Advertising turns ideas into dollars, so it may come as a bit of a surprise that there are still discriminatory policies in advertising that prevent blacks and Hispanics from showcasing their products or services under what is known as “No Urban and No Hispanic Dictates” or NUDs as they are referred to in the industry.
Urban media wizard, Sherman Kizart, founder and Managing Director of Kizart Media Partners, has dedicated over two decades of his career in radio as sales and marketing expert to put an abrupt end to the unfair practice. “Discriminatory practices transcend all businesses and ways of life and advertising, marketing is certainly no exception,” Kizart tells rolling out.
Three years in the making, Federal Communications Commissioners Jonathan Adelstein and Robert McDowell asked Kizart to spear-head dialogue between the FCC, minority media concerns and the offices of the FCC commissioners in late October.
The meeting resulted in Kizart Media Partners and the American Association Advertising Agencies Media Policy Committee announcing the adoption of a landmark non-discrimination policy related to vendor selection. Bill Koenigsberg, Chairman of the 4As, said the policy will be distributed to over 800 of its media policy committee members, which includes CEOs and senior executives of every major buying agency in the country.
In terms of the far-reaching effects on black and Hispanic media, according to Kizart, these discriminatory policies conservatively cost African American-owned and African American-targeted, along with Hispanic-owned and Hispanic-targeted media some $250M in loss revenue.
Kizart’s dedication is paying off, particularly within the last 15 years, where he has worked on a national level on this issue including his tenure as senior vice president and director of urban radio for Interep, Inc. Kizart launched Kizart Media Partners in 2008. The national sales and marketing consultancy partners with clients to generate greater sales that focus on revenue opportunities for urban targeted media platforms.
“When I started Kizart Media Partners three years ago, I continued to eliminate ‘No Urban Dictates’ as part of my business model. … I look forward to expanding our current discussions on how the 4As Media Policy Committee can help bridge the gap in opportunities afforded minority-owned and minority targeted media platforms for their clients.” –tony binns
