12581: Early Black Mad Men.

From The New York Times…

An Early History of Blacks on Madison Avenue

Q. I was reading about the new “Mad Men” exhibition at the Museum of the Moving Image, and I got to wondering: When did blacks manage to break down the barriers on Madison Avenue and become ad executives?

A. By the early 1950s, more than 40 black men were employed in “special markets” for American corporations, according to “Madison Avenue and the Color Line: African Americans in the Advertising Industry,” by Jason Chambers.

Some, like Moss Kendrix of Coca-Cola, helped create advertising approaches to blacks. Sometimes, their work consisted of keeping outright racism out of ads. A pioneer, David J. Sullivan, ran his own consulting firm, Negro Market Organization, on Fifth Avenue in the 1940s, and his dos-and-don’ts articles in the trade press spotlighted offensive marketing.

Mr. Chambers highlighted several black advertising men who struggled to open doors in the 1940s and 1950s. Among them:

Edward Brandford, a Cooper Union graduate and commercial artist, with two partners, Barbara Watson and Mary Louise Yabro, organized the first modeling agency for African-American women in 1946 in Manhattan; he followed it with his own ad agency. Unfortunately, companies eager to hire his models had little interest in his guidance. Most thought that all they had to do to reach black consumers was change the race of the models in their ads.

Like Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Brandford was ahead of his time.

William B. Graham had been a spectacular salesman for Pabst Beer in the early 1940s, making it the No. 1 brand in Harlem. He opened his own agency in 1944 with a fellow Pabst sales representative, Henry Parks Jr., who later became a famous sausage maker.

Clarence Holte was hired as an executive by Batten, Barton, Durstine and Osborn in the early 1950s, a move that caused considerable attention in the advertising trade press. “What BBDO executives wanted was their own version of Jackie Robinson — specifically, a man who was not only supremely qualified, but who they also believed could withstand any negativity based on his race without responding aggressively,” Mr. Chambers writes.

Mr. Holte drew on his vast collection of books on African and African-American history to create ads that brought attention to black achievements. “Ingenious Americans,” an award-winning series that he developed for Calvert Distillers, noted contributions that were ignored by textbooks at the time, including those of Harriet Tubman, Benjamin Banneker and others.

Another black executive at BBDO, Georg Olden, had been a graphic art director at CBS, helping to shape the look of early television. Joining BBDO in 1960, he was involved in all elements of commercial production. He won several Clio awards, the Oscars of the ad industry, and is said to have been the designer of the Clio statuette.

In his spare time, Mr. Olden drew several cartoons published in The New Yorker. In 1963, he joined the McCann-Erickson agency, and that year he became the first African-American to design a postage stamp, a broken chain commemorating the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation.

In 1955, Young & Rubicam hired Roy Eaton, a Phi Beta Kappa with a master’s degree in music from Yale. Mr. Eaton, who applied to the agency virtually on a whim, talked executives into letting him write tryout ad copy, and then sample jingles.

Charles Feldman, the agency’s creative director, hired him as its first black professional. According to Mr. Chambers, Mr. Feldman told the new employee: “The reason I had you write the jingles is that, though you obviously have creative talent, if you were white you would have been hired immediately, just on the basis of the commercials you wrote. But I want a Jackie Robinson. I want someone who is not only good, but superior!”

While pressure in the late 1960s and the 1970s forced some change, blacks remain underrepresented among ad executives, according to Mr. Chambers, who writes: “Similar to blacks’ experience in other white-collar professions like accounting, evidence shows that the advertising industry has dealt proactively with issues of race only when public pressure forces it to do so.”

6446: Celebrating The Olden Days.

AdAge.com published an excerpt from Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers. The excerpt spotlights adman Georg Olden, whose career included stints at CBS, BBDO and McCann Erickson. Check it out. Or better yet, buy the book.

6425: Culturally Clueless FAQs—Number 1.

