6364: Diversity Job Fair Is Cool. Sponsor Is Not.

Adrants, New York University and Business Development Institute are presenting the Advertising Industry Diversity Job Fair and Leadership Conference in New York City on Wednesday, February 11, 2009. The trio should be commended for their continued commitment to the cause.

However, it’s interesting to note the Recruiters & Sponsors include Merkley + Partners, the agency that scored a big fat zero after its first year of signing a diversity pact with the New York City Commission on Human Rights. Here’s the agency’s blurb:

Merkley + Partners has been built by senior advertising executives who have all worked at large agencies on large brands. We focus our collective experience and expertise on solving clients’ problems in diverse and rapidly changing markets. In this way we’re large enough to be entrusted with some of the world’s most well regarded brands, while small enough to focus senior talent on every client’s business. Our mission: to make connections. Making connections. For our clients. For ourselves. We are in the business of connecting people to brands. We make connections that stick. For our clients, we create a bond that connects a brand and a consumer. We create a connection between words and images that changes people’s behavior. Internally, we connect with each other... We connect by being very people-friendly. We connect within our own halls. We connect by spreading thoughts and ideas, one person to another.

Um, so why can’t these fools connect with any minorities? Seems like their opening line tells the story. The place was “built by senior advertising executives who have all worked at large agencies on large brands.” In other words, M+P is an exclusive club where only big agency refugees with big agency experience gain entry. Are these guys supporting the Advertising Industry Diversity Job Fair and Leadership Conference for legitimate reasons—or are they just seeking to avoid the wrath of the New York City Commission on Human Rights and Cyrus Mehri? M+P claims to “connect by being very people-friendly.” What “people” are they talking about? The agency should invest $297 and connect with Carmen Van Kerckhove.