In an era when some brands and agencies have increasingly deemphasized multicultural marketing efforts in favor a “total marketing” approach, many diverse voices in the industry are claiming the shift ignores BIPOC consumers in favor of “general market” consumers, a euphemism for a majority white population that ignores what America looks like today.
Generation Z is the most diverse demographic in U.S. history. It’s also the largest and most valuable consumer base for marketers. Although the latest census data still projects America becoming a majority minority country by 2044, the truth is we are already a multicultural society. And after the social justice movement brought about a moment of reckoning for the ad industry in 2020, today’s American consumer has forced brands to wear their values on their sleeves, or risk consequences.
Ad Age’s Next: Multicultural Marketing conference expands last October’s successful Town Hall into a full-day event on Tuesday, June 29. The virtual conference will bring together industry leaders for panel discussions and one-on-one conversations focusing on why multicultural marketing and diversity are more than important ever for brands and agencies both in the creative and in the decision-making chain behind that creative, and why such initiatives ultimately make the most business sense.
RSVP now to join the live conversation on Tuesday, June 29.
Where are we?
In the immediate aftermath of George Floyd's murder, brands, advertising agencies and others in the marketing industry broke their silence and began speaking out. They pledged to invest more, revealed their own internal diversity stats and built programs to bring more BIPOC talent into their ranks, while also elevating the executives of color they did have. But what progress has been made to truly engage communities of color? Translation's CEO discusses whether last summer was really a tipping point and what needs to happen moving forward.
The role of equity in vaccine marketing
The City of Chicago's first-ever chief marketing officer, Michael Fassnacht, and Michelle Flowers, founder and chairman of Flowers Communications Group, discuss efforts made to reach all Chicagoans to educate and encourage residents to get vaccinated with a lens on equity.
Driving systemic change in media
Numerous marketers have pledged in the past year to buy more media from companies owned by underrepresented group. But how easy or difficult is that to do? Unilever's Jovan Martin, Market Source Advisors' John Hardy and Group M's Gonzalo del Fa discuss how their organizations are tackling the issue and using media to drive systemic change.
Striving for brand purpose and authenticity
After introducing a program allowing transgender and nonbinary customers use their chosen name on cards without requiring a legal name change in 2019, Mastercard continued to expand on the effort, working with BMO Harris Bank, Citi and others to bring the option to more customers. This year, the company launched the "Strivers Initiative" a platform supporting Black-women-owned businesses. Mastercard's Raja Rajamannar, a leading proponent of bridging brand purpose and creativity to build authentic personal connections, discusses how brands can develop the strategies and identify the conversations, topics, themes and issues that will help them truly engage their audience.
Are we undervaluing multicultural audiences?
Multicultural audiences deserve to be spoken to by people who understand them—who better than multicultural agencies? But those assignments can come with smaller budgets, limited scope, and oversight from a general market agency that lacks close ties to the community. Leaders at three specialist shops outline the problem and offer solutions for clients and agencies alike to get the best and most effective work.
How to create an authentic multicultural marketing capability
Sponsor session
With a very measured, well-orchestrated, learn-as-you-grow approach, Debbie King and her team formalized and operationalized a multicultural marketing capability that spans the full ViacomCBS ecosystem and is a multifaceted offering for clients. King joins Ad Age's Loni Venti to discuss that process, the lessons learned and how to approach it authentically.
What makes for effective content and creative?
If the industry is to truly get better at reaching different cultural groups, one of the most critical aspects is understanding the relevance and impact of their marketing efforts. A/B Partners' Andre Banks and Ally Financial's Andrea Brimmer discuss how message testing, partnerships and tools like the Cultural Insights Impact Measure from the ANA’s Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing marketers are getting to the heart of what moves people.
For more information, please email aaevents@adage.com.
To inquire about available sponsorship opportunities, email aasales@adage.com.