Change has come to America. But it took a detour around Madison Avenue. While citizens have adopted phrases like “post-racial,” the advertising industry operates in a pre-Civil Rights time warp. Whenever the topics of diversity and inclusion appear, ad executives consistently display stunning ignorance. MultiCultClassics has sought to address the issues in the past. However, the matters have evolved along with society, despite Madison Avenue’s retarded development. As a public service, this blog will answer a series of Frequently Asked Questions to enlighten the asses… er, masses.

Question: Why do all the diversity discussions focus on Blacks—what about Latinos, Asians, Native Americans, People With Disabilities, Gays, Lesbians, Women, Veterans, Older Employees, Pit Bull Lovers, Mutants and The Rest Of Us?

Answer: Get in line. Unfortunately, the deeper you dig into Madison Avenue’s corporate closet, the more skeletons you’ll find. Recent years have seen work and deeds demeaning everyone listed above, including a Jewish creative director allegedly sexually harassed by a neo-Japanese warlord.

Blacks are in the spotlight for a few reasons. First, the group has been officially fighting for change since the 1930s. To understand the details, read Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers. The author presents a fair and frank documentation of events, showing the successes and failures to date. Additionally, the New York City Commission on Human Rights’ latest efforts have been led by New York City Councilman Larry Seabrook and activist Sanford Moore, who are strongly pushing a predominately Black agenda. Finally, attorney Cyrus Mehri is building a class-action lawsuit focused on the inequities Blacks seemingly always face in the ad game.

However, it’s important to realize the real battle is not being waged exclusively for any single group. The Bendick and Egan Economic Consultants, Inc. report stated the following:

Although this paper focuses on African Americans, the same issues of employment bias in the advertising industry simultaneously affect other “outgroups” -- race-ethnic minorities such as Latinos and Asians; women; older workers; persons with disabilities; and even White males who do not share the cultural or stylistic characteristics of the White males who dominate the industry. These other groups would benefit alongside African Americans from a reformed, inclusive advertising industry culture. This broad potential enhances the urgency of addressing the problems raised in this report -- and addressing them in effective ways.

In closing, a recent story published at AdAge.com inspired this comment:

I find a couple of things interesting. To think that addressing the evident discrimination of Blacks in advertising won’t benefit the other discriminatory issues in advertising is naïve. Nearly all of the fights for equality use the struggle of Blacks in history and especially the Civil Rights Movement as their standard. While I applaud the office of Chief Diversity Officer in its motives, I think it is a shame that any company or industry has to have someone in charge of doing what is right by people. The idea of respectful accountability should be a tenet of leadership. Instead, someone has to be paid to make sure that a company is exhausting all recruiting resources to look for the best talent, which, in my opinion, is hiring smart people (they come in all colors, genders, orientations, etc.) with a good work ethic, who never tire of learning. Someone is paid to make sure everyone is treated with respect from recruiting through their tenure with the company. It is a shame that someone has to tell my company we need to pay and promote fairly. It is a shame that the integrity in how we treat each other has to be regulated, mandated and disguised. While we may not have control of ensuring respect in society at large, I would like to think in a corporate structure that respect is such an intrinsic part of the company culture and values, that there is no need for a Chief Diversity Officer. I will go further into diversity blasphemy by stating that I would do away with the word “diversity” and all of the affinity groups having lunch and going to happy hours. My company statement would be simple: “We treat everyone with respect.” This is the plumb line for all we do. It captures every issue of diversity and beyond. It would solve the issue of this group being left out or feeling this or that. Now that this is off my chest, I understand my views are idealistic, but I also know it would work. Who will be the first to make a stand against diversity and promote true respect to the point where a Chief Diversity Officer is a position of the past?

6186: Semi-Belated Black Friday Suggestions.

Or Early Cyber Monday Suggestions.


Madison Avenue And The Color Line by Jason Chambers


What’s Black About It? by Pepper Miller and Herb Kemp


Knock The Hustle by Hadji Williams


Barack Obama Commemorative Collector Plate

5979: Madison Avenue And The Color Line—12. Epilogue, Notes And Final Thoughts.

