Craig Brimm pointed out that the 4As online bookstore is selling Diversity: How To Do It Right by Adonis Hoffman. The hype reads:
“Diversity, How to Do It Right” is the first in a new series of “Diversity Best Practices for Agencies” booklets. Written by Adonis Hoffman, senior vice president and counsel in the AAAA Washington, D.C., office, the booklet is a handbook for business leaders. It provides 10 best practices and comprehensive list of practical actions that every business leader and company should set in place for diversity to work in his or her agency.
Haven’t yet perused the book, but if it’s based on Madison Avenue’s SOP for diversity, MultiCultClassics will guess the 10 best practices are:
1. Hire a Chief Diversity Officer
2. Organize a Diversity Committee
3. Launch an Inner-City Youth Outreach Program
4. Film a Diversity Documentary
5. Make a Donation to ADCOLOR®
6. Enter the Cultural Competence Contest
7. Inject Hip Hop into Campaigns
8. Recruit an Army
9. Delegate Diversity
10. Position Shifty Segregation® as Progressive “Cross-Cultural” Initiative
8 comments:
I wrote the book to which you referred. My main message to the CEOs was not unlike something your momma might have told you when you went to school: "If you ain't gonna do it right, don't do it all." Secondly, I continue to point to Mr. Sanford Moore and his approach as the key to solving the Madison Avenue problem, since it was he who championed it. But for full understanding of my viewpoint, see my statement to the New York City Council during its hearings in October 2006.
Personal Statement of Adonis Hoffman. Councilman Seabrook, now, I would like to offer your committee a few recommendations. First, as the merger of major communications companies continues and consolidation within the media industry increases, opportunities for smaller players are shrinking. I say smaller players because most minority media are small players. The number of minority and black-owned media are shrinking. Whether due to lack of access to capital, increased competition from the general market media, paucity of financial resources, sale of the business by the founder, or just plain old racism, it is a fact that black media have a particularly difficult time surviving. For every BET success story, there are the untold hundreds who could not make the payroll, meet the deadlines, or cover the rent. As media becomes larger and more bundled, it becomes increasingly more difficult for smaller and independents to survive. It is a reality that affects not only media, but also minority-owned advertising agencies, too. Their survival is something to be concerned about as well. The real challenge is to stimulate opportunity and ownership for black and minority firms in the advertising and media space.There are two highly laudable goals: 1.Increasing the overall number of black and minority-owned media; and
2.Increasing the current utilization of black and minority media by major corporations. Meeting that challenge will take a sustained and multifaceted approach, and the City Council of New York can play an important role. By adopting a broader approach to the issue of economic development, the Council can investigate ways to stimulate and promote minority ownership of media and media-related entities.
Here are six recommendations:
1.Develop a City program to produce more minority owners of print, television and radio media in New York. 2. New York should find ways to involve the capital markets in the goal to increase minority media ownership. 3.The City should investigate the use of tax credits to stimulate investment in minority-owned media companies and to encourage minority media utilization. 4.The City should investigate tax holidays or other investment incentives for minority entrepreneurs starting media companies. 5.To facilitate access to capital, the City could provide incentives to financial institutions who lend to minority media owners. 6.To spur further economic investment and development, the City should expand its economic development zones as an incentive for media companies to locate businesses there. There are any number of financial inducements the City could come up with to promote the growth and development of minority media ownership in New York. As the original architect of many of the initiatives on the table today, Mr. Sanford Moore should be encouraged to play a more constructive role as an interface between the City and the private sector. I understand that Moore’s group has had discussions with agencies and advertisers on a series of programs to achieve these very objectives. In short, Mr. Chairman, it is in the best interests of the City, the advertising and media industries, and minority firms alike to find ways to work together on these important issues. Adonis Hoffman, Esq.Leadership Counsel, LLC
I wrote the book to which you referred. My main message to the CEOs was not unlike something your momma told you when you went to school: "If you ain't gonna do it right, don't do it all." But for full understanding of my viewpoint, see my statement to the New York City Council during its hearings in October 2006.
Personal Statement of Adonis Hoffman.
Councilman Seabrook, I would like to offer your committee a few recommendations.
As the merger of major communications companies continues and consolidation within the media industry increases, opportunities for smaller players are shrinking. I say smaller players because most minority media are small players. The number of minority and black-owned media are shrinking. Whether due to lack of access to capital, increased competition from the general market media, paucity of financial resources, sale of the business by the founder, or just plain old racism, it is a fact that black media have a particularly difficult time surviving. For every BET success story, there are the untold hundreds who could not make the payroll, meet the deadlines, or cover the rent.
As media becomes larger and more bundled, it becomes increasingly more difficult for smaller and independents to survive. It is a reality that affects not only media, but also minority-owned advertising agencies, too. Their survival is something to be concerned about as well.
The real challenge is to stimulate opportunity and ownership for black and minority firms in the advertising and media space.
It seems to me there are two highly laudable goals:
1.Increasing the overall number of black and minority-owned media; and
2.Increasing the current utilization of black and minority media by major corporations
Adonis Hoffman, Esq.
