• by Larissa Faw , December 24, 2020

In the aftermath of this summer’s racial protests, Solve agency members brainstormed ways they could lend their talents to support Black Lives Matter. George Floyd’s killing while in police custody happened just a few miles away from Solve’s Minneapolis headquarters.

Their ideas ranged from developing a pro bono campaign for the NAACP to devoting its social media pages to the cause.

Yet, the agency realized none of these solutions would translate into real change in the advertising industry. Instead, Solve decided to focus on helping to fill the pipeline of graduates of color interested in agency careers. 

This advocacy angle is also something agency leaders are personally invested in supporting they recognize their own agency needs to be stronger in diversity advancement. Currently, the agency’s leadership team includes no people of color and only 16% of its staff is comprised of people of color.

This summer, the agency sent letters to over 30 Historically Black Colleges and Universities and offered to serve as guest lecturers/teachers for advertising classes.

The first response was from Morgan State University in Baltimore which expressed strong interest and a willingness to develop an unprecedented college-agency partnership. 
“In our initial email outreach we included eight separate potential content topics/lecturers,” explains John Colasanti, CEO, Solve. “When we conceived the program, we thought we’d likely end up guest lecturing a class or two.  Morgan State wanted something deeper and more involved.”

As MSU Journalism Chair David Marshall quipped to Colasanti, “We’re not looking to date…we’re looking for a relationship.”

Beginning in September for the fall semester, Solve employees remotely lectured during six 325 upper-level strategic communications classes at the school. Topics include from “What Is Advertising” to “Using Data To Drive Strategy.” 
The program delivered on its objective to interest diverse talent in possibly joining the industry, claims Colasanti. Several of the participating students say they’re now considering an advertising career.

“The consistent, week-to-week access to the students allowed a true bond to form, which enabled us to provide a richer perspective and deeper real-world peek into the industry than we ever imagined, says Colasanti. “We could watch the students transition from being tentative and cynical about advertising to becoming inspired and interested in actually pursuing it as a career.”

He adds his team members got as much out of the experience as the students. More people than we needed stepped up and offered to shape course content and deliver lectures, he says. In the end, eight employees were involved in writing course material and presenting to the students. “It was an absolutely rewarding labor of love for them.”

The lecture curriculum will continue throughout next semester and the agency is in discussions on ways to expand into career advice, networking, internships, and in-person class work.

Solve hopes its experience sparks other agencies to launch similar projects with colleges and universities. “Making a difference and truly impacting the industry’s embarrassing diversity situation is no small feat,” states Colasanti. “It’s a huge problem that won’t be solved without true commitment and a willingness to attack it each and every day. Beyond giving opportunities to all qualified people, it’s on us as experienced agency professionals to share what’s so great about this wonderful business with those that have had no access to it.”