Campaign US posted a video featuring an Advertising Week interview with 4As President-CEO Nancy Hill. At about 1:55 into the video, the interviewer segued to the Here Are All The Black People incident, prompting a short discussion on diversity. Hill stated she feels “people are taking [diversity] much more seriously than I’ve ever seen them take it before.” Too bad the more seriousness only seems to apply to promoting White women. Hill also stressed that when she took the 4As job, she assumed the role of Chief Diversity Officer for the organization as well. Sadly, Hill has been about as effective as the average CDO, although she instituted the Rooney Rule for 4As hiring—while the advertising industry continues to use Mickey Rooney Rules. Sorry, but Hill will take home an ADCOLOR® trophy long before she brings motivating, meaningful or measurable change to the complexion of Madison Avenue.
2 comments:
http://www.thedrum.com/news/2015/09/08/4as-president-nancy-hill-challenges-building-diverse-workforce-and-difficult
She seems like someone who at least understands the problem (nepotism, same issues dating back to 1958 etc.) but it remains to be seen if she’ll actually do anything about it.
Given the 4As track record, I find it highly doubtful.
I’d hate to see her fall back on the usual steps: Hand wringing. Diversity panels at conferences. Encouraging discussions of diversity at agencies. Mentoring diverse high school students. Scholarships for high school students. Celebrating the promotion of white women as the epitome of diversity. Etc.
None of those things are working, and none of them have worked since the 1950s. Why is the industry so scared of the one thing that will cause the fastest change, which is releasing the diversity statistics just like the tech world has done, and breaking out management roles?
I think we’re smart enough to predict what the holding companies will try to do (including foreign offices in their diversity stats, counting HB1 visas in the US minority numbers, counting janitors and custodial staff as minority hires, etc.) but come on… Shouldn’t Nancy Hill be on top of this for us?
"Difficult conversation" is a code word (ie. the truth/dispelling white supremacy) I'm tired of hearing already. It's right up there with "fit" (ie. fit our white culture) They don't know the root because it's the spirit of America. Once America "is" ...one doesn't need to understand how it came to be.
Advertising or whatever umbrella they come up with for a new name needs a Jane Elliott style blue-eyed-test.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pv8mCHbOrs
It's not hard for me to hear the truth, but it's hard for them to speak it. It's even harder for them to hear it from each other.
The post about the Rooney Rule is from five years ago and supposedly then was beyond the point of talking.
Post a Comment