[News]

American Advertising Federation Announces 2016 Most Promising Multicultural Students

Fifty top-performing college seniors selected by advertising industry executives to participate in the upcoming Most Promising Multicultural Students Program (MPMS)

Washington, DC (November 3, 2015)—Designed to promote diversity and inclusion within the advertising and marketing-related industries, the first class of Most Promising Students participated in the program in 1997.  Since then, over 800 students have been a part of MPMS and many have advanced to hold mid to upper management positions within the industry.

On Thursday, October 29, nine advertising industry professionals representing agencies, media and clients gathered at the American Advertising Federation headquarters to select the 20^th class of Most Promising Multicultural Students, adding another 50 outstanding individuals to this impressive pool of talent.  The 2016 judges represented DigitasLBi, ESPN, General Mills, GSD&M, Lapiz, Omnicom Media Group, Omnicom Group, Razorfish and Wieden+Kennedy.

Students from AAF’s college chapter network were selected through a vetted application process that included essays, letters of recommendation, resumé and specific academic requirements.

2016 Most Promising Multicultural Students Class

With an average GPA of 3.6, this accomplished group of undergraduate seniors represents 21 states and 35 different schools across the country including Hawaii, Washington and Texas.

MPMS is a four-day industry immersion that includes professional development workshops, agency visits and a recruiter’s expo. Leading agencies and companies have utilized the MPMS program year over year as a recruitment tool including Deutsch, General Mills, Leo Burnett, McCann Worldgroup, Omnicom Group, Publicis Groupe and Starcom Mediavest Group, among several others. In 2015, 55% of this sought-after group of young professionals was offered a full time position or internship during or soon after the conclusion of the program. Most Promising students represent the top of their class and have passionately demonstrated their future success in this industry through internships, leadership activities, community service, innovation and creativity.

“MPMS has proven itself to be an exemplary program helping to fuel the continued diversification of our industry. Many MPMS alumni have gone on to become the budding leaders and trendsetters within the advertising business. 2016 will mark the program’s 20^th class and the caliber of excellence is once again higher than it has ever been.” 

-Lori Hawthrone, Head of Talent Acquisition, Razorfish; 2016 MPMS Judge

For over two decades, AAF has offered a myriad of programming that promotes and advances multiculturalism within the advertising industry including the Mosaic Awards, Mosaic Career Fairs and AdCamps.

For more information about the AAF’s diversity programs including the Most Promising Multicultural Students Program, please visit the AAF website here or contact Kai Jones at kjones@aaf.org.

 About the American Advertising Federation

The American Advertising Federation (AAF), the nation’s oldest national advertising trade association, and the only association representing all facets of the advertising industry, is headquartered in Washington, DC, and acts as the “Unifying Voice for Advertising.” The AAF’s membership is comprised of nearly 100 blue chip corporate members comprising the nation’s leading advertisers, advertising agencies, and media companies; a national network of nearly 200 local clubs representing 40,000 advertising professionals; and more than 200 AAF college chapters with more than 5,000 student members. The AAF operates a host of programs and initiatives including the Advertising Hall of Fame, the American Advertising Awards, the National Student Advertising Competition, the Mosaic Center on Multiculturalism, and summer AdCamps for high school students. For more information on the full range of AAF programming, visit membership.aaf.org. For the latest news and updates, connect with us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.