Looking at the organization as a whole, the firm’s diversity numbers drop sharply.  While specific numbers were not made available, Hannaford says more can, and should, be done.

“When we first started working with the Army, we put together a broad assessment,” said Hannaford.  “The difficult part of doing that globally is matching up demographic splits in the varying geographies.  From country to country, the definition of diversity, and what constitutes success, varies – so we focused our assessment on the U.S. only.  But while our numbers did pretty well, obviously we have areas where we need to improve.”

When it comes to diversity in advertising, PR and marketing, it is important to look at efforts that extend beyond the hiring of African Americans.  “For the D.C. office specifically, we’re doing better from a racial standpoint than from a gender standpoint – despite our efforts, it’s been very frustrating,” continued Hannaford.  “As far as nationwide, while the face of diversity varies from geography to geography, I’m puzzled as to why there seems not to be more of an available pool of Asians and Latinos.  It’s not just us; it seems to be industry-wide.”

Broadening the Scope of Diversity

Although many PR firms have begun to achieve greater diversity among their ranks, most have ignored the need to implement programs that encourage greater involvement with minority suppliers.  MS&L admits to needing to work towards a broader commitment to diversity.

When Leo Burnett U.S.A. landed the U.S. Army account in 2000, MS&L came on board to shepherd the public relations end of the business. The Army contract required Leo Burnett and MS&L to set aside a certain percentage of the budget for small and disadvantaged business enterprises (SDBEs) – including minority owned businesses.  In recent years, the use of SDBEs to fulfill contracts has become an important consideration, particularly among government agencies.

“Fortunately, we’re in a position to approach the Army pretty much the same way we approach all our other clients,” said Hannaford.  “Particularly in D.C., our business is generally driven by relationships.  And, we have a long list of minority owned businesses that we have worked with for a long time – from events management to public affairs experts all the way to graphic design.”

As is the case with most PR firms, MS&L has no standing policy on working with SDBEs, aside from their contract requirements for the Army.  Although MS&L does not report the number of minority vendors it does business with annually, nor the amount it spends with them, Hannaford says the firm maintains good relationships with minority firms.  “I have to say again, we work with (our minority suppliers) because they do great work, the price is right and we trust them.  And, we’ve partnered with them for years.”

The U.S. Army is not the only client keeping a close eye on diversity among its agencies.  More and more, agencies are feeling the heat from clients wanting to know what they are doing about minority inclusion among their ranks and among their vendors.  Hannaford says MS&L’s use of minority vendors has occurred through the normal course of business, and not because of client pressure.

“Outside of the Army, we haven’t really seen a huge push from clients as far as diversity is concerned,” said Hannaford.  “For the most part, most clients are more interested in diversity of thought – they aren’t trying to force the issue.”

That will be an interesting area to revisit for MS&L as they are poised to go public now that the Publicis merger is complete.  “When you’re publicly held, that can change the level of freedom and choices that you have as an agency.  I don’t know what they have in mind – only time will tell.  If they push for a formal procurement and purchasing system, I think MS&L will be able to deliver.  If not immediately, certainly down the road.”

The End