Bio goes here as long as needed. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
Sergio Alcocer has always been a progressive voice in the advertising industry, advocating for diversity and inclusion since before the terms were part of every conversation.
In 1999, he joined two former clients to found LatinWorks in Austin. Sergio set the vision of the agency and led the day-to-day work for 16 years. Although he would never claim credit for the work of dozens of loyal and talented professionals that contributed to the agency through the years, he is proud of the things that the agency achieved under his leadership:
Fastest-growing multicultural ad agency in the country; Two-time Top 10 Agency in the USA (A-List); Five-time Multicultural Agency of the Year (AdAge, ADWEEK); Small Agency of the Year (AdAge); Forbes Top 14 Innovative Agencies in the country; most-awarded Multicultural agency in the world for 6 years running; Sergio is also a sought after speaker in the international circuit on multicultural marketing, and has speak six times at the main stages of the Cannes Lions advertising festival where he has also served twice as jury member.
In the spring of 2017, Sergio started Rest of the World, a highly specialized creative agency. Sergio believes that the combination of creativity with Social impact is the best approach for brands that want to connect with multicultural audiences.
Andre Banks is founder and CEO of A/B Partners. With over 20 years of political communications and agency experience, Andre brings best-in-class creative strategies and deep expertise in social movements to move critical voices from the margins to the mainstream. Prior to founding A/B in 2018, Andre was Executive Vice President for Social Impact & Philanthropy at BerlinRosen, a leading national public relations and strategic communications firm. At BerlinRosen, Andre led communications strategy, staff-management, and business development for the 20-person practice area. Andre’s portfolio included philanthropy, criminal justice reform, international human rights, LGBTQ rights, voting and civil rights, sustainability, and media and culture. Before joining BerlinRosen, Andre was a founding partner at Purpose and the co-founder and former director of All Out, a global campaigning organization with more than 2.2 million members leading the global push towards LGBT equality. He currently serves as the chair of the board at Color Of Change, and as a staff member led the organization in its early years.
Andrea Brimmer is the chief marketing and public relations officer of Ally Financial, an innovative financial services company known for its disruptive brand and relentless focus on its customers.
Brimmer joined Ally at the dawn of the financial crisis, when the company faced intense challenges – transitioning from its roots as a captive auto finance company, while also launching the first-ever online-only deposits franchise, Ally Bank.
She spearheaded the creation of the Ally brand, developing everything from the brand pillars and cultural framework to the value proposition and delivery in the marketplace. Under her direction, Ally emerged with a strong reputation as a “different” kind of financial services company, dedicated to solving customer pain points that traditional institutions ignored.
Since 2009, Ally has grown and diversified, adding corporate finance, online brokerage and wealth management, home mortgage and insurance products to its legacy portfolio of auto loans and banking.
Brimmer was named chief marketing officer in 2015. In 2016, she launched the company’s first unified brand campaign, “Do It Right”, highlighting Ally’s unique focus on doing the right thing for customers. The campaign not only aligned the full scope of the company’s product offerings under one mantra, it also reflected the company’s internal culture and core values. “Do It Right” became a point of pride for Ally and resulted in the highest consumer brand sentiment and awareness in company history.
Prior to joining Ally in 2006, Brimmer spent 20 years on the agency side in Detroit, where she led the Chevrolet account and launched the iconic American Revolution campaign.
She earned her bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University, where she also played varsity collegiate soccer for four years.
As President of GroupM Multicultural, Gonzalo plays a key role in all aspects of the multicultural media and marketing efforts initiated by all GroupM agencies: Mediacom, Wavemaker, Mindshare, Essence and mSix. The goal of the division is to provide clients with a truly relevant and informative point of view of multicultural markets and audiences across the US, resulting in tailored communications strategies based on in-depth knowledge of consumers.
Under Gonzalo’s leadership, GroupM Multicultural handles $1B in billings from clients such as Nestle, Target, US Navy, L'Oréal, General Mills, Uber, Church & Dwight, Unilever, AARP, Universal Pictures, Purina and Google.
