The Power of the Mosaic: A Conversation With Steve Pacheco

Philip McKenzie The AAF is building toward a new future and a new decade Why does the Most Promising Multicultural Students program remain a significant focus for the organizationSteve Pacheco The AAF has a proud history via our Mosaic Center for Multiculturalism generally and the Most Promising program specifically of developing talent and encouraging young professionals to not only pursue a career in advertising but also engage in mentorship pursue leadership roles and have the ability to access lifelong learning Building bridges to future leaders is critically important to us organizationallyThe Most Promising Multicultural Student Program acts as a conduit to the entire advertising industry because we have members at ad agencies media companies and brands Our members work in many fields so we have the depth and breadth to support diversity uniquely We consider the Most Promising Student program to be a bellwether for us it creates a critical entry point for young people to join our industry and we can support them through their journey as advertising professionals in whatever capacity they choose to pursueMcKenzie This program is very competitive How do you identify the students that are acceptedPacheco We are seeking to attract the 50 most promising students across the nation that we can highlight during our threeday event in New York City which will be February 10amp821113 this year They get a chance to meet with recruiters and organizations that are looking for talent They also get an opportunity to polish their skillset and receive some coaching for interviews and preparation for what will likely become their first professional job in the industryMost of them are selfidentified as pursuing advertising or marketing tracks at their university or college We also have a vast network of faculty throughout our extensive college network that assists in finding students So we cast our net fairly wide to make sure the quality of the students remains high and that the program is seen as a leader for all of our stakeholdersMcKenzie How does the AAF measure the longterm success of the programPacheco The way we measure success is twofold One we at the AAF want to create brand ambassadors who are fully equipped to compete and thrive in the world of advertising The fact that they go through such a rigorous vetting and the AAF endorses them as exceptional talent means it will reflect on the organization as well Two all of these young people will become change agents in their own regard As they become valuable assets in organizations they will be changing the landscape wherever they go Their creativity and spark will demonstrate the value of diverse and inclusive environmentsMcKenzie How does retention factor into the AAF39s goals It is one thing to join an industry and quite another to stay engaged and have a long careerPacheco We maintain a database of all the people who have come through our program over the years We often feature them in our social media channels and amplify their own We check in regularly and want to make sure we are providing continual support and mentoring This is about giving access to an entire community and maintaining loyalty between all parties The AAF wants to be in a position to provide advice support intel and anything else that might be needed to make sure we are invested in the longterm success of our program alumsMcKenzie Why do diversity and inclusion remain such a consistent challengePacheco The advertising industry has always been made up of diverse personalities and to be successful in advertising you39re going to have to get along with people who have different viewpoints and backgrounds There isn39t a campaign that gets made in a vacuum Much of the advertising work we see around us is expensive and a highstakes gamble for marketers agencies and brands The best results will ultimately be reached by having a diverse teamThe AAF continues to make the point that diversity and inclusion are about having the strongest team that can drive results for all parties involved The fact that it remains a challenge doesn39t alter our commitment to these ideas I39ve learned throughout my 30year professional career that the best work has come out of diverse teams that can give you a full worldview The AAF shares that perspective and that is what we advocateMcKenzie What is the future of the Most Promising Student programPacheco To be candid our biggest challenge is funding and allocation of resources Our program is capped at 50 students because that is what we can afford but I am sure there are at least 50 other students who are deserving of this opportunity Our value proposition is that we are providing organizations with talent that is ready to contribute and add value from day one The more we grow the more we prove that model and show a significant benefit to all of the organizations that support usI am passionate about advertising I am passionate about the work we do If we can get the same attention and resources committed to diversity and inclusion that is allocated to more selfcongratulatory awards I believe as an industry we would be a stronger place That is the future we want to be help shape with the Most Promising Student programDon39t stop now Stay in the know on industry influencers with more from Phil McKenzieClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet

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The Power of the Mosaic: A Conversation With Steve Pacheco

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Philip McKenzie

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The Power of the Mosaic: A Conversation With Steve Pacheco

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