kembo tom – ushering in change
photo by steed media service |
VP, Ideas and Innovation, GTM
The fact that the AdColor Awards, an elegant industry soirée devoted to recognizing and promoting diversity in the world of advertising and marketing, was produced with the help of the nation’s largest ad organizations, is a strong indicator of where the industry is going, says GTM’s Kembo Tom. The vice president of ideas and innovation for GTM received an Innovator Award at the AdColor Awards recently in Boca Raton, Fla.
“I think that what’s important to me about this industry and what’s important about this award, is [that] people 30 and older can remember a time in television when all the images [were] of one ethnicity. And that one ethnicity was supposed to speak on behalf of the diversity and the melting pot that is America,” says Tom, who joined others in referencing President-elect Barack Obama’s majestic political feat as corroborating evidence of the changing times. “For me, to receive this award on the same stage as Russell Simmons, just says a lot. It shows that they are recognizing the people who are blazing a new trail in this industry.”
Tom believes the fruitful mentorship program he runs through GTM has been a great contributory factor in aiding GTM’s goal to remain relevant in the marketplace. “[With mentees] under our wings, this allows us to always know what’s going on with Twitter, what’s going on with Yahoo, what the new band is, that we know the music before it breaks. …That’s what our clients come to us for — the insight, the intel, the relevant marketing, that understanding that what you have is groomed, it’s cultivated, it’s well received … and it is a door that keeps opening for us.” –terry shropshire