Gonzalo first joined the GroupM family in 2003 as Managing Director of MEC Argentina. During his three-year tenure he developed a reputation for creative media thinking and activation.
In 2006, he moved to New York to launch MEC Bravo and in 2010 he was instrumental in combining all the agencies under the GroupM Multicultural banner.
In 2014 Gonzalo was awarded Media Maven of the Year and in 2016 he was nominated for the Crain’s Visionary Award. In 2017 he won the Executive Leadership Award and in 2018 he was recognized as one of the most influential Latinos in New York by El Diario. In 2019 Gonzalo was recognized by AdWeek as one of the Stellar Marketing Execs. In addition to his role at GroupM, Gonzalo is currently the Chairman of the HMC, Hispanic Marketing Council.
Gonzalo started his professional career at American Express Argentina and prior to joining GroupM he worked for BBVA, Hachette Filipacchi and Editorial Televisa.
LA Dunn is a plant-based advocate who wants to encourage more people to add more plants to their plate. In 2017, she suffered greatly from aches and pains due to inflammation. LA found that many of the foods that she enjoyed were at the center of the problem. Determined to feel better she began eating mostly plants and moved away from animal products. She leaned into research and took courses in whole foods plant-based nutrition. The result? Less pain and more energy. Understanding that food and knowledge were great weapons in the war against a variety of diseases, Black Girls Eat was created to build a community for the plant-based curious. She is also a contributing editor at The Beet, a plant-forward website dedicated to inspiring all who want to lean into a plant-based lifestyle. LA is happy to help Black Women and families make healthier food choices. The goal is to help people eat well, feel well and live well.
A seasoned marketing leader with more than 25 years of experience, Michael works alongside the Mayor’s office as the Chief Marketing Officer to ensure that all marketing, branding, and business development activities for the city are aligned with Mayor Lightfoot’s economic growth plan focused on inclusive growth across Chicago’s communities. In December 2020, Michael stepped in as interim President and CEO of World Business Chicago to ensure a smooth transition to a new leader while intensifying World Business Chicago’s efforts on attracting new companies to Chicago.
Michael Fassnacht has been a recurring figure in Chicago’s civic community and has led critical pro-bono work for the rebranding of the Chicago Public Library and its foundation, the city’s Amazon HQ2 pitch, and most recently for the city’s Census 2020 activities. Additionally, he has been involved as a board member with: Marwen, World Business Chicago, and the Civic Consulting Alliance; while providing counsel to P33, the Joyce Foundation and the Chicago Prize by the Pritzker/Traubert Foundation.
Prior to his role as CMO, Michael served for more than 10 years as CEO at one of the city’s oldest and most successful advertising agencies, Foote Cone & Belding (FCB). He led his agency to unprecedented international creative recognition and strong above-industry topline growth over his tenure. Before then, he was a successful start-up entrepreneur in Silicon Valley, and over his long career he has been recognized as a global expert in building and marketing brands.
Michael was born in Germany and made his way stateside in college where he met his wife, Dr. Rhonda Duffaut. They currently reside in Chicago and have two children, Maya and Ryan.
A visionary public relations and marketing entrepreneur, Michelle Flowers Welch is an award-winning expert in the field of multicultural communications. She is Chairman & CEO of Flowers Communications Group, one of the nation’s top multicultural marketing agencies. Flowers Communications Group was recently named to Forbes list of America’s Best PR Agencies 2021. Known as a strategic, innovative thought leader, Flowers Welch serves as a trusted senior counselor to clients and an inspiring mentor to the next generation of communications professionals. As a tribute to her meaningful contributions to the industry, the PRSA Chicago Michelle Flowers Diversity Fellowship was established in 2020.
