An Urban Media Symposium is Born

By Carl Settles, Ad Fed Board Member
Despite the Easter holiday weekend and an onslaught of freezing rain, Austin’s first Urban Media Symposium on April 7 was a great success.

“There was such a hunger and a fire and gratitude that these topics were finally being addressed. I couldn't help but feel like we should have done this a lot earlier,” said attendee Kyla Kanz, principal of interactive firm Olive Design and Ad Fed Board Member. Her opinion appeared to reflect the consensus at this innovative event, coordinated by the Austin Ad Fed and the College of Communications at The University of Texas.

The panel topics—Broadcast/Interactive, Urban/Latino, Discrimination in a White Shoe Industry and Culture, and Music/Entertainment—sparked vibrant discussions on the role of urban culture in mainstream advertising and entertainment. Panelists included media executives from Nielsen Media Research, Arbitron, Clear Channel, Burrell Communications and GSD&M, along with Hispanic business leaders Roy and Bertrand Sosa, esteemed UT faculty and entertainers.

The overriding message: in light of the demographic shifts occurring around the United States, along with changes in tastes, cultural competency is perhaps the most compelling element of effective marketing, communications and entertainment strategies.

Communications firms can increase their odds of their work staying relevant by recruiting a more diverse workforce. “We’ve got to find a way to influence African-American, Latino and Asian-American children to become interested in advertising as early as possible. We should also try to recruit from among those with interests outside the traditional communications world—art, writing, music, liberal arts and even business,” said attendee Valerie Davis, CEO and Principal of EnviroMedia Social Marketing.

The Austin Ad Fed and UT College of Communications have started what will hopefully be an ongoing collaboration to proactively address issues of diversity in the advertising community. In the coming weeks and months, we’ll be brainstorming about next year’s symposium. We’ll be looking for ways to provide ongoing exposure along with mentoring activities for Austin-area youth.

If you’d like to find out more or join the UMS committee, contact us at diversity@austinadfed.com. Check our Web site www.urbanmediasymposium.com for updates including upcoming video segments of the symposium panels, as well as articles and discussions via the UMS blog.

A big thanks to event sponsors: Austin Ad Fed, Sanders\Wingo, sub-Urban Media, GSD&M, UT College of Communications, EnviroMedia Social Marketing and MPOWER Labs.

Photos by: Charles Edward