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by
Matthew Jones
Ed
Rutland
just may be the man you want to call in a crisis.
At the very least, you will want to call Matlock Advertising and
Public Relations (Matlock) where
Rutland
serves as Executive Vice President and Managing
Partner. Matlock
is a New York-based African American owned
communications agency with a long history of
building, broadening and, yes, repairing
clients’ brands.
For
more than 10 years, Matlock has served its clients
with a broad array of initiatives including crisis
communications, targeting multicultural audiences,
and even some general market work.
The agency's client list reads like a who’s who in
the industry, including Georgia-Pacific,
BellSouth Corporation, Dell Computer Corporation,
ESPN Zone, Publix Super Markets, BMW and many
more.
Arguably,
what really puts Matlock on the communications
map, and communications A-list, is the work they
did with Denny’s Corporation – stepping
in during one of the most publicly scathing
discrimination scandals of the 90’s. Working
with Matlock, Denny’s was able to weather the
storm, and actually come out ahead over time, by establishing relationships with some of the most
influential and important diversity groups around
– including the NAACP and National
Urban League.
Denny's also publicly revamped the structure
of its diversity procurement program, and the
composition of its suppliers and even their owner/operator base.
The
Matlock Approach
Matlock’s
success in helping to reposition Denny’s is
indicative of the agency’s considerable and
extensive expertise.
“Crisis communications is at the heart of
what we do, but we do a lot in other areas as
well,” said
Rutland. “Regardless
of the scenario, we really pursue total solutions
to multi-ethnic audiences for our clients –
whether it’s brand building, crisis
communications or reputation management.”
Public
relations experts generally regard crisis
communications as the most explosive, difficult
and stressful area of PR practice.
Tangible, positive results are demanded in
hours and days, not weeks and months. Instinct,
intelligence and speed are essential – sometimes
to help keep the client in business, but managing crisis is not Matlock’s only
specialty.
Some clients
come to Matlock to get “inoculated,” that is,
to get an overall view of how they are perceived
by diverse communities.
Other clients just want to know whether
their marketing approach is working.
In each case,
Rutland
says the agency uses a three-tier approach to
develop and achieve brand objectives.
The approach involves building awareness,
establishing productive relationships and
promoting sustainable transactions.
Here’s
how
Rutland
explained each focus.
-
Building
Awareness is at the heart of advertising
and public relations.
Matlock works closely with clients to
help them better understand what their
organization, product and service stand for
and also what their audiences think they stand
for.
-
Establishing
productive relationships means getting
clients integrated with their target
communities.
For Matlock, determining how closely a
client works with various community leaders
such as the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored
People, National Council of La Raza,
and the National Urban League is an obvious starting point in building
effective relationships.
From there, the agency looks at other
points of contact that support targeted
opportunities and demographics.
-
Promoting
sustainable transactions involves the
actual business dealings between the client
and the community. “This is where you’re
asking for money,” said
Rutland
. “This
is where your strategic insights really come
into play.
You build on what you know (about the
client and the community).
Matlock
employs its three-tier approach across the board,
whether the agency is working directly with a
client, or is part of a multi-agency team
assisting a shared client.
Sharing
Clients: Synergy and Strategy
When
minority-owned agencies share large corporate
clients with larger, general market agencies, the
relationship can be complicated.
Some agencies feel strangled by their
general market counterparts, while others say they
feel they have complete autonomy.
Rutland
indicated that Matlock has not encountered too
many obstacles – but he admits to seeing
different approaches.
"For
some clients, it really requires work (to share
with general market agencies),” said
Rutland. “But
if the client really believes that multicultural
marketing is the way to go, then it doesn’t have
to be an uphill battle."
In
general, Matlock’s clients take a full
teamwork approach with their roster agencies - where the strategic planning, the media planning
and client presentations happen jointly.
While the general market agency may take
the lead in many cases, the work is done and
presented as a complete team.
BMW
(Bavarian Motor Works) added Matlock to
their client roster in March; and while things are
still in the beginning stages, it’s likely to
work in a team fashion – with each agency being
brought to the table throughout the planning and
execution process.
“I like to call it ‘One Brand, Multiple
Voices,” said
Rutland. “Sometimes
you’ll have a new general market agency step in,
so you have to line it all up again.”
But
Rutland admits that the one brand, multiple voices
approach is not always the framework for the
relationship.
For example, Matlock supports computer
manufacturing giant Dell, but the relationship is
managed through DDB Chicago.
On that account, the DDB office sets all of
the brand standards, and the other agencies follow
suit. Strategic
and media planning sessions are not done jointly,
but the support agencies have significant autonomy
in doing what they need to do – within the set
guidelines.
“It’s
not a hindrance, just a different process,” says
Rutland.
“In
the end, it’s about the work, and when we put our work up next to the
other agencies, ours gets a better response from
African-American consumers.
That’s what we’re here to do.
But again, the client, and their leadership
team are key.”
According
to
Rutland, the clients are changing just as fast as their
competitive environments.
As minorities slowly move up the corporate
ranks, an increasing number of them is becoming
accountable for the company bottom line – and
many are in charge of diversity marketing.