Flowers Welch holds a master’s degree in advertising from Northwestern University and is a magna cum laude graduate of Winston-Salem State University. She has received more than 100 industry awards for communications excellence. A charter inductee into Northwestern University’s Medill Hall of Fame, Flowers Welch is also the recipient of the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the Publicity Club of Chicago. She was named the 2014 Illinois Outstanding Entrepreneur of the Year by former Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka and was honored as the 2017 Distinguished Senior Leader by the Public Relations Society of America Chicago Chapter. She was recently named to iHeartMedia’s Women Who WIN Class of 2021.
Flowers Welch serves on the national board of the PR Council, The Salvation Army Chicago Metropolitan Division Board and the Public Relations Society of America Chicago Board. She is a member of The Economic Club, the Chicago Urban League, Public Relations Society of America, Publicity Club of Chicago, National Black Public Relations Society and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Earl G. Graves Jr. (Butch) is President & CEO of BLACK ENTERPRISE. He joined the company in 1988 after earning his M.B.A. from Harvard University. During his tenure at BLACK ENTERPRISE he has served in many positions, including VP of Advertising & Marketing, and Chief Operating Officer. In 2006 he was promoted to his current position.
Under Butch’s guidance BLACK ENTERPRISE has grown from a single-title publication into a robust multimedia company. Today, the company delivers content across five platforms, including magazine publishing; two nationally syndicated television shows; professional development events; digital and social media.
In 2000, he co-founded the Black Enterprise/Greenwich Street Corporate Growth Fund – A unique private equity firm seeking to finance the growth of established minority-owned or - managed businesses across various industries. Mr. Graves is also an active Partner in S & C Robinson, LLC – an Airport Concessions Enterprise formed in 2016.
Butch received his B.A. in economics from Yale University in 1984, distinguishing himself both academically and athletically. As a four-year starter and Captain of the Yale basketball team, he graduated as the school’s all-time leading scorer and the second leading scorer in Ivy League history. He was drafted in the third round by the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers in 1984, and enjoyed a brief professional basketball career with the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers.
In 2002 Butch was inducted into the American Advertising Federation (AAF) Hall of Achievement. In 2006 he was awarded the Jack Avrett Volunteer Spirit Award from the Boy Scouts of America, and in 2009 he was honored with the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award.
Butch serves on the board of directors of AutoZone, Bermuda Tourism Authority, and is a Trustee for The Committee For Economic Development. In addition to serving on numerous non-profit Boards, Mr. Graves is a strong national advocate for the importance of education and athletics, and served as an AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) head basketball coach for more than
15 years.
John Hardy is a 30 year procurement professional with time spent at Procter & Gamble, The Coca-Cola Company and The Walt Disney Company where he was Director of Marketing Procurement, and now works as an independent consultant under the banner ‘Market Source Advisors’. John has worked in the Marketing & Advertising Category for the past 17 years and has direct sourcing expertise in media, programmatic, creative services, digital, market research and marketing technology. John is a father of 5, a grandfather of one, and resides in New York City.”
Debbie King is Senior Vice President of Marketing Communications and Culture for Velocity, ViacomCBS’s branded content studio. In this role, King oversees internal initiatives to develop and shape Velocity’s culture, with a focus on learning & development, DE&I and social engagement. In addition, King works closely with key stakeholders across the ViacomCBS Ad Sales organization to strategically drive trade partnerships, programming and participation that elevate the company’s presence at influential events and conferences across the advertising industry. King has also been integral in the development of ViacomCBS’s Multicultural Marketing Capability, an offering that enables advertising and marketing partners to deliver on their Multicultural Marketing goals.
Prior to joining ViacomCBS, King spent over 11 years at the NFL in Brand Marketing, working cross-functionally with senior management to set short- and long-term brand strategy. In this role, King collaborated with sponsors, licensees and teams to ensure consistency in how the brand was communicated across all channels. During her tenure, King managed branding, logo and uniform development, oversaw decor for events like the Super Bowl and Pro Bowl and managed the postseason logo and conference trophy rebrands.
King graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Economics and received an MBA in Marketing and Sport Management from Seton Hall University.
Sandra founded ES Advertising, a Los Angeles based multicultural marketing firm in 1999. Since 2015, the firm has been ranked as one of Top 10 Asian American Advertising Agencies in the nation. ES Advertising represents Fortune 500 brands and government entities in reaching and engaging the diverse audiences of America.
In addition to her leadership role in her professional field, Sandra works to support community empowerment by serving as a member of the Board of Directors for Asian American Advertising Federation, an organization that seeks to grow the Asian American advertising industry.
With recent rise of hate incidents towards AAPI community across the nation, she is currently involved as a member of City of Los Angeles’s working group to educate the public on advancing racial equity and justice.
Sandra holds a B.A degree in Communication Studies from University of California, Santa Barbara.
As the U.S. Head of Beauty & Personal Care Media for Unilever, Jovan Martin spearheads traditional and digital media investment and strategy for over 20 iconic brands including Dove, Axe and TRESemmé. She is passionate about finding new ways for brands to connect with their consumers in our constantly evolving media and cultural landscape.
Jovan certainly has a well-rounded view of the industry, with experience at a brand consultancy, creative agency, and media agency. Prior to Unilever, Jovan was a Partner, Strategy Director at MediaCom on the Anheuser Busch InBev account. During her time at MediaCom, she worked in both the New York and London offices across several brands including P&G, Canon, Bayer, and AARP.
Jovan earned her BS in Finance and Marketing from the University of Maryland and her MBA in Marketing from the Wharton School of Business. Last year she was also recognized as part of Ad Age's 40 Under 40 list.
Raja successfully led Mastercard’s marketing transformation, including developing its Priceless experiential platforms and creating and deploying cutting-edge marketing-led business models. He oversaw the evolution of Mastercard’s identity for the digital age, pioneering the company’s move to a symbol brand and launching its breakthrough sonic architecture.
Raja serves as President of the World Federation of Advertisers, is among Business Insider’s Top 25 World’s Most Innovative CMOs, Forbes World’s Most Influential CMOs, AdWeek’s most tech-savvy CMOs, a CMO Club 2018 CMO Hall of Fame inductee, ANA Educational Foundation’s Marketer of the Year and author of Wall Street Journal best-selling book, Quantum Marketing.
Detavio Samuels serves as CEO of REVOLT Media, America’s fastest growing Black-owned media company.
Samuels is one of corporate America's youngest and most accomplished senior executives, helping a decorated roster of top global companies like Walmart, McDonalds, AT&T, Chrysler, the NBA and Johnson & Johnson build impactful brands with deeper connections to multicultural consumers.
Tasked with managing a growing bi-coastal team and spearheading the daily operations of the company, Samuels is focused on rapid growth and digital expansion to further position REVOLT as the preeminent driver of global culture. Samuels is dedicated to helping Millennials and Gen-Z better understand the shifting world and ignite change by using Hip-Hop as a lens to explore the Black experience globally.
Samuels has been recognized for his work as a marketing executive, receiving several honors including being named a Trailblazer in Media by 100 Black Men of NY, Network Journal 40 Under 40, MAAX Media Executive of the Year, and the 2017 Trailblazer Award from the National Urban League. In addition to his notable work within creative industries, Samuels is also an Amazon best-selling author.
Samuels received his B.A. from Duke University, along with an MBA and Master's degree from Stanford University all by the age of 25. Samuels remains poised to redesign the modern media landscape and empower creators by building innovative platforms aimed at advancing Black culture.
Samantha Skey is Chief Executive Officer for SHE Media, a lifestyle company reaching 81 million women each month (comScore Jan, 2021). In addition to the company’s owned and operated brands: SheKnows.com, STYLECASTER, BlogHer, soaps.com and HelloFlo, SHE Media operates the largest network of independent publishers in the US. SHE Media was acquired by Penske Media Corporation in March, 2018.
