Posts Tagged ‘Lesly C. Simmons’

No Lucky, We Don’t Go Blonde In Summer

Friday, January 14, 2011

I’m admittedly something of a shopaholic. I’ve gotten my problem under control, but it took some hard work. Just like addicts have to remove themselves from situations that cause them to use, I had to remove myself from situations that caused me to buy. One of my biggest stimuli? Lucky Magazine.

From the beginning Lucky billed itself as the magazine about shopping. And indeed it was, and I was hooked on every issue for years. Over time, I did start to feel some dissatisfaction with the pub, mostly because of the lack of diversity on its pages. Even if the model is there to sell the clothes, its great to see people of all sorts as the backdrop, and Lucky didn’t cut it.

This is a preview of No Lucky, We Don’t Go Blonde In Summer. Read the full post (638 words, 1 image, estimated 2:33 mins reading time)

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Posted in African American Women, Diversity, Socioeconomic Status | No Comments »

National Urban League Turns 100 Years of History Into Huge Exhibit

Monday, October 11, 2010

In the sea of conferences targeting minorities that happen around the country every year it takes something different to stand out and attract attendees. For the centennial celebration of the National Urban League, which took place this July in Washington D.C., the group reached out to Vibrant Design Group to turn their 100 years of history into a physical space with digital elements.

Lo’an Sewer, vice president of Marketing & Business Development at Vibrant Design Group, an MBE-certified firm specializing in minority-focused marketing campaigns based in Gaithersburg, Md., said that the goal was to turn the Urban League’s history in to something that people could engage with, which they were able to do in their 4000 square foot footprint.

This is a preview of National Urban League Turns 100 Years of History Into Huge Exhibit. Read the full post (270 words, 2 images, estimated 1:05 mins reading time)

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Posted in African American Marketing | No Comments »

Bridging a Racial Divide With Makeup?

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

The following post was originally published on LeslySimmons.com.

Last night at a corporate reception I whipped out my compact to refresh my lipgloss and ended up dragged into a conversation on race in America. Some people are so comfortable proclaiming their enlightenment (or lack thereof) on the subject these days, and after a few glasses of wine everyone’s a philosopher. As I reapplied my Smashbox lipstick (one of the few makeup related activities I find acceptable to perform in public), another woman at our table did the same. I loved the color and as we chatted she shared that it was a drugstore brand she hadn’t used before and really liked — Milani. A few seconds later it clicked in my head that the line is targeted to WOC, and when I asked her if it was the same line she had the same lightbulb moment.

This is a preview of Bridging a Racial Divide With Makeup?. Read the full post (618 words, estimated 2:28 mins reading time)

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Posted in African American Women | 1 Comment »

Red Cross

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

One of my earliest experiences with a public relations diversity headache came after Hurricane Katrina, when I worked in diversity communications at The American Red Cross national headquarters. Many people were unhappy with the way minorities in the Gulf Coast were being treated, and it was my job to get to the bottom of the stories and help provide solutions. For all the good it does, the Red Cross has a tainted relationship with some minority groups going back decades, and those stories still persist.

This is a preview of Red Cross. Read the full post (646 words, estimated 2:35 mins reading time)

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Posted in Crisis Communications | 2 Comments »