The epilogue of Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers seeks to wrap things up, yet indicates the story is far from over. The section sprints through the 1980s and 1990s, and reintroduces present day players like the New York City Commission on Human Rights. It’s probable that Chambers will ultimately gather enough material for a sequel.

Also worth mentioning are the 30+ pages of notes. As stated in previous posts, the author did his homework. Chambers’ thoroughness and ability to connect the events to a bigger picture ranks him alongside advertising writers including Randall Rothenberg and Warren Berger. The book really is an unprecedented collection of information.

On Tuesday, Madison Avenue executives gathered for a hearing in New York, with industry honchos offering testimony on the state of diversity. Commissioner Patricia Gatling said she was “cautiously optimistic” over the possibilities for change. Let’s hope everyone involved has picked up a copy of Madison Avenue and the Color Line. Reading it could significantly accelerate the progress.

This is the final installment of MultiCultClassics’ running review of Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers. See the previous posts here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

5975: Madison Avenue And The Color Line—11. Golden Opportunities And Copper Linings.

“The Golden Age” is the title of the fifth chapter of Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers. Here Chambers spotlights the Black advertising agencies that launched in the 1960s and 1970s (including Vince Cullers Advertising, which technically opened in 1956), ultimately touching on the key characters, complexities and contradictions created by this section of the ad community.

Once again, the book shows the more things change, the more they stay the same. See the professionals who left the glass ceilings of White agencies to set up their own enterprises, often finding new barriers along the way. Hear how so many never viewed Black-targeted accounts as the endgame, but rather, the entry to general-market assignments that rarely materialized. Touch on topics like professionals’ consistent contention that specializing in minority audiences severely limited growth and profits—as well as the difficulty even minority shops experienced searching for qualified Black candidates. Taste samples of the campaigns produced by the innovative pioneers. Smell the bullshit that continues to restrict, pigeonhole and segregate minorities on Madison Avenue and beyond. In short, the chapter stimulates—and reels—the senses.

Chambers doesn’t hesitate to consider all angles, noting the contributions every player has made to the global problems and challenges. There are certainly implications for the current diversity dilemma. How will minority shops affect and be affected by the latest drama taking place in the advertising industry—will they lead or be led? The chapter serves food for thought to anyone involved with today’s efforts. And if you’re not involved, it’s high time to get started. An easy first step is buying this book.

This is the twelfth installment of MultiCultClassics’ running review of Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers. See the previous posts here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

5973: Madison Avenue And The Color Line—10. Digressing To Address A Pet Peeve.

The fifth chapter of Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers featured adman Junius Edwards, who ran an advertising agency in the 1960s and 1970s. During a 1971 interview with a trade publication, Edwards remarked, “White teenagers have long regarded Negroes their own age as fashion trend setters. Fashion starts in the streets and filters up, not merely from youth to age, but from lower economic class to upper.” Now, for anyone who has ever worked in a minority shop, Edwards’ revelation is common knowledge. Indeed, most minority shops—and most minorities, for that matter—recognize the phenomenon continues today, due in great part to the influence of hip hop culture. Yet self-proclaimed futurist Marian Salzman still positions herself as the discoverer of wiggers on her website. Ironically, Salzman doesn’t recognize the trend for White folks to stumble upon something that’s been around forever and declare they invented it. Her online entry should include an asterisk and qualifier that reads: First White adwoman to belatedly notice wiggers. The futurist ought to spend more time studying the past. Hey, it will only cost about $40, which she’ll no doubt write off as a business expense.

This is the eleventh installment of MultiCultClassics’ running review of Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers. See the previous posts here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

5957: Madison Avenue And The Color Line—9. Charting A Course For The Future.

The chart above appears in Chapter 4 of Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers. It says a lot about diversity in the advertising industry during 1970—and 2008 as well. In some instances, Black representation at the top agencies was better then than now, and folks were making progress. So what happened? Well, as the chart displays, self-regulation led to inconsistent results. Plus, a lack of official enforcement meant shops could cease any positive efforts with no fear of penalty. Finally, a recession gave ad executives the excuse they needed to focus on other matters.

