When Black is LOUDER than Brown – Parte Dos (Part 2)

After the release of our first article “When Black is LOUDER than Brown – Part 1” on Tuesday, we have been involved in a flurry of emails, texts and calls with executives regarding the purposeful announcement by the Dentsu Network of their media-buying program (Project Booker) designed to create “Inclusion with Exclusion”. 

Project Booker – an internal and external project that goes above and beyond the efficiency and effectiveness of targeting consumers for an advertiser, to selectively directing media buys to Black owned and operated media based on social management prerogatives.

• Really? 
• What is the metric for gauging disadvantaged minorities?

We do not disparage or take away from the hard work that the Black Broadcasters put forth to have the Dentsu Network announce and create a special “PROJECT”. 

BRAVO.  Well done, you have accomplished what the US Hispanic Market +60 Million Consumers has not.

Our issue is not with the Black Broadcasters, we understand the up hill climb to accomplish this acceptance that a “PROJECT” is needed, our issue is with the Dentsu Network – – the parent company of Carat Media (one of the largest media-buying agencies in the country). 

Project Booker is based on “Inclusion with Exclusion”.

• The usage of the word “PROJECT” projects a lack of seriousness and long term commitment.  The end of the PROJECT is close, before it began.
• Hopefully the Black Broadcasters understand that by calling it a “PROJECT”, it is not benficial to the long-game we all play.

Unacceptable. ¡Punto!

The program is only designed for Black Broadcasters, at the exclusion of Hispanic Broadcaster or any other Minority Broadcasters.

• Dentsu Network has a Chief Multicultural Officer we assume, was that person sought for insights?

Dentsu’s media buying division Carat Media, purchases mainstream and Multicultural media for companies like General Motors, Procter & Gamble, MasterCard, Pandora, Subway and others.

• Will Carat Media enhance opportunities of inclusion on media buys for only Black Broadcasters above and beyond the media dollars that they earn due to their audience delivery?  How?
• If new dollars or incremental dollars are not available to fulfill the Project Booker’s mission, will dollars be cannibalized from other minority marketing programs, i.e. Hispanic Market to ensure success?
• Are General Motors, Procter & Gamble, MasterCard, Pandora, Subway and others aware of the “Inclusion with Exclusion” project and its side effects?
• We wonder how Marc Pritchard of the Procter & Gamble Company would think about this PROJECT at the Dentsu Network/ Carat.  It goes against what he has been preaching —– inclusion at all costs.
• This is not an initiative it is a PROJECT.

According to a new email from Mike Russell – Chief Growth Officer, US at Dentsu, “we felt the need to create incremental opportunities that directly addressed the social inequity that we witnessed this summer. This is what led to Project Booker.”

• So Blacks are the only minority group that suffered social inequity that we witnessed this summer?
• Really, have you been on the earing calls of the media that serve the US Hispanic Consumer this year after the politics, the riots, the pandemic, the suffering?
• So Black Broadcasters and Consumers only deserve a PROJECT?

Dentsu Network / Carate is managing and directing media buying dollars from a political and public relations standpoint for their clients.

• What are the real implications for your advertisers and the media that serves the Consumers?

The Association of According to the 2020 Association of National Advertisers Multicultural conference this week built a whole conference around social inequity and how it has impacted all minority groups.

With this said,  our US Hispanic Market ad agencies, our media and our executives should be on notice .

• There is a vacuum of leadership in our US Hispanic advertising & marketing industry and others are claiming it
• As the largest and one of the most important minority populations in the Multicultural Bucket, it seems we are at the bottom of the bucket at the Dentsu Network and probably other agencies networks. 
• Are there more “Project Booker” in place at other adverting and media buying agencies? Do we know about them?
• To the Hispanic and Spanish-language Broadcasters, they are treading on your turf. and the ad dollas for this PROJECT are probably re-directs from you media budgets.
• Where are the so called Hispanic Corporate activists? 
• It is we take from one to give to another as a “PROJECT”.

We are just looking to highlight “Inclusion with Exclusion”.

We might be hoping for accountability, correctness, and understandings that these examples of probably honorably intended “PROJECTS” and unskillfully executed efforts are just shuffling the same pieces on the board between themselves  vs. genuinely incrementing advertising and marketing designated to Multicultural audiences.

Fortes en Fide.

In full disclosure, we at HispanicAd are focused primarily on the US Hispanic Market, but we cover more Black Market, Asian Market and other Minority Market advertising and media news than any other trade journals combined.

Gene Bryan

CEO

HispanicAd