Leadership Counsel LLC
For the balance of my comments:
Here are six recommendations:
1.Develop a City program to produce more minority owners of print, television and radio media in New York.
2.As the center of finance and private equity, the City of New York should find ways to involve the capital markets in the goal to increase minority media ownership.
3.The City should investigate the use of tax credits to stimulate investment in minority-owned media companies and to encourage minority media utilization.
4.The City should investigate tax holidays or other investment incentives for minority entrepreneurs starting media companies.
5.To facilitate access to capital, the City could provide incentives to financial institutions who lend to minority media owners.
6.To spur further economic investment and development, the City should expand its economic development zones as an incentive for media companies to locate businesses there.
Mr. Chairman, I am not an economist, but it seems to me there are any number of financial inducements the City could come up with to promote the growth and development of minority media ownership in New York.
Recognizing that city government is limited in scope and resources, it becomes even more important to partner with independent private sector entities to reach these goals. As the original architect of many of the initiatives on the table today, Mr. Sanford Moore should be encouraged to play a more constructive role as an interface between the City and the private sector. I understand that Moore’s group has had discussions with agencies and advertisers on a series of programs to achieve these very objectives. Before the City Council proceeds with more hearings, it should allow for private initiatives to take root.
As everyone knows, the media and advertising industries are at the core of a vibrant New York economy. I am sure you will find willing partners among every stakeholder if this constructive approach is followed. In short, Mr. Chairman, it is in the best interests of the City, the advertising and media industries, and minority firms alike to find ways to work together on these important issues.
I appreciate the opportunity to submit these remarks to your committee.
Adonis Hoffman, Esq.
Leadership Counsel, LLC
For the balance of my comments:
Here are six recommendations:
1.Develop a City program to produce more minority owners of print, television and radio media in New York. 2.As the center of finance and private equity, the City of New York should find ways to involve the capital markets in the goal to increase minority media ownership.
3.The City should investigate the use of tax credits to stimulate investment in minority-owned media companies and to encourage minority media utilization. 4.The City should investigate tax holidays or other investment incentives for minority entrepreneurs starting media companies. 5.To facilitate access to capital, the City could provide incentives to financial institutions who lend to minority media owners. 6.To spur further economic investment and development, the City should expand its economic development zones as an incentive for media companies to locate businesses there.
Mr. Chairman, the City could come up with to promote the growth and development of minority media ownership in New York.Recognizing that city government is limited in scope and resources, it becomes even more important to partner with independent private sector entities to reach these goals. As the original architect of many of the initiatives on the table today, Mr. Sanford Moore should be encouraged to play a more constructive role as an interface between the City and the private sector. I understand that Moore’s group has had discussions with agencies and advertisers on a series of programs to achieve these very objectives.
In short, Mr. Chairman, it is in the best interests of the City, the advertising and media industries, and minority firms alike to find ways to work together on these important issues.I appreciate the opportunity to submit these remarks to your committee.
Adonis Hoffman, Esq.
Leadership Counsel, LLC
Mr. Hoffman,
Some of your comments overlapped, but each contained unique points, so all were published. Feel free to delete any redundancies yourself.
FYI, the original post was obviously cynical and sarcastic, rooted in frustration over our industry’s sluggishness in addressing diversity. MultiCultClassics apologizes if you took offense, appreciates your efforts and looks forward to reviewing your work. Happy holidays.
HighJive, no offense taken. The overlap was because the blog did not allow me to submit the entire comment at once. Sorry about the redundancy, which you can edit out. Just thought you should know the facts before you continued to besmirch my efforts or participation.
By the way, where were you in 1998-99 when all of this got its start through the Madison Avenue Initiative started by Rev. Sharpton and Sanford Moore and supported by FCC Chairman Bill Kennard, then-Congressman, now Senator, Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Rep Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI), VP Al Gore, and the entire advertising and marketing industry? No doubt,the industry has been laggard in achieving diversity, especially at the highest levels, where we are all hard pressed to name more than one high ranking Black executive. This condition has not been for the lack of effort by many folks, at their own peril, to call it as they saw it.
If you want to chronicle the industry's efforts in a responsible way, and not carp from the margins, I also would point you to the attached chronology of events, which I compiled earlier this year. Finally, if you want to get a full brief of the issue going back to 1960, I would suggest you talk to the recognized authority on this, who is Sanford Moore. He is copied on this e-mail. As I said, earlier, if you ain't gonna do it right, don't do it all. But hey, it's your blog. Have a happy new year.
Mr. Hoffman,
MultiCultClassics has only been publishing for about 6 years. Posts have regularly saluted activists like Sanford Moore, Cyrus Mehri, Larry Seabrook, Patricia Gatling, Harry Webber, Lowell Thompson, Hadji Williams and more. Type their names into the search field and you’ll see. Your name will join their ranks on this blog.
Happy holidays.
HighJive, thanks for your comments. I trust you will find a way to publish the chronology--you will find it quite instructive.
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