Is the chart above a historical record—or a prediction of the years ahead?

This is the tenth installment of MultiCultClassics’ running review of Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers. See the previous posts here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

5951: Madison Avenue And The Color Line—8. Affirmative Action. And Inaction.

Chapter 4 of Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers is titled, “Affirmative Action and the Search for White Collars.” Chambers continues to do a stellar job of presenting the details, showing how various civil rights groups, activists and professionals sought to solve the diversity problems rooted in exclusivity and discrimination. Many political organizations convinced clients and agencies to depict more Blacks in ads and to hire more Blacks, hoping to transform society and inspire desegregation. Diversifying Madison Avenue was just part of a much bigger goal.

Ironically, while Blacks’ presence in advertising messages has arguably improved, the advertising industry has grown more segregated than ever. And this week, Advertising Age announced prominent attorney Cyrus Mehri is on the case.

It should be interesting to see if history repeats itself. The 1960s-1970s efforts were ultimately hampered by a weakened economy. Today’s recession will certainly serve as an excuse for further inaction.

Although even the most cash-strapped agency leaders should still invest about $40 and pick up a copy of Madison Avenue and the Color Line.

This is the ninth installment of MultiCultClassics’ running review of Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers. See the previous posts here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

5933: Madison Avenue And The Color Line—7.

Take a minute to see what others have to say about Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers. Carol Watson at The Big Tent posted the first critique last February. In November 2007, Chambers participated in a radio show discussion on Blacks in advertising. Then he hyped the book himself during an interview with WGN-TV. Check out a few reviews at Amazon.com—and while you’re there, buy a copy.

This is the eighth installment of MultiCultClassics’ running review of Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers. See the previous posts here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

5926: Madison Avenue And The Color Line—6. History Repeats Itself Again And Again.

A New York advertising agency executive declared, “My belief in giving [Blacks] the business opportunities to which they are entitled is not a matter of ‘tolerance.’ It’s just a better way to do business. It gives you that many more people from which you can choose the best. Send me applicants for jobs and I’ll judge them side by side with applicants of any other color, on their merits.”

The executive also conducted a study to determine the number of Blacks in advertising. Within 10 New York shops comprised of 20,000 total employees, only 21 workers were Black—of which 11 were mailroom attendants, receptionists or janitors.

In response to the findings, industry organizations established a placement service to recruit qualified Black candidates. A training program was set up to help folks gain experience, along with initiatives to hype advertising as a viable career.

When did these events take place?

In the 1940s and early 1950s.

The scenario repeated in 1963, when the Urban League of Greater New York polled the top 10 Madison Avenue agencies—J. Walter Thompson, McCann-Erickson, Young & Rubicam, BBDO, Ted Bates, FCB, Benton & Bowles, Compton Advertising, Grey and Kenyon and Eckhardt—and discovered fewer than 25 Blacks in leadership roles amid 25,000 employees. This time, the 4As disputed the findings, arguing the industry actually had up to 100 Black employees. But the organization later confessed including mailroom attendants, maids and janitors, ultimately confirming the accuracy of the Urban League’s figures.

Oh, and similar actions happened in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 21st century too.

Read all about it and a whole lot more historical reruns in the third chapter of Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers. If you hope to understand what’s going on now, study what took place back in the day. There’s no time like the present to buy the book. Or if you’re a lazy cheapskate, Chapter 3 can be acquired online for FREE right here.

This is the seventh installment of MultiCultClassics’ running review of Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers. See the previous posts here, here, here, here, here and here.

5899: Madison Avenue And The Color Line—5. Don’t Judge A Book By Its Color.

MultiCultClassics wonders if Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers could capture a wider (i.e., Whiter) audience by sporting a different cover. Technically, there’s nothing wrong with the current cover. The image was drawn from an actual advertisement for Zebra Associates, a Black ad agency that launched in 1969 and closed in 1976.


Yet when you consider the covers of most Black-related advertising books, you’ll see the words and imagery sometimes present a political or even militant vibe that may be polarizing for non-Black folks.


