8150: Delayed WTF 9—Invisible Diversity Officers.

Over the past few months, MultiCultClassics has been occupied with real work. As a result, a handful of events occurred without the expected blog commentary. This limited series—Delayed WTF—seeks to make belated amends for the absence of malice.

Omnicom Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer Tiffany R. Warren recently appeared on “The Drum”—podcast of The Marcus Graham Project. During the interview, Warren remarked there is a dearth of diversity officers on Madison Avenue. While noting clients literally have hundreds of executives focused on creating inclusive workplaces, Warren admitted she could only name a handful of such revolutionaries within the advertising industry. It’s interesting to recognize the contrast between advertisers and agencies, given Madison Avenue’s penchant for mirroring their masters in so many other areas. Does the lack of advertising agency diversity officers reflect a lack of interest and commitment to diversity overall—or are there other explanations for the deficit? Sanford Moore would probably declare, “It’s hard out here for a pimp.”