Skey launched the SHE Media Partner Network in 2014 with a focus on supporting under-represented publishers. The Network now reaches an audience of 50 million+ and contributes over $25MM annually to independent publishers, helping women and minority-lead businesses to scale both their profits and their social impact.
Skey serves on the board of directors for The Ad Council and the World Surf League. She serves on the advisory boards of Digital Ascendant, SmartyPants Vitamin Company, Fyllo Compliance Cloud and The Bronx Academy of Letters.
Steve Stoute is an advertising entrepreneur and music industry pioneer. The founder and CEO of both UnitedMasters and Translation, Stoute was named Executive of the Year by Ad Age in 2013. With funding from Alphabet, Andreessen Horowitz and 21st Century Fox, Stoute’s companies operate at the intersection of technology, culture, innovation and storytelling.
UnitedMasters is a revolutionary platform that enables artists to operationalize and maximize their creative and economic potential while allowing them to maintain full ownership over their master recording rights. Translation is a leading agency bringing together award-winning creative and insights to connect brands to culture. Translation works with some of today’s leading brands including State Farm, AT&T, NBA, and Kaiser Permanente. The two companies come together to offer a unique brand to culture platform that leverages cultural insights to connect brands to audiences in a new, sophisticated way.
Prior to founding Translation in 2004, Stoute was a music industry executive at Sony Music and Interscope Geffen A&M. He produced albums for Mariah Carey and Nas, led the production efforts for Gwen Stefani and Enrique Iglesias, and executive produced the Academy Award-winning 8 Mile film and soundtrack.
Don’t you just hate these bios that tell you how sparkly, amazing the person is that it is talking about? So do I. Yeah, I’m breaking the 4th wall by talking to you, but that’s what I do—advertising. I break through the clutter with a message that says something human to get and hold your attention. (Got you! You’re still reading)After a lifetime of being paid to promote other people, their company, product or service, I’ve grown to dislike talking about myself. Who am I kidding, I never liked talking about me. I’m a creative, who has been blessed to work in advertising for nearly 30 years. I’ve worked at great shops, and I’ve worked at bad shops (so bad). I’ve done work that I am so proud of, and then I have done work that years of therapy is just now helping me recover from.
I’m a creative.
I’m an instigator.
I love starting stuff.
ViacomCBS Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAC; VIACA) is a leading global media and entertainment company that creates premium content and experiences for audiences worldwide. Driven by iconic consumer brands, its portfolio includes CBS, SHOWTIME, Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, Paramount+ and Pluto TV, among others. The company delivers the largest share of the television audience in the United States and one of the industry’s most extensive libraries of television and film titles. In addition to offering innovative streaming services and digital video products, ViacomCBS provides powerful capabilities in production, distribution and advertising solutions.
Resonate is a pioneer in Consumer Intelligence, delivering dynamic consumer insights, cross-channel engagement and analysis in a single, simple-to-use SaaS platform. Resonate has more than 12,000 contextually relevant attributes, including values, motivations and other psychographics, describing more than 200 million U.S. consumers across multiple industries. Hundreds of companies have used Resonate to reveal and engage audiences using the “Human Element,” a deeper understanding of people that uncovers why they choose, buy or support certain brands, products or causes. Empowered by this unparalleled understanding, leading brands, agencies and organizations effectively analyze, engage and convert these audiences, driving growth and increasing customer lifetime value.
Undertone creates memorable ad experiences by thoughtfully orchestrating solutions across video, advanced TV, rich media, and social, to drive unmatched brand lift and audience engagement on virtually every screen, and every device. Their award-winning creative team uses the company’s 20 years of experience, and billions of impressions worth of data to intelligently craft campaigns that can drive full-funnel KPIs while making meaningful connections with the 200MM+ unique users they can reach every month. Undertone brings the art and science of advertising together to intelligently craft campaigns that uplift consumers, brands, and publishers alike. Visit undertone.com to learn more about Undertone’s newest initiative—Uplift Collective: Placements with Purpose.
