AAAA Conference: Economy, Diversity, Creativity & Recruitment.

The role of ad agencies in the post dot-com era, the economic downturn, diversity in the workforce, and employee retention are among the key issues that were explored at the 83rd American Association of Advertising Agencies’ annual Management Conference.

The program included an enticing lineup of presentations by leading executives from the marketing, agency and media industries. They include DDB Worldwide Communications Group Chairman Keith Reinhard; Publicis Groupe Chairman-CEO Maurice Lévy; Nina DiSesa, chairman and chief creative officer of McCann-Erickson New York; Ogilvy & Mather’s Steve Hayden; Leo Burnett USA CEO Brad Brinegar; DDB New York’s Bob Kuperman; and Crispin Porter & Bogusky Advertising Chairman Chuck Porter.

The client side is represented by, among others, Pepsi-Cola North America President- CEO Gary Rodkin, while a panel of top editors from Condé Nast Publications, moderated by company president-CEO Steve Florio, will weigh in from the media side.

Diversity, the Economy, and the Future

AAAA President-CEO O. Burtch Drake opened Thursday’s General Session with his annual address, in which he discussed the current state of diversity in the ad agency work force. As part of his speech, Drake announced plans for a new AAAA initiative dubbed “Operation Jumpstart II” that would provide $1 million in scholarships to multicultural students of the advertising arts. Drake’s address also touched on how the AAAA is responding to the current economic downturn.

Lanny Baker, managing director of the Equity Research Department of Salomon Smith Barney, discussed the economic scene, to be followed by a panel discussion of agency CEOs entitled “Leading Agencies in the Dot-Com Era.” Journalist Randall Rothenberg of Advertising Age and Booz Allen & Hamilton’s strategy+business Media will moderate.

Creativity

On Friday morning, outgoing AAAA Chairman Philip B. Dusenberry, chairman of BBDO North America, presented his “Chairman’s Address.” He also announced the winners of the 2001 AAAA O’Toole Awards for creative excellence.

Following Dusenberry’s address, a panel of top-level agency executives including DiSesa, Hayden and Kuperman participated in a discussion dubbed, “Who Says Big Agencies Don’t Do Great Creative Work?” USA Today Marketing Reporter Bruce Horovitz will moderate.