I found this response by Sanford Moore to the recent American Association of Advertising Agencies (aka 4A's) Leadership Conference in San Francisco. It seems he wasn't very happy with all the pontification without representation. He's been a courageous advocate for 40 years. There they discussed the so-called "hot button topic" of diversity. Diversity... hot-button topic? Its like Twenty - 10, can we get this right and move on? So, Mr. Moore decided to "Set it off" on the "Good Foot" like a the "No.1 Soul Brother" and tell'em what it's like to be Black in Advertising "Living in America" and show'em that "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag."
"More obfuscation and me(n)dacity in the form of hiring kids, mentoring and college programs rather than hiring professionals and promoting those within the ranks. At least Dan Wieden was honest that Mad Ave is filled with "middle-class, white kids making enormous sums of money to target inner-city consumers." This is not irony, it is racial arrogance of the highest form which makes it permissable to have creatives who only know about inner-city consumers vicariously. These same agencies use this talent to pilfer, to "carpetbag" urban/ethnic assignements to the exclusion of Black ad agencies and Black creative talent.
It is not irony, it is "Whiteploitation" of Black culture, lifestyle and creativity just like it was in the music industry when white artists like Elvis, Pat Boone, Tom Jones, Jerry Lee Lewis, ad nauseum copied, stole, "covered" original Black recording artists who were banned from white radio stations. These and numerous other white artists made their careers on the backs of Black creative and performing genius. The same exclusion happened in pro-sports permitting generations of white players to become stars while Blacks of superior talent were banned from competing.
This is not irony, its called "Jim Crow" and is the foremost cultural exponent of America's artistic and creative footprint. Let's quit the crap and call it for what it is. The Mad Men on Mad Ave have excluded Black talent, appropriated Black culture and reaped the financial, career rewards of this exploitation for generations.
But nothing lasts forever...and that's why the Mad Men are going to face financial and reputational "clawback" for the blatant "picking of Black minds" while leaving Black talent to pick cotton. Indeed "Cotton" has come to Mad Ave and as the, late, great James Brown said, "It's the Big Payback." Steal that!"
Sanford Moore
See the actual article at Ad Age.
