Advertising Age reported Amtrak put its multicultural account into review—aiming to ride with a shop that can handle Black, Latinx, Asian American and Pacific Islander, and LGBTQIA+ audiences. Additionally, the RFP requests that competitors demonstrate internal and external DE&I commitments.
The work is currently being handled by a WPP tag team including White advertising agency VMLY&R—creator of heat shields and performative propaganda galore—and multicultural shop Culture One World.
It's hard to imagine a single firm holding the credentials to cover such a diversity of audiences; however, any enterprise claiming to have the complete expertise would almost automatically demonstrate DE&I dedication.
Expect White holding companies to railroad the review by connecting minority shops with a White advertising agency leading the choo-choo—whereby the engine is fueled by cash and the cultural cabooses get crumbs. All aboard!
Amtrak Puts Multicultural Account Into Review
The passenger railroad service previously had all its advertising work consolidated under WPP
By Aleda Stam
Amtrak has sent out a request for proposal for its multicultural advertising business, Ad Age has learned.
The U.S. passenger railroad service is looking for creative, media, analytics and account planning to support marketing and advertising geared toward Black, Hispanic, Asian American and Pacific Islander and LGBTQIA+ consumers, according to RFP documents obtained by Ad Age.
Amtrak has a particular focus on digital and social strategies using media trends and technology to increase ridership and revenue, according to the RFP.
In accordance with its own diversity standards, Amtrak is asking for proposals to include each agency’s commitment to diversity, both internally and externally, according to the documents reviewed by Ad Age.
Amtrak could not be reached for comment.
All of Amtrak’s advertising work has been handled in partnership with WPP since 2018. VMLY&R confirmed it leads strategy and creative with media from EssenceMediacom and cross-cultural work from incumbent Culture One World.
It is unclear if Culture One World will be defending the account. The agency wasn't available for comment.
The RFP is for a three-year contract, with the option for two additional one-year contract extensions. All proposals must be in by June 20.
Amtrak spent $32.2 million on U.S. measured media in 2022, according to Vivvix, including paid social data from Pathmatics.
1 comment:
Amtrak will do what all large clients do, which is hand the account on a silver platter to some big holding company located offshore in a swishy place full of white people on yachts, that puts a token multicultural "shop" in the forefront at the pitch and on the paperwork only to relegate them to translating banner ads and pulling stock BIPOC photos for the remainder of the contract and pay them in pocket lint, and thus the status quo that has always existed, and continues to exist, will continue.
All you have to do to verify who actually gets the money is look at the full industry credits for any one of these big clients. The multicultural shop gets mentioned in the initial press releases when they win the contract, but the end result is a litany of white holding company names at the "lead" agency in the credits with maybe, at best, the president of the multicultural shop listed as a consultant or inconsequential credit of some sort. But more often than not the multicultural one is just a listed footnote, nothing more.
https://www.effie.org/legacycases/case/US_2020_E-4577-117
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