Poll: 93% think new agency agreements won't solve ad industry’s diversity problem
Repondents cite need for pressure from clients

By Meredith Deliso
AdAge.com
(September 17, 2006) Nintey-three percent of respondents to Ad Age's poll about the new diversity hiring agreement signed by 11 ad agencies with the New York Commission on Human Rights say the agreements will not bridge Madison Avenue's diversity divide. Only 7% of respondents thought it was a solution or at least a beginning.

Negative view
Respondents comments expressed a negative view of the round of agreements that may enable top agency executives to avoid testifying at public hearings on the issue originally scheduled for later this month.

"Lasting, meaningful change will only come about when agency management leads that change voluntarily, and that doesn't seem to be on the immediate horizon," said Mark Robinson, managing partner at S/R Communications.

Chris Lyons, a freelance illustrator, thinks more needs to be done about diversity in schools: "Let's get more minorities enrolled in good design and advertising schools and take advantage of diverse experiences and influences."

Client demands
Others feel the demand needs to come from clients. "Agencies respond to client needs and demands," said Stacey Manley, management supervisor at Carol H. Williams Advertising. "Clients, then, must be clear about the need for their advertising to reflect the dynamics of a changing consumer market."

There were respondents that did see the agreements as a first step. "This needed to happen, and as diverse as our consumers are, it plays well for creative issues with all products," said Shari Greer, account executive for Total Traffic Network.


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