John Dioso has been the Editor of Ad Age Studio 30, the creative content arm of Ad Age, since August 2018. Built on the same bedrock of journalistic integrity, Ad Age Studio 30 specializes in multichannel membership content for Ad Age subscribers, as well as custom and sponsored content that resonates with its audience.
During his career, Dioso has overseen some of the most popular and celebrated media brands in the world, including Cosmopolitan, Rolling Stone, Glamour, Martha Stewart Living and Us Weekly. As Executive Managing Editor of Cosmopolitan, his management of the editorial team helped lead the magazine to the first National Magazine Award in its history.
Before that, Dioso was the longtime Deputy Managing Editor of Rolling Stone. During his tenure, Rolling Stone won numerous awards, including the 2007 National Magazine Award for General Excellence. In 2010, he edited Rolling Stone’’s best-selling special issue “The Beatles: 100 Greatest Songs.”
Dioso lives in Brooklyn with his wife, cat, and way too many guitars. They have three daughters.
Dan Peres is the editor-in-chief of Ad Age. Before joining Ad Age, he was the editor-in-chief of Details magazine for 15 years. Prior to that, Dan spent 9 years at W Magazine, overseeing bureaus in Paris, London and Milan. Dan started his career as a reporter at Women's Wear Daily. While in college, he worked as a copy boy for The New York Times. Dan lives in New York and has three sons.
E.J. Schultz is the News Editor for Ad Age, overseeing breaking news and daily coverage. He also contributes reporting on the beverage, automotive and sports marketing industries. He is a former reporter for McClatchy newspapers, including the Fresno Bee, where he covered business and state government and politics.
Jeanine Poggi covers the TV industry and how broadcast and cable networks and distributors are adopting to the changes in the world of TV advertising. She joined Ad Age in 2012, following six years covering the retail and media industries and other financial sectors for Women's Wear Daily, Forbes and TheStreet.
Jack Neff, editor at large, covers household and personal-care marketers, Walmart and market research. He's based near Cincinnati and has previously written for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Bloomberg, and trade publications covering the food, woodworking and graphic design industries and worked in corporate communications for the E.W. Scripps Co.
Loni Venti is a freelance writer, editor, and brand consultant based in Brooklyn, NY. In addition to contributing to AdAge, you can find her articles in publications like Allure, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, and Harper's Bazaar. Her editorial brand work includes creative direction, storytelling, and copy for IPSY, Smashbox, WASO by Shiseido, The Derm Specialists, The Makeup Museum and more.
Natalie Zfat is a social media entrepreneur and Ad Age Contributing Editor who has partnered with some of the most iconic brands in the world, including Facebook, Samsung, LinkedIn and American Express. Zfat's beloved social media community of 150K+ followers are dreamers, doers and entrepreneurs, from college students to CEOs.
A lover of words, coffee, and culture, Angela is the head of strategy at Alma Advertising. She has spent nearly 20 years uncovering the interplays of Global, US and Latinx culture, helping brands succeed with Hispanic and non-Hispanic consumers alike.
Angela is responsible for leading research, the development of consumer insights and creation of inspiring creative strategies, and the execution of post campaign analytics for Alma’s roster of brands together with her team of strategists and analysts. She also heads up Alma’s Culture Lab, an innovation think tank that leads the marketplace in Cultural Curation, Consulting and Research.
Angela agrees that everyone loves their kids but knows that the way we demonstrate that love varies widely by culture, heritage and experience. Understanding those cultural nuances means understanding when to go traditional vs when to go trendy vs when to be universal. This is essential to good marketing in a world where messages need to be more personal than ever.
Among the brands she currently helps grow by connecting them with consumers in more culturally relevant ways are: Pepsi, McDonald’s, State Farm, Sprint, Cerveza Sol, Miller Lite, Clorox, Tobacco Free Florida, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Lilly and PNC Bank.