Now,
minorities are telling minority owned agencies
what should be done and how.
“It’s a great position to be in.
We’re not stuck explaining why (things)
should be done.
They already know that.
In addition, you also have a client
that’s more emotionally tied to the work,”
said Rutland.
“It
used to be the marketing head would find some
Black secretary or janitor and say ‘Hey,
you’re Black – what do you think of this
work?’” joked
Rutland. “That
just isn’t the case anymore.
Working with a client that is a minority
helps foster a climate of success and growth.”
Rising
Demand, and
America
’s Changing Face
Many
factors have contributed to Matlock’s success
and growth – not the least of which is a growing
client demand for the services the agency
provides. Few
marketers can argue against the importance of
building a relationship with multiple ethnic
audiences. In
today’s market, it’s the only way to keep your
bottom line in the black – so to speak.
“I
call it the 2000 Census Wake-Up Call,” said
Rutland. “General
market clients really saw the numbers changing –
income, population are growing.
(These are) numbers you can no longer
ignore. That’s
been a real push.”
Clients
who are really in tune with the changing face of
our society take notice of some of the even more
profound implications of the current market
landscape.
“These
aren’t just numbers,” said
Rutland. “This
(growth of minority markets) has led to the rise
in urban marketing and it’s presence in the
general market.
The general market is, and has been, taking
cues from the urban market – African-American
and Hispanic markets; and that often feeds into your most
powerful trends.”
As
a result, some marketers are infusing more of an
ethnic, urban feel into their general market
initiatives, which is difficult to do without some genuine
insight and knowledge of the minority markets.
“And that’s where we come in,”
said
Rutland.
Publix
Super Markets is one of Matlock’s biggest
and longest standing accounts.
When the city of Atlanta
began to experience drastic ethnic changes,
Matlock was there to help Publix build inroads
into these emerging communities in enduring,
profitable ways.
Experts
estimate that over the past 10 years, the City
of Atlanta
(metropolitan area) added more than 500,000 Blacks
to its residents – more African American growth
than
New York City. As a
region, several areas across the South have
experienced similar (but not nearly as profound)
changes in the ethnic mix.
For example,
Rutland
cites
Orlando
and
South Florida
as locations that have seen significant increases
in their West-Indian and Afro-Caribbean
populations.
“Clients
had to take notice – particularly the ones for
whom
Atlanta
is their back yard – like Publix,” explained
Rutland. “That
kind of change impacts all kinds of local services
– Internet, telephone service, and yes, grocery
stores.”
Matlock
sat down with Publix to help take a closer look at
their changing demographic.
Ten years ago, Publix had 50 stores where
African Americans made up 20-percent or more of
their clientele.
Today, that number stands at more than 150
– with some of the stores indexing with more
than 90-percent African American clientele.
With this change, Publix has begun to open
more and more stores within traditionally Black
neighborhoods.
“You
wouldn’t be able to do that if you weren’t
significantly tied into the community,” said
Rutland. “Because
Publix understands the Black community, they’re
able to open stores right there in the
neighborhood.
But that comes from years of working with a
group that understands – and is part of – that
community.”
The
Future of Minority Firms
Growth
and profits aren’t coming easy for Matlock, or
for most agencies, for that matter.
“The
biggest threat right now is, obviously, the
economy,” observed Rutland.
“When things get tight like this, the
first thing to get cut is generally the PR and
advertising. And
within that, it’s usually the diversity
initiatives. If
a client is worried about holding on to 70-percent
of their business, they tend to lose focus on the
30-percent that might comprise the multicultural
audience.”
On
the flip side of the threat coin is the positive
sign that newer, younger minority-owned agencies
are throwing their hats into the ring.
As minorities have slowly gained a foothold
in the industry over the years, a growing number
are branching out to create our own agencies.
While this is a good thing for
minority communities, it leads to greater
competition among agencies.
“As fast as we’re growing, we’re also seeing
client demand grow as well,” said
Rutland. “The
work is out there – clients are getting smart as
to what they need to do.
Also, exclusive agreements help keep
opportunities open.
For example, if you have a large automotive
account, chances are your contract stipulates that
you can’t work on another car account –
exclusive agreements limit your lateral movement;
and for all the other car accounts out there, that
opens a door for the other agencies.”
Like
a growing number of principals at minority-owned
agencies,
Rutland
does not see a huge threat in the apparent trend
of general market agencies buying out smaller,
minority owned firms.
“If
an owner is approached by a larger agency that can
help them grow, with greater resource investment,
then that’s a good thing,” said
Rutland. “Look
at some of the other leaders.
They’ve been able to maintain their
autonomy. Burrell
(Communications) is still doing excellent
work. Don
Coleman’s Global Hues (Advertising), Uniworld
(Group, Inc.) … great Black work.”
Rutland
takes his powerfully optimistic view one step
further. “In
50-plus years, we may not be needed anymore – I
can’t wait until the day where we’re no longer
needed at all,” he said.
“When race and culture aren’t such a
factor. Where,
in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., ‘we
are judged not by the color of our skin, but the
content of our character.’”
He
took a moment before he continued.
“I
hope that day comes,” said Rutland.
“A true Rainbow world.”
The
End
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