Essay Forty-Seven

Essay Forty-Five featured a newspaper columnist’s perspective on RJ Dale and the Illinois State Lottery account, along with a response from MultiCultClassics. It appears that others had strong opinions about the journalist’s work, as today’s column presented readers’ reactions. The columnist deserves props for publishing the critical letters — but he did a shitty job of editing the MultiCultClassics entry (see the unabridged version in Essay Forty-Five). Nonetheless, check out the following…

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Readers respond to Lottery column

May 25, 2005

By Lewis Lazare, Sun-Times Columnist

The May 23 Media Mix column on the mess at the Illinois Lottery touched a nerve with readers. And we want to clarify one aspect of Monday’s column: R.J. Dale Advertising & Public Relations was awarded the lottery account after a review of proposals by Lottery Director Carolyn Adams, other lottery commission members and staff.

The group decided R.J. Dale was the best of several ad agencies that vied for the business. Adams did not unilaterally award the contract to Dale.

Herewith a sampling of the comments and observations.

You are transparent in your race-inspired attempts to remove R.J. Dale ad agency from participation in the Illinois Lottery contract. Lottery proceeds are up by 20 percent since the black-owned agency took over promotion from its white-owned predecessor, DDB/Chicago. The terms of the agreement are to be enforced by the participants to the agreement, not by innuendo in a column written by someone with a (not so) hidden agenda.

Adrien Deloach

I have lived in Chicago for many decades, and I haven’t seen this type of public lynching here in quite some time. Perhaps you should inquire about the success of the ad campaign. I believe sales are up 8 percent. The last time I checked, an African-American agency the size of R.J. Dale is respectable given the history of our great country. I am dismayed that an otherwise decent column would scurry about to trash an American success story.

Harold D. Shepard

Has anyone done a story yet on the fact the Illinois Lottery has yet to produce its 2004 annual report? That fiscal year ended on June 30, 2004. Isn’t it about time? The ‘03 report didn’t come out until I raised a stink. What is the excuse this time?

Kathy Gilroy

(Note: Revenue Department spokeswoman Geraldine Conrad says the 2004 report “is in the final stages” of being completed.)

Why did you choose to place quotation marks around the word “review”? Are you implying that awarding the account to R.J. Dale was somehow improper? Perhaps you’ve spent too much time away from the advertising business.

Accounts have been awarded for a variety of reasons, from personal relationships to political motivations to blatant bribery.

Heck, sometimes accounts are actually awarded based on the work presented in the pitches. Anyone who has ever dealt with accounts like the Lottery will confirm that politics (personal and governmental) play a key role in all decisions.

To call R.J. Dale a “firm that few in the local ad community had even heard of before this” diminishes the company and your credentials. Plus, it speaks volumes about how minority agencies are viewed in this industry.

HighJive@multicultclassics.blogspot.com