As stated in previous posts, Madison Avenue and the Color Line should be read by everyone in the industry, especially given the continued diversity drama. The book really does offer an incredible historical perspective on the business, detailing how things evolved into the current situation. To quote the standard Black History Month headline, “It’s not Black history—it’s American history.” So here are a few alternative covers that might provide greater crossover appeal.

Not completely sure what this means, but it has a friendly urban feel.


This concept turns the tome into a handy educational guide.


This final idea taps into the popular AMC Mad Men series, with a nod to Ralph Ellison and Lowell Thompson.


This is the sixth installment of MultiCultClassics’ running review of Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers. See the previous posts here, here, here, here and here.

5889: Madison Avenue And The Color Line—4.

Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers focuses its second chapter—titled “The Jackie Robinsons”—on the innovators who really started things moving for Blacks in the advertising industry. While previous pioneers like Claude Barnett and John H. Johnson helped to define and sell the Black consumer market, the next wave of ad people proceeded to create messages that actually targeted and depicted the audience.

Chambers continues to deliver an incredibly thorough view of the key players and events—spanning the 1930s through the 1950s—while highlighting the historical happenings that shaped and influenced it all. The chapter initially chronicles the “Brown Hucksters,” Black salesmen who worked directly with American corporations to woo consumers. Next, Chambers features the early Black advertising agencies, disputing the popular belief that Vince Cullers was the first. The author then spotlights Blacks employed by general market agencies as experts for Black consumers and mainstream consumers too. In 54 pages, Chambers sketches out the foundations for the segregated slots that still exist today to pigeonhole Madison Avenue’s minorities. To see it up close, simply buy the book.

A chapter topic deserving a few tangential observations involves David J. Sullivan, who schooled many culturally clueless advertisers on Black consumers during the 1940s. In one noteworthy article, Sullivan offered the following list of don’ts:

• Don’t exaggerate Negro characters with flat noses, thick lips, kinky hair and owl eyes.
• Avoid Negro minstrels. Avoid even the use of white people with blackface and a kinky wig for hire to depict a Negro.
• Don’t constantly name the Negro porter or waiter “George.” Nothing makes Negroes angrier than to be called George.
• Avoid incorrect English usage, grammar and dialect…get away from “Yas suh,” “sho,” “dese,” “dem,” “dat,” or “dat ’ere,” “gwine,” “you all.”
• Don’t picture colored women as buxom, broad-faced, grinning mammies and Aunt Jemimas.
• Don’t refer to Negro women as “Negresses.”
• Avoid, even by suggestion, “There’s a nigger in the woodpile,” or “coon,” “shine,” and “darky.”
• Don’t illustrate…any…advertising piece showing a Negro eating watermelon, chasing chickens, or crap shooting.
• Don’t picture the “Uncle Mose” type. He is characterized by kinking hair and a stooped, tall, lean and grayed sharecropper, always in rags.
• Avoid using the word “Pickaninny,” or lampooning illustrations of Negro children.
• Don’t insult the clergy.

It would be interesting to learn if CMOs had the list taped near their desks for handy reference. The book’s author also wrote that Sullivan didn’t provide advertisers with a similar collection of things to do. Well, the stuff generated by Black advertising agencies in the decades after Sullivan’s heyday might inspire the following conceptual catalog:

To reach Black consumers, do use celebrities, jazz, blues, R&B, anything related to hip hop, doo wop singers on brownstone stoops, gospel choirs, clergy, inventors, comedians, athletes, fly girls, smooth operators, entrepreneurs, successful business people, sassy sistahs, double-dutch, family reunions, extended family, students in caps and gowns, soul food, barbecues, barbershops, beauty salons, basketball, drumlines, HBCUs, spoken word, rhymes, tricked-out rides, rims, the word style, the word pimp (except in reference to actual pimps), the slang of the minute, keeping it real, urban neighborhoods, block parties, bid whist, the electric slide, break-dancing, stepping, tap dancing (carefully and preferably with Savion Glover), fist bumps, variations on Black Power fists, dance clubs, DJs, graffiti, kente cloth, African art, Civil Rights activists, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Snoop Dogg, inspirational quotes, afros/afro picks, braids, dreadlocks, fades, grills (respectfully), tattoos, nails, boomboxes, baseball caps, bling or this dude.

