insights
ColorComm 2018: Ogilvy's Hawaii 5-0
Aloha! ColorComm 2018 – the annual conference created in 2011 to advance the visibility and accomplishments of women of color in communications, marketing, advertising, media, digital and more – marked the event’s 5th edition and Ogilvy, like the past three years, was there in full effect. Our presence at #C2Maui was also amplified by Ogilvy’s re-founding, which happened on the day of our recruiting event for the best and brightest talent. Having the opportunity to introduce Next Chapter and the new Ogilvy to a diverse, talented and engaged audience was an amazing experience.
Paying homage to the conference’s anniversary and location, here are our “Hawaii 5-0” takeaways. I asked five Ogilvy attendees about their experience at ColorComm and what lies ahead in the future.
What was your favorite session and why?
We all love a good story, and that is one of the best reasons to attend ColorComm. We listen to incredible stories from incredible people, who share their insights, their success and even their failures so we can all learn from them. In the session, “The Road from Founder to Building a Multimillion Dollar Business Enterprise,” the audience learned about legal disputes to emotional turmoil and lagging self-doubt from two incredible entrepreneurs turned business titans. We laughed, nodded in agreement and even shed a tear or two. That’s the power of ColorComm, we learn together.
- Lily Eng, Media Influence
Who was your favorite speaker and why?
The speaker I enjoyed hearing from the most was Lisa Price, founder of Carol’s Daughter (Unleashing Your Entrepreneurial Spirit conversation.) With a company named after her own mother and a mother herself, I found it inspiring to hear her discuss the challenges of balancing family, launching a successful business, and taking care of yourself along the way. Lisa addressed the pressure still put on working women versus men to not let any “balls drop” around the household while driving a successful career - all while attempting to make it look easy. It was an honest and open conversation relevant for so many women.
- Nicole Doucette, Talent Acquisition
How was your experience as a Colorcomm first timer, what makes this different?
I was extremely excited to participate in ColorComm 2018 and I did not leave disappointed. The speakers were inspiring, honest, and empowering. The environment of the sessions allowed for difficult but important conversations around gender, race and the continued work around diversity and inclusion, to be discussed openly. There was acknowledgement that we have more work to do. The agenda was packed with amazing speakers and sessions but the best part of the conference for me was the opportunity to meet so much incredible talent.
- Doryse Franco, Talent Management
As last year’s honoree, what inspires you about the next generation talent you met in Maui?
As a Circle Award Honoree from 2017, and a third-time conference attendee, I am delighted that I’ve been able to meet and see our next generation talent year-over-year. What inspires me about this year’s conference is meeting incredible women who not only advocate for themselves but also pave the way for others. Yes, ColorComm is a business network that connects women to each other professionally, for career advice, job leads and mentorship. But equally and perhaps more importantly, ColorComm is a sisterhood where it’s clear that when one woman rises, so do the rest of us. It’s watching other women grow and seeing them reach back and pull each other up that will keep me close to this community.
- Kathy Baird, Group Managing Director, USA
What does the future hold for diversity in the industry and for Ogilvy in its Next Chapter?
We need to continue our momentum for gender equality across every market and throughout the global network. It will be important to identify the top three goals and objectives for diversity and inclusion. In the USA, we will be focusing on race and ethnicity in addition to gender and the other markets will also determine their goals as in diversity means something different in every market. Our goal is by 2021 is to be recognized globally as a leader in diversity and inclusion. For the industry, paraphrasing from my recent Adweek joint op-ed with Ogilvy’s WW Chief Communications Officer Jennifer Risi, it’s time to put up or shut up.
- Donna Pedro, Executive Partner, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Worldwide
Last year, I had the exceptional experience of speaking on the opening panel in Miami alongside Kathy, Jen and my Brand USA Client, Chief Communications and Strategy Officer, Anne Madison. This year, I got to celebrate and share a historic moment in Ogilvy’s journey as we launched Next Chapter under the enthralling Maui sunset. Unveiling the new Ogilvy as we explored New Horizons at ColorComm was a bold statement about how serious and committed Ogilvy is to this cause. As technology and globalization continue to change the communications landscape, the pursuit of diversity in the agency world is more important than ever to drive creativity and innovation.
I firmly believe events like ColorComm and Ad Color are needed to challenge us as an industry to do more and be better.