• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, May 13, 2021

Dentsu has launched what it’s calling its “Economic Empowerment” offering designed to help clients diversify media investments and support minority owned media companies.

The company is also formally launching “Infronts” which has been in pilot phase for six months and is an initiative that pairs minority owned business partners with internal investment and client communities.

The new offering will be led by Mark Prince as senior vice president, Head of Economic Empowerment. Previously he served as managing partner and executive vice president media services at Professional Partnering Solutions, Inc., where he led the supplier diversity initiatives. Earlier he served as a broadcast buying director at GSD&M.

Prince reports to Doug Rozen, CEO, Dentsu Media – Americas. “We must have teams addressing investment inequality,” stated Rozen. He added that Prince “will help amplify the voices and perspectives of diverse owned and targeted media companies and cultivate more diverse supplier inclusion.”

Other holding companies, agencies and brands have launched media inclusion initiatives as well, including GroupM, which announced an initiative earlier this week. In April, General Motors announced a plan to increase spending with Black-owned media.

Dentsu's effort follows the release earlier in the week of its inaugural DEI Report.