But seriously, contrary to anything anyone says, there are no secret formulas for reaching Black consumers. Building a relationship with the Black consumer market—as well as any special market—requires embracing a fundamental advertising tenet: Know Your Target. While U.S. advertising agencies adopted account planning in the 1990s to better connect with consumers, minority advertising professionals have been utilizing their own versions of the discipline since the 1900s. Of course, Whites take full credit for having invented it.

This is the fifth installment of MultiCultClassics’ running review of Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers. See the previous posts here, here, here and here.

5868: Madison Avenue And The Color Line—3.

The first chapter of Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers spotlights pioneers like Claude Barnett, William B. Ziff and John H. Johnson. Chambers shows how media leaders in publishing and radio helped define the Black consumer market and the ways to connect with the audience. It’s a tight, insightful perspective that’s probably unprecedented in its thoroughness—and should definitely be read.

Rather than play spoiler by regurgitating the details (buy the book and check it out yourself), MultiCultClassics will offer a few tangential observations.

Even as far back as the early 1900s, professionals have been forced to make a case for targeting minority audiences. The arguments require presenting facts and figures to justify the marketing budget investment—as well as dispel the misconceptions and negative stereotypes. Indeed, the stereotype-busters have almost become stereotypical. The group has $megazillion of purchasing power. The group is not monolithic. The group has middle-class segments. The group is educated. The group has strong American values. The group is brand loyal. The group is not comprised of fill-in-the-color-skinned White people. Embracing the group will not adversely affect the brand’s relationship with Whites. The overall practice continues today, distinguishing minority advertising agencies from general market counterparts. The predominately White agencies pitch accounts by displaying concepts, credentials and capabilities. The minority shops must always begin by convincing prospective clients that an audience actually exists. And the proof must be delivered again and again, sometimes with every new assignment.

Last year, Starcom MediaVest Group unveiled its self-proclaimed breakthrough study of Blacks titled Beyond Demographics. Yet anyone familiar with the audience recognizes Beyond Demographics barely goes beyond the obvious. In February, the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies announced its landmark study on Latino Cultural Identity. Regardless of the true worth of all the research reports, it’s amazing to witness the need to repeatedly school clueless corporate types.

The Democratic National Convention attendees will soon salute Barack Obama as the party’s official presidential candidate. The event marks a milestone in America’s progress with equality, and some wide-eyed idealists believe it signals the end of cultural divisions.

Meanwhile, on Madison Avenue, people still express shock and awe that minorities are members of society.

This is the fourth installment of MultiCultClassics’ running review of Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers. See the previous posts here, here and here.

5857: Madison Avenue And The Color Line—2.

Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers is a serious chronicle of Blacks in the U.S. advertising industry. How serious? Well, the book’s introduction alone runs a whopping 19 pages in length.

Chambers does a thorough job of setting the table, presenting contemporary anecdotes, referencing scholars like Marilyn Kern-Foxworth and Anthony Cortese, detailing early pioneering efforts and more.

The author also makes straightforward, provocative observations like, “Yes, advertisements are entertaining and their creators design them to grab and keep our attention, but their first job is to persuade us to take an action, to buy a product. But because of the ubiquity of advertisements, we sometimes fail to recognize the role advertisements have in persuading us about things beyond the particular product or idea they sell.”

As previously stated, this book is not an easy read—at least for those of us accustomed to zipping through slim perspectives by authors like Seth Godin and Ken Blanchard. Chambers has painstakingly compiled a ton of facts and data covering roughly 100 years of history. The introduction probably contains more information and about Blacks in advertising than the average adperson—especially the average White adperson—currently comprehends.

As diversity continues to be an issue on Madison Avenue, commanding a working knowledge of the situation becomes imperative. For that reason, all agency leaders—regardless of your race or ethnicity—need to check out this book and gain enlightenment. You should minimally pick up a copy and peruse the 19-page introduction (remember, it’s probably shelved in your local bookstore’s African-American Studies section).

