Recruiting Diverse Candidates at the Collegiate Level

I think I've mentioned in a previous blog that one way to diversify the images in the ads and commercials we see everyday is to diversify the staff at the various ad agencies, especially the larger ones that work on the big accounts.  It seems that one organization is attempting to do this by partnering with a university.  The idea is to reach prospective advertising professionals before they enter the business--when they're young, enthusiastic and still learning.

The 4 A's (American Association for Advertising Agencies) is teaming up with  

Howard University, an historically black college/university located in Washington, D.C.

According to an article published in Advertising Age, the 4 A's will be granting $1 million to Howard's Advertising program in an attempt to address the diversity issues in the industry o

n the management level.  So now the 4 A's, the leading association for advertising professionals, is funding a program that targets an underrepresented group in the ad industry and that will do research to identify what more needs to be done to improve diversity in the industry.

It sounds good on paper, and in a spirit of optimism, I will venture to say it is an honest attempt on the part of the ad industry to try to tackle this issue.  It's a start.

However, the comments at the bottom of the Advertising Age article raise a few important and interesting questions to this proposal/pledge:

1. What steps are the 4 A's implementing to address diversity problems within the industry? What support is there for ad professionals already in the business who are members of underrepresented groups?

2.  What real work can be done (at Howard University) with $1 million? The ad industry is a multi-billion dollar business.

3.  Is this a PR stunt on 4 A's part to detract attention from the true seriousness and immediacy of the issue?

4.  The grant is for addressing diversity issues in management.  But what about "creative" students and professionals (those who conceptualize and design the ads)? 

I think these are all valid concerns that I hope people on the board of the 4 A's are aware of and planning to address with other initiatives.  The first question is a big one because the plan to recruit diverse candidates while they're still students is useless if the students find it difficult to be hired after graduation or if there is no support for them if they do get jobs. 

$1 million is also a small sum compared to the billions of dollars the ad industry rakes in annually.  It will be interesting to see how Howard divides up this amount for use in their program.  Will most of that money go toward research?  Research is still a rather passive way to act on the issue--it's looking at diversity from the outside as opposed to doing work from within the ad industry.  I'm not sure how much money it would take for this type of partnership to be successful, but $1 million doesn't seem to be much of a sacrifice (or commitment) on 4 A's part.

Point 3 is probably the most serious criticism, as it calls the 4 A's integrity into question.  Time will tell if this is indeed a PR stunt--if the partnership only lasts a year or two, or if funding is cut to an even more pitiful amount.  I'm sure critics will be keeping a close watch.

Lastly, the fourth concern touches on an issue close to home, as I aspire to be a copywriter after completing school.  Managers are important, especially since we know there are not many managers of color in the ad industry, but at the end of the day, hiring more won't address the concern I've been highlighting -- the creation of more diverse ads.  Creative professionals (art directors, graphic designers, copywriters, creative directors) are still the ones who conceptualize and create the ads we see everyday.  They pitch their ideas to the managers.  Managers of color can criticize and shoot down the concepts for one-dimensional ads, but there still needs to be fresh, diverse faces in the creative departments to bring these fresh, diverse ideas to the table in the first place.  So the 4 A's missed one half of their industry professionals with this partnership.

I optimistically stated earlier that this initiative was at least a start.  But when will the ad industry move past starting into real action?  Let's hope Ad Age will be reporting on other programs to address these issues sometime this year.