becoming “a great art director”—a goal that she has already made big strides toward with regional Addy and H&M design award wins. Ms. Beauregard hopes to eventually give back to the industry as an adjunct or part-time design instructor. “You always need to challenge yourself to continue to grow. This business takes sweat and tears at times, but I want others to know [that] with passion, you can make it happen.” ✰ —Christine Bunish SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION OF ADVERTISING AGE RISING STARS RISING STAR I JOYDEEP DEY RISING STAR I CHRISTIAN JACKSON Manager-Strategy and Analysis, Digitas, New York Copywriter, Arnold Worldwide, Boston Joydeep Dey, 28, is known for putting his heart into everything he does. Growing up in Ohio, the son of an engineer loved structure. Spending hours drawing plans and building with Lego bricks, Mr. Dey always knew he would do something with building. After studying economic theory and engineering at Boston University and post-grad work at Columbia University, Mr. Dey joined the Digitas strategy and analysis team as an analyst in 2005. “I love problem-solving, so I knew engineering had to be part of what I did … and strategy is all about engineering the big picture,” he says. Mr. Dey’s current role allows his passion for design, development and implementation of innovative business growth strategies to shine through for companies such as American Express Co., IBM Corp., Pfizer Inc. and Samsung Group. Sometimes the road to find one’s life calling is not a straight path. That is certainly true for Christian Jackson, although he didn’t wander too far afield. Mr. Jackson, 24, entered Syracuse University’s advertising design program to become an illustrator but switched to advertising design. When he graduated, he accepted a summer job in account management in Arnold Worldwide, New York’s Atrium Project program that offers promising minority students internships in Arnold offices. Mr. Jackson says he likens the experience to boot camp—“lots of late nights, lots of work.” In return, he got the opportunity to learn all aspects of account management, and he was hired as an assistant account manager in Arnold’s Boston office. Regarding his own experiences as a person of color, Mr. Dey says, “I love seeing someone who looks like me in a position that I want to be in. I find it inspiring.” Although Mr. Jackson pursued an account management job as he was coming out of college, he quickly realized that he missed his creative roots. Every night after work, he worked diligently on his portfolio. When it was ready, he stalked senior creative associates at Arnold, camping out in their offices for the chance to share his work and get their feedback. In 2007, Mr. Dey co-founded an employee-led affinity group that promotes networking and connections within the Digitas community and hosts events on diversity-related topics to increase knowledge about diverse consumer groups. After months of sharing and small writing jobs, Mr. Jackson’s persistence paid off. He is now a full-fledged copywriter working on accounts such as McDonald’s Corp., Procter & Gamble Co.’s Tag body spray and Volvo. Mr. Dey’s work earned him the 2008 Digitas’ Spark Award for excellence in leadership, where he was cited for bringing a “unique combination of charm, intelligence, enthusiasm, creativity and humor that energizes everyone to a new level of excellence.” “I don’t want to be known as a great black writer but a great writer,” he says. “I really love the fact that people take notice that I am a person of color.” Mr. Dey is also an active volunteer with the New York Police Athletic League’s after-school tutoring program and the Bowery Food Mission service, where he began printing inspirational messages on food packaging in multiple languages. His motto is:“Take all the passion that you have for something and bring it to life, no matter what industry you work in.” One passion that is not only very close to Mr. Dey’s heart but also a cause he plans to pursue are efforts to help prevent infectious diseases while educating villagers in India about them.While the plan is not yet set, Mr. Dey’s track record is an indication that it will happen. Says Mr. Dey,“If you do good work and show passion, people see that.”✰ —Katy Ingulli Mr. Jackson enjoys giving back to the community by co-chairing the Arnold Multicultural Employee Network. He has reached out to young people of color by coaching motivated inner-city high school students; talking to advertising students at both Howard and Harvard universities; and mentoring a class of Atrium Project interns. What advice does he give his “mentees”? “Be persistent,” he says. Know what you want. Don’t let things get in the way to get where you need to go.” While Mr. Jackson has had an excellent start to his career, he has big ambitions. But first he just wants to do “good work, hone [his] craft and perhaps one day become a creative director.” ✰ —Katy Ingulli O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 0 9 I A D C O L O R I 25 SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION OF ADVERTISING AGE RISING STAR RISING STAR I PHIL JACKSON Strategist, Publicis New York When Phil Jackson was young, his Jamaican parents pushed him to work hard and get a good education. He not only followed their counsel, but took it a step further and became very entrepreneurial. In middle school, he created a custom greeting card company. After that, he started a record label. With such business experience by the time he entered college, he knew marketing was for him. He graduated from the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce in 2006 with a B.S. in commerce and a concentration in marketing and management. To Mr. Jackson, there is always“one constant: offering a message that gets people excited.” During college, Mr. Jackson (now 25) accepted a summer internship at Publicis, an experience he describes as “amazing … where all my interests converged.” The internship led to his being hired after graduation as a REWARDING THE IDEA OF DOING WELL BY DOING GOOD. strategist at Publicis New York, where he has contributed to work for a number of clients and their brands, including the Ad Council, Courvoisier, Jenn-Air, KitchenAid, the Paley Center for Media, SanofiAventis, UBS and Vicks. He also prepares the “Nugget Report,” a publication that informs Publicis’ strategists of the latest news in strategy and communications. Mr. Jackson is also deeply into new-business efforts, regularly moderating focus groups and producing videos and other tools for both U.S. and global new-business initiatives.“As a person of color, I am able to bring a unique perspective to the table,” he says. Although just a few years out of school, he epitomizes the AdColor spirit. Mr. Jackson serves as a strategic mentor for Publicis New York’s summer interns, works with a program that pairs New York public high school students with advertising agencies and is a mentor with the Four A’s Multicultural Advertising Intern Program. One piece of advice he always gives is: “Speak up! A great idea can come from any tier.” For himself, Mr. Jackson just wants to keep learning from the other folks in the strategy department.“This is an exciting time to be in the industry. It’s more and more multicultural.” ✰ —Katy Ingulli HONORABLE MENTIONS INTRODUCING GOODWORKS AND THE GOODWORKS EFFIE To highlight the notion that great branding and good deeds are increasingly interwoven, Advertising Age launched Goodworks — a blog to highlight developments in corporate social responsibility and cause marketing, and also to recognize positive individual achievement. CREATIVE FEH TARTY CHANGE AGENT TONI THOMPSON Director, Wieden+Kennedy, London Program Developer and Recruiter, McCann Erickson, New York INNOVATOR CULTURELAB, DALLAS RISING STAR JOSÉ FERNANDEZ With Managing Partner Kevin Walker and Creative Director Philip Moore Media Supervisor, Deutsch, New York To punctuate the program, Ad Age and Effie Worldwide have partnered on a new award designed to recognize and promote this idea; it’s called The Goodworks Effie. For more information on how to enter your work — and attend the coming awards reception — please visit: ADAGE.COM/GOODWORKS 26 I A D C O effie.ad.AdColor.indd 1 LOR I OCTOBER 4, 2009 9/22/09 3:29:03 PM is not only a proud member of The ADCOLOR® Industry Coalition and supporter of The ADCOLOR® Awards but the professional home of the first ever One Club|ADCOLOR® Creative Award Honoree, Jimmy Smith Group Creative Director of TBWA\Chiat\Day LA and 2009 ADCOLOR® Change Agent Honoree, Karla Gray Mayers VP, Director of Supplier Diversity of BBDO New York Congratulations to the extraordinary class of 2009 ADCOLOR® Award Honorees and the remarkable examples of “rising up” and “reaching back” you have set for all of us to follow.
