Agencies, hey, doncha just love ’em. According to PrideAM, the new group for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in advertising – led by the one and only MAA boss Scott Knox – only a third of marketing agencies are aware that they actually have gay staff.
Now, never let it be said that I don’t support the sisterhood, but even as self-confessed part-time “vagitarian” I feel a sense of outrage. Mind you, give me a couple of drinks and I feel anything.
I can only think that with the marketing industry populated by white, middle class idiots, most probably think all lesbians look like the ones you and I regularly see on PornHub. Shame on you.
In fact, I am going to be taking the matter up with my esteemed editor to make him ensure he gets in a few LGBT staff to work on his organ. After all, variety is the spice of life and all that, and I am all for “doing different” as the new group’s strapline urges.
But talking of recruitment drives, I sincerely hope that Scott has better luck recruiting for members of PrideAM than he did a few years back trying to drum up entries for the MAA Best Awards.
So the story goes, the boss of one Chime agency – who will remain nameless for obvious reasons – received an email from the MAA urging him to enter some of their work into that year’s glittering ceremony. He then forwarded it on to his creative director, with a note which said: “Who are this lot? Have you ever heard of the MAA?”
“Of course,” came back the swift but rather worrying response, “it’s a trade body run by that big poofter”. However, little did the duo realise they had inadvertently CCd old Knoxy into the whole conversation. Cue panic and furious email exchanges. Funnily enough they haven’t entered the MAA Awards since…
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