Five Rules for Black-Owned Agencies

Above All, We Should Create Great Work and Support Future Generations of Minority Talent

Posted by Moses Foster on 08.26.08 @ 10:37 AM

Moses Foster

Maybe I was born to be an entrepreneur -- I don't know. I do know, however, that almost since I could read, I've loved stories about entrepreneurs, and black entrepreneurs in particular.

On Sunday nights, before the school week began, I'd settle down to a cup of vanilla ice cream (remember the ones with the wooden dipstick and the fudge swirl?) and read the week's Ebony and Jet. That was the only place to track the progress of an eclectic cast of black entrepreneurial characters -- men like John Johnson (the publisher); Berry Gordy, who, of course, ran Motown; Earl Graves, publisher of Black Enterprise; and Russell Simmons, founder of Def Jam. I watched their businesses grow, studied how they maneuvered and took pride in their accomplishments.

Gay Wedding Bells Ring; So Do Cash Registers

The Big Tent: Even Middle-American Hallmark Gets in on the Act

Posted by Steve Roth on 08.22.08 @ 11:11 AM

Steve Roth

It's midnight in Los Angeles, and I'm sitting in front of my computer typing away. Two important things happened in my day today and I want to share them with you. One is that I attended my first bona fide gay wedding reception. The second is that Hallmark just unveiled its first line of same-sex wedding cards.

Do You Believe in Hip-Hop Republicans?

One Author Makes the Case for Common Causes

Posted by Ken Wheaton on 08.21.08 @ 10:39 AM

Interesting piece from The Root about Hip-Hop Republicans. I bring this up because, after the recent discussion of "insights as stereotypes," I think we can all agree that the assumption -- rightly or wrongly -- is that 99.9% of African-Americans are Democrats. And in a race with a viable Black candidate? Forget about it. But here's the thing. Black Republicans do exist. I've met a few. Heck, I even get emails from a group called the National Black Republican Association, whose latest campaigns revolve around trying to remind people of the Democratic Party's sorry (old) history on race and convince folks that Martin Luther King was a Republican. But I don't know if I know any Hip-Hop Republicans as defined by author Lenny McAllister.

So, what's the difference between a Hip-Hop Republican and a black Republican? Hip-Hop Republicans grew up with the influence of hip-hop culture and, unlike their peers over age 50, are able to see how Republican values and policies should be applied to urban issues. And while black Republican is a label based solely on race, "Hip Hop Republican" speaks to the existence of a group that has transcended race in many ways.

He goes on to write:

The pillars of Hip-Hop Republicanism are economic empowerment, educational choice, access to information and empowering the potential of the individual.

Taxes probably have something to do with that as well. It's probably no coincidence that very wealthy black athletes and hip-hop stars at least flirt with Republicans when they start noticing how much of their paychecks get siphoned off.

Of course I don't think any of that is going to win McAllister friends, especially in urban enclaves such as New York. I'm sure someone has an opinion on this. Now, there's a marketing challenge. Make Hip-Hop and Republican seem synonymous.

Hallmark Launches Cards for Gay Marriage

Posted by Ken Wheaton on 08.21.08 @ 10:22 AM

From the AP: "The nation's largest greeting card company is rolling out same-sex wedding cards -- featuring two tuxedos, overlapping hearts or intertwined flowers, with best wishes inside. 'Two hearts. One promise,' one says. ... Hallmark says the move is a response to consumer demand, not any political pressure." There's a lot of money to be made there. It remains to be seen if political pressure will come from the religious right. Even if it does, hopefully Hallmark will choose common decency (and good business sense) over the shrieks of a few anti-gay hysterics.

Phonetic or Pathetic?

Grading My Garmin on Its Spanish

Posted by Rochelle Newman-Carrasco on 08.18.08 @ 12:17 PM

Rochelle Newman-Carrasco

California, like many other states in the U.S., has a significant number of Spanish-language and Spanish-language-influenced street names. La Brea, La Cienega, Pico, Santa Monica and so on. So you would think that creators of navigation systems, whose main purpose in life is to give directions, would have given this some serious consideration. Particularly when it came to programming the all-important Text to Speech (TTS) feature.

The Problem With 'Hispanic Insights'

They're Not All That Insightful

Posted by Tommy Thompson on 08.14.08 @ 03:44 PM

Tommy Thompson

All Latinos love music, soccer and food, don't they? These seem to be the "insights" all marketers have been leveraging into their Hispanic advertising approach for years now. The problem is that a lot of non-Hispanic segments also like music, soccer and food, and herein lies the challenge -- what insights should we use to adequately reach Hispanics? The key is to think about ways to reach this target as a segment rather than as a consumer.

Spanish Team Keeps It Classy for the Olympics

Poses in an Ad Acting Like Rude 6-Year-Olds

Posted by Ken Wheaton on 08.12.08 @ 11:11 AM

For the dim-witted among you, that headline should be read with a heaping dose of sarcasm. Over to the left, you'll see the Spanish basketball team posing in an ad for a delivery company. According to The Guardian, "Every single player appears pulling back the skin on either side of their eyes. The advert carries the symbol of the sport's governing body." Considering Spain's well-documented recent sports history, this sort of stupidity shouldn't surprise anyone.

The Changing Face of 'Urban' Consumers

Not Always an Issue of Black and White

Posted by Doug Melville on 08.07.08 @ 12:16 PM

Doug Melville

When you are addressing urban references to your employees, consumers or customer base, how do you define "urban"? The answer could help you get a better understanding of what urban means to your brand.

I Don't Know What Color I Am

Unity Conference Raises Questions About Hispanics and Race

Posted by Laura Martinez on 08.06.08 @ 02:48 PM

Laura Martinez

A few days ago, as thousands of journalists gathered in Chicago for the 2008 Unity Conference, a Mexico City-based magazine editor called and asked me if I would attend and, most importantly, if I would be willing to file a story from the event. For the uninitiated, Unity: Journalists of Color is an organization "advocating fair and accurate news coverage about people of color." It is made up of more than 10,000 members and counts among its partners the Asian American Journalists Association, the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and the Native American Journalists Association.

'Black Copy' Blog Says It All in One Post

Put This on Your Reading List Today

Posted by Ken Wheaton on 08.04.08 @ 10:38 AM

[My white mentor's] friends were very nice and helpful. They seemed surprised and delighted by my work. They critiqued it and gave me great tips, advice and references. They thought I was very talented and deserved a foot in the door, just not their door. There were no openings I was told. And then with a smile, they would ask, "Have you tried Burrell?" I was very familiar with the African-American agency down the street. You wouldn't believe how many general market agency people asked me that. It almost became a mantra.

That's Edye Deloch-Hughes on her blog Black Copy. In this particular post, she's explaining her first attempts to get into the business way back in the, uh, early '80s -- you know, after the first storm following the civil-rights movement and the first New York City Commission on Human Rights investigation fizzled away and was forgotten by all those people who promised to do better.

The post also touches on the pigeonholing that happens to black creatives after they work at an African-American shop. As Edye writes, "Not only did I do the non-respectable thing -- write advertising for black folks -- but I wrote hair care advertising for black folks."

And there's more. In 1,400 words, she manages to touch on almost every complication there is when it comes to race in this industry: problems getting in; issues of being typecast; the psychological comfort of working with people like you vs. the desire to work at a general-market shop; the cyclical nature of the "outrage." Not only that, but the first comment on the post -- which urges Edye to do her own thing rather than seeking work at a general-market agency -- brings up something that often goes unmentioned in these debates: the number of people who quit to start their own businesses. It's a great post. Here's hoping Edye writes more. Now go read.