Andre Woolery

Born in Jamaica and raised in Morristown, NJ, Andre Woolery had only one thing in mind when he entered Duke University’s brick walkways: major in computer science and make his parents proud. But, like most college students, his dreams changed long before he walked across the stage at Duke’s Wallace Wade Stadium. “I basically told my parents, ‘I’m going to change directions, and I want to work in advertising. I want to do something a little more fun,’” says Woolery of his decision to switch his career focus.

After graduation in the summer of 2003, Woolery got hired as an Assistant Media Planner at New York advertising firm Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal + Partners [KBS+P]. But understanding that the “digital [world] was emerging,” he started taking night courses headed by art and creative directors, and soon developed an interest in graphic design. Nine years later, Woolery is now the Associate Digital Director of KBS+P, representing clients such as TD Ameritrade and Kodak. “My role is basically finding interesting ways to use digital technology to build a brand [and] build campaigns,” he explains.

Despite his ascension up the corporate ladder, Woolery felt his creative energy wasn’t being fully utilized. Not wanting to be someone who got “trapped by his paycheck,” Woolery decided to save up some money and take a month of unpaid vacation to further explore his imagination and relish in his untapped artistic side. “I’ve been spending so much time doing things for other people, trying a whole bunch of different things, having a whole bunch of different ideas, and never spending the actual time to see how it all panned out,” he says. “I knew I was going to get an unpaid month off, but I realized in the grand scheme of my entire life, one month of not getting a paycheck is really nothing and ultimately it paid off really well.”

During his month off, Woolery started a self-titled blog that documented his day-to-day outside of the work force, and life as a “starving artist.” He tapped into his creativity by pinning portraits of artists together out of thumbtacks. Through that may seem odd and unexpected, the Jamaican-bred artist created ineffable artwork of notable figures ranging from Jay-Z, and Kanye West to Jimi Hendrix and President Obama. He even made political statements, tacking together a 100-dollar bill that read, “United Slaves of America.” These tactful images are part of a series he titled the 2011 Mixtape. In addition to these signature pieces, Woolery also crafted more formal paintings of other people of note like Michael Jackson, Muhammad Ali, Erykah Badu, and Bob Marley.

Stepping out on faith appears to have worked for Woolery. While the profits of his artwork may not be equivalent to his bi-weekly salary, the return on investment for his creativity is quite high. With his pieces ranging in price from $35 to $7,000, Woolery is looking forward to his first solo exhibition this February 23rd at Frontrunner Gallery in New York and expanding his clientele. “I’ve been operating pretty much under the radar, and then once I’ve released these pieces it’s like kind of a turning point for me where a lot of people just started to reach out,” he says. “I’m getting more into the art world, and once you get connected into the art world then you get connected more into the collectors and that’s when you start to get all types of different clientele. It’s just a matter of time.”

Click here to view a photo gallery of Woolery’s most memorable pieces.

(Image: Democratic Alliance Youth)

It’s been nearly twenty years since apartheid laws ruled South Africa, but age-old racial tensions have not subsided.

A political ad created by the student wing of the Democratic Alliance party, which shows a white man and a black woman embracing, donning the tagline “In OUR future, you wouldn’t look twice,” is causing quite a stir.

The poster has incited a heated debate among local media and politicians, according to the Washington Post.

On Facebook, the Democratic Alliance’s page reads:

“Love the DA! This campaign image is exactly what South Africa needs…[we] can stand together as one post-apartheid nation where race, religion or sexual preference doesn’t mean anything, we’re all human! Go DA! You have my vote. ”

Other users, however, had much harsher things to say, condemning the poster for “immorality” and calling it an “abomination.”

According to the Washington Post, one commenter posted a photo of an all-white, blonde family, saying “Now that’s how it should be!”

Read more at AOL Black Voices…

(Image: File)

It’s been less than a week and already news is swirling about Twitter’s latest acquisition. (Word hit last week that the microblogging service snagged Summify, a social-media news aggregator. While the exact use of this site in relation to Twitter is unknown, some speculate the purchase will assist with feed management and priority, according to PCWorld.com.)

