A man who lives, eats, sleeps and breathes the culture, Famuyide says it is absolutely important for people of color to grow their presence in the advertising and marketing industry. “You can do all of the research and focus groups in the world that you want, but there are certain things that numbers and analytics will never tell you,” Famuyide tells BE Modern Man. “Most times, those type of numbers even as they trend, only tell part of the story. Being able to represent and have presence in marketing is the difference between knowing who is real and who is just riding a wave.”
At Translation new hires have to read Stoute’s book The Tanning Of America. The narrative that enables change is realizing that we are all unique in our own special way and that not every Black man is like the same Black man you see on television. “It’s not the simple conventions that advertisers use anymore,” says Famuyide. “Maybe 20 years ago, that Burger King ad with Mary J. Blige would probably have worked. Pair an artist with a catchy jingle about a sandwich, and boom the black audience is captured. Now it’s not so simple. Advertising agencies and industry leaders must realize that with the advancement of the internet, social media, and more, the world has gotten smaller and African Americans can absorb so much more culture than they could decades ago. That’s why you can’t just pigeonhole us anymore.”
There is a dynamic shift taking place, and this shift cannot move forward without inclusion of the people who’s culture is constantly marketed in advertising channels across the board. “To me a BE Modern Man illustrates that business and blacks in business is forever changing. While it might have been a rarity to see people like me in your corporate offices 30 years ago, you’re going to need people like me for your corporate offices to survive for the next 30 years and beyond.”
The BlackEnterprise.com team salutes Kazeem Famuyide for believing in his abilities to produce amazing results. Being counted out by his peers only pushed him to greater levels of achievement and that is why we are honored to call him a BE Modern Man.
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