Or if you’re a really lazy cheapskate, the publisher has posted the introduction online.

This is the third installment of MultiCultClassics’ running review of Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers. See the previous posts here and here.

5818: Madison Avenue And The Color Line—1B.

MultiCultClassics originally picked up a copy of Madison Avenue and the Color Line: African Americans in the Advertising Industry by Jason Chambers back in January, promising to eventually review it. Unfortunately, a crazy schedule prohibited an honest reading of the book.

Well, nearly seven months later, the reading has finally begun. Given the reality that it might take some time to complete the effort, MultiCultClassics has decided to submit a running review, posting critiques and commentary as pages and chapters are covered.

For background, visit the book’s official website. Additionally, Carol Watson offered her thoughts months ago at Advertising Age’s The Big Tent.

As noted back in January, it’s ironic—and sadly outrageous—that many bookstores stock the title in the African American section versus the business section. The irony comes from Chambers’ observations that Blacks have been historically separated/segregated from the mainstream advertising industry. The sadly outrageous part comes from the fact that the book is a hardcore study of the advertising industry. It ranks right alongside contemporaries like Adland by Mark Tungate or classics like The Want Makers by Eric Clark, The Image-Makers by William Meyers and The Mirror Makers by Stephen Fox. Instead, you’ll find Jason Chambers’ work sharing shelves with Veronica Chambers, W.E.B. Du Bois and Michael Eric Dyson. Not shabby company, but arguably the wrong neighborhood—or to be fair, the book should appear in African American and business sections.

The preceding paragraph is critical because it’s important to consider the potential audiences for the book. Given the continuing turmoil surrounding Madison Avenue’s dearth of diversity—including the actions of New York City’s Commission on Human Rights—Chambers’ tome should be required reading for all agency and industry leaders. Especially the White folks, to be clear. The insights featured in the book could go a long way in lessening the confusion and cultural cluelessness so prevalent in our global professional community. This is not to imply White adpeople never peruse the African American sections of the local Borders and Barnes & Noble stores. Rather, the book would hopefully become more top-of-mind, visually accessible and relevant to a broader group in the business section—which is imperative in light of the limited media attention it’s received to date.

In today’s fast-paced world, many of us prefer scanning thin books from Seth Godin, Malcolm Gladwell or Ken Blanchard. Or we’re accustomed to advertising and marketing books that are semi-instructional ala Luke Sullivan or the published series from Adweek. Like the previously mentioned contemporaries and classics, Madison Avenue and the Color Line is a serious historical piece. You won’t get through it during a New York-to-Chicago flight, unless you graduated summa cum laude from the Evelyn Wood School of Reading Dynamics.

Chambers is an associate professor in the Department of Advertising at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, and consults for companies and media outlets. Essentially, he’s an outsider—at least in terms of lacking ad agency experience. One might ordinarily dismiss the author, as outsiders tend to be ignorant on so many levels about our industry.

Yet Chambers brings a fresh viewpoint to the proceedings. He’s curious and not immediately judgmental. Like a great reporter or social anthropologist, he seeks facts, data and respected opinions. Chambers did tremendous research, culling through periodicals, journals, studies, etc. Plus, he interviewed key players and trailblazers. Then he launched comparisons and contrasts to parallel businesses. And he wrapped everything into American history. The book is a deep and thoughtful exploration of a subject traditionally clouded in mystique and misunderstanding.

Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers presents an opportunity for everyone to finally “get it.” Or minimally walk away with a single clue.

This concludes the introductory review overview. The next installment will dig further into the specific content. Stay tuned.

5020: Not yet in Oprah’s Book Club.

Just picked up a copy of Madison Avenue and the Color Line: African Americans in the Advertising Industry by Jason Chambers. Will attempt to post a review in the coming weeks. The local Barnes & Noble stocked the title in the African American Studies section versus Marketing and Advertising. In the meantime, you may learn more about the book here and here.