When Black is LOUDER than Brown … Part 3 – Latest Update

After a two part series titled “Black is LOUDER than Brown”, where we highlighted the incident where Dentsu’s CEO (owners of Carat Media) stated that the agency would direct more ad dollars to Black Owned and Operated Broadcasters in a program titled “Project Booker.”   We have an update.

• When Black is LOUDER than Brown ……… Part 1
• When Black is LOUDER than Brown ……….. Parte Dos (Part 2)

Dentsu does not return emails to advise us of the success of the “Project Booker”, and National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters does not return emails or calls regarding the success of Project Booker either.

So, it must not have delivered or it was not a success.  We assume.

Dentsu advised us that ‘Project Booker” was intended to run during Black History Month that just past in 2021 and that if sucessful, they would analyze and see if they could do the same type of prtogram for Hispanic Owned & Operated Broadcasters during Hispanic Heritage Month in 2021.  THE JURY IS STILL OUT?

Now, we find that General Motors in a meeting with Mary Barra, CEO of GM, Deborah Wahl, Global Chief Marketing Officer of GM, Heather Stewart, Global Director of Media and Marketing of GM, Telva McGruder, Chief Diversity Officer of GM, and several other senior GM executives. Representing NABOB were: DuJuan McCoy, CEO, Circle City Broadcasting; Cathy Hughes, Founder and Chairman of the Board, Urban One; Alfred Liggins, CEO, Urban One; Howard Robertson, CEO, Spotset; Chesley Maddox-Dorsey, CEO, AURN/A Wonder Media; Sherman Kizart, Managing Director, Kizart Media Partners, and Jim Winston, President of NABOB. according to Radio Ink stated that “General Motors has announced it will increase its advertising budget with black owned media organizations to 2% this year, 4% next year, and a goal of hitting 8% by 2025.”

That is an incredible increase of dollars, imagine if they increase US Hispanic focus ad spend at the same rate?

With all the political and social issue discussions and promotion going on in the advertising industry, promoted by some of our key Hispanic focused advertising agencies, media and politicians on all platforms regarding the Black Community, Business and Executives and accountability.

I applaud their strategic efforts and LOUDNESS.

But, not once have we seen or heard a call for an effort to have more inclusion, better hiring practices and upward mobility of Hispanics in their messaging or coming from the US Hispanic Ad Industry.

At least some inclusion in the rhetoric and efforts would be appropriate.

I do not think buzzwords like LatinX will be the solution to the woes of the US Hispanic / Latino / Latina / LatinX Consumer advertising spend.

My dos centavos.

 

Gene Bryan

CEO

HispanicAd