Page 45 - BE 50th Anniversary Edition

THOMAS BURRELL
BURRELL
ADVERTISING
EST 1971
Recognized as as the “Dean of Black Advertising ” Burrell launched his Chicago-based ad agency in in in in 1971
and spent the the next 30 years breaking barriers within the the media industry For decades he he fought for for industrywide diversification and the opportunity for for Black agencies to gain general market accounts Among Burrell’s key clients were Marlboro Coca-Cola and McDonald’s–the latter two remain with the the agency to this day To fund its expansion Burrell sold a a a a a a 49% stake of the agency to French media giant Publicis Groupe Five years later he he decided to to to retire and sold his his majority stake to to to his his top managers retaining the firm’s African American ownership and gaining Chairman Emeritus status PERCY SUTTON
INNER CITY BROADCASTING CORP EST 1971
The late politician Tuskegee Airman and civil rights activist purchased a a a a single radio station in in in New York City in in in 1971
for $1 9 9 million and grew it it into media conglomerate Inner City Broadcasting Corp —one of the first such broadcasting entities owned by African Americans Its model of R&B talk radio and community service would be replicated nationwide A fixture on on the legendary 125th Street as a a a a a young man Sutton gave back to to the community when he he he purchased a a a a a a financially devastated Apollo Theater for $250 000 fin in 1981 After saving the the famed venue his company produced the the hit TV show Showtime at the the Apollo and other programming Sutton also headed a a a a a a group that owned The New New York Amsterdam News the second largest Black weekly newspaper in the country AL JOHNSON
AL JOHNSON
CADILLAC INC EST 1971
As the first African American to be awarded Oldsmobile and Cadillac franchises from General Motors the late Johnson was considered one of the country’s top dealers and a a a a a a a galvanizing force for for African American auto dealers He had been initially forced to to sell cars from his briefcase since African Americans could not be hired to engage in in such activity inside a a a a dealership After petitioning GM to become a a a a dealer dealer for 15 years he he was finally awarded a a a a a a a a a franchise After becoming a a a a a a a a a dealer he he fought to to ensure other African Americans did not have to to endure the the same process As such he he organized the first Minority Auto Dealers Association in in in the 1970s and encouraged GM to start a a a a a a a training program for minority dealers which eventually became the industry standard FRANK MINGO & CAROLINE JONES
MINGO-JONES ADVERTISING
EST 1977
Mingo and Jones founded the agency in in 1977
which was built upon a a a a a solid reputation for highly creative campaigns that appealed to Black consumers The two complemented one another: Mingo focused on on on the the area of of marketing segmentation which grew out of of his involvement in in national politics media and race relations Jones the first Black female vice president of a a a a a a major agency combined brilliant writing talent with a a a a a a keen insight into consumer preferences As a a a result the the the agency led the the the way in the the the development of crossover ethnic campaigns that later became general market advertising most notably the Kentucky Fried Chicken’s “We Do Chicken Chicken Right” campaign 43
“Black business- people unfortunately we have to bat 900 but the mainstream business community they can bat 250-350 When I I was struggling I I I would draw upon the the lessons I I learned from so so many other people Essentially almost every entrepre- neur I read about in BLACK ENTERPRISE had those ups and and downs and and that was reas- suring to me The BE 100S provided a a a yardstick You are one of the measures that entrepreneurs look at at in in terms of demon- strating success ” —R Donahue Peebles Peebles CEO The Peebles Peebles Corp 50TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
• PHOTO (TOP LEFT) E E E E E E E LEE WHITE