On Monday, Twitter attained Dasient, a security startup offering malware protection for businesses. A post on the startup’s blog confirms the purchase, noting it is “effective immediately”— working solely on Twitter’s revenue engineering team and ceasing service to new clients.  Dasient went on to say:  “By joining Twitter, Dasient will be able to apply its technology and team to the world’s largest real-time information network.”

Twitter is no stranger to security breaches. A total of 55 celebrity accounts, including Barack Obama, Fox News and Facebook were hacked in 2010, sparking the FTC ruling that Twitter would be subjected to a bi-annual security audit.  Trending topics on Twitter is another site for spammers to target large numbers of people at any given time.

The popular social network’s effort to crank up its security comes less than two months  after rolling out the company’s advertising efforts.

Terms for the deal have not been disclosed.

Dasient was founded in 2008 by former Google employees Neil Daswani, Shariq Rizvi and Ameet Ranadive.  It was funded by Google Ventures, among others.

(Image: Getty)

In September Huffington Post announced a new web series called The Tanning Effect featuring music exec turned marketing/ad exec Steve Stoute. Promoting his book, The Tanning of America, and the idea that diversity should be embraced by the corporate world, Stoute interviewed a line-up of celebrity guests that included Lady Gaga, Pharrell Williams, and music mogul Jimmy Iovine.

Click here to read more at BlackEnterprise.com/BENext

The branding genius—famous for padding the bank accounts of megastars like business partner Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Lady Gaga, LeBron James and pretty much the rest of the entertainment world—says it’s high time advertisers peeped the tremendous buying power of the millions of people who consume the culture worldwide, and catered to them, accordingly.

“My ‘aha’ moment came a few years ago when I was traveling with Samsung [for Valentino],” says the former music industry executive, responsible for marrying Beyoncé and Tommy Hilfiger for her True Star fragrance; Justin Timberlake and McDonald’s as part of their ‘I’m Loving It’ campaign; and Chris Brown with Wrigley’s gum, among other supremely lucrative deals. “It didn’t matter where I was… Berlin, Seoul, Korea, Tokyo, wherever… hip-hop dominated the landscape. I was even in one of the oldest towns in France, known for its art galleries, artifacts and such; and what did I see in the middle of it? A jewelry store called ‘Bling.’ If that’s not telling I don’t know what is.”

Now, Stoute wants advertisers on the come-up (and those looking to reinvent their brand) to follow his blueprint for reaching this generation of Black, Hispanic, Asian and White consumers, many of whom, he argues, share the same “mental complexion” based on mutual experiences and values. He points to the collective bargaining power and subsequent election of President Barack Obama as proof.

“A lot of my clients and friends contribute stories about their business successes in this book, including [Interscope/Geffen Records CEO] Jimmy Iovine, Russell Simmons and Jay-Z,” says Stoute of the hundreds of pages of interviews and case studies he compiled. “Who better to listen to than the folks who have done it?”

The marketing director and CEO of Carol’s Daughter—a hair and body care line that boasts a board of investors that include Hollywood heavyweights Will and Jada Pinkett Smith—is also taking his message on the road: this month Stoute will teach a course on his book at NYU. He says college kids are his target audience. “This book is a reference guide for any young person in the fields of advertising, marketing and communication,” Stoute explains. “It tells them not only how to speak to the next generation of consumers but how to move the [hip-hop] agenda forward.”

Nivea apologizes for recent ‘Re-civilized’ NIVEA For Men ad (Image: Press)

Skin care product maker Nivea found itself in hot water this week when the Black blogosphere got a hold of an arguably racist print ad for men’s grooming products that was published in Esquire magazine. The advert features a clean-cut Black man tossing a disembodied African American man’s head with an unkempt Afro and beard– the tagline is “Re-Civilize Yourself.” Clearly the folks at Nivea didn’t realize that grooming, especially when coupled with the insinuation that long kinky hair is “uncivilized” can be a touchy subject for people of color.

Click here to read more about the controversial Nivea ad on BlackEnterprise.com/BENext

In an era of African American media consumption from wider and more diverse sources than ever before, black-owned media are still seen as the most committed to the interests and advancement of people of color. Evidence of this can be found in the recent American Magazine Study done by Affinity, a media research firm, in which readers ranked black enterprise among the top 10 most trusted magazines and the third most inspiring.

However, the story of Black Enterprise, and black-owned media in general, is about more than groundbreaking articles and award-winning content across diverse media platforms delivered by top-notch editors and producers. It’s also about a passionate, tenacious, and dedicated advertising and sponsorship sales team committed to ensuring that those of you who make up our audience—and the trillion dollars in spending power you bring to the table—are not taken for granted. As the founder and publisher of Black Enterprise, I’ve spent most of my career leading this crusade. It is in that spirit that I was pleased to be inducted this year into the American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame in March.

I wouldn’t have gone far as a young publisher when I launched Black Enterprise in 1970 without advertisers who were willing to invest in what was then an untapped, barely understood black consumer market. Today, the black enterprise brand extends well beyond the magazine to television, live events, and digital and social media platforms. And those advertising partners who have taken the journey with us have been rewarded with robust sales and customer loyalty.

It was a long, hard-fought battle to get advertisers to recognize and value the then emerging black business market, even after we proved its existence and proceeded to help define and expand it. A few potential advertisers even told me that they wouldn’t advertise with us because they didn’t want to associate their products and services with black people. Today, African Americans are a coveted market that no savvy company would ignore, and African Americans are featured in global campaigns that target all audiences.

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But don’t allow that progress to convince you that the battle to ensure that black consumers are recognized and valued has been won. Amazingly, even in 2011, there are companies that still don’t get it and others that welcome black consumer dollars—as long as they don’t have to actually pay to get your business. Want a list of the companies that do get it, that are serious about investing to reach you via the media that represent and inspire you? Just check to see who purchases advertising and sponsorship with black enterprise and other media dedicated to serving African American audiences. If you spend money on a major brand-name product or service that you never see advertised in black media, you need to ask why.

Of course, I am proud of Black Enterprise’s four-decade-plus record of serving as an advocate and providing a showcase for black executives, professionals, entrepreneurs, and others who believe in our Wealth for Life mission. But, I take even greater pride in an aspect of the media business that is equally if not more important: fighting to ensure that African American consumers are respected, valued, and taken seriously by American corporations and the advertising industry.

Sheen leveraged his fame and twitter following to big bucks (Image: Getty)

When Charlie Sheen joined Twitter last month, breaking a record for fastest accumulation of followers in the process (one million in a day), there was plenty of speculation that the disgraced actor was drawn to the social media platform for its potential as a new revenue stream. While Arnie Gullov-Singh, CEO of Ad.Ly, a company that has been connecting celebrities with large followings to brands looking for endorsement since 2009, claims that Sheen wanted to have, “a direct conversation with his fans in a way that is unfiltered by traditional media,” he also admits that his company has already begun helping Sheen bring home the bacon. “As [Sheen’s] following started to grow and explode, we started to get inquiries from advertisers around doing endorsements with him,” explains Gullov-Singh.

On March 7 Sheen took on his first paid Twitter endorsement, tweeting out an Ad.Ly-generated message for a Website called Internships.com. By Gullov-Singh’s estimates, that tweet garnered an astonishing 95,333 clicks in the first hour of the first day of Sheen’s endorsement and more than a million unique visitors to the site, according to internal Omniture traffic data. The end result was nearly 82,000 internship applications received from 181 countries.

“It drove over a million people to their website,” says Gullov-Singh. “For a company that had a good product that no one had ever heard of it really put them on the map.”

It was a #winning strategy, one that Ad.Ly has employed time and time again when matching their roster, which includes over 1,000 of the most popular celebrities on Twitter (i.e. the Kardashian clan, Chris Brown, Cristiano Ronaldo and Soulja Boy, who all have a minimum of 2 million followers) with brands in need of endorsement.

Kardashian commands a hefty price for access to her nearly 7 million followers (Image: Getty)

“Social media is overwhelming both to brands and to consumers,” Gullov-Singh explains. “It’s very noisy and if you want to get your message across [when] you’re launching a new product or trying to promote something, we’ve seen that time and time again celebrities cut through the noise and deliver that message for you.”

Good for the brands and the celebrities on Twitter and Facebook that make them hot, but what about the masses following those celebs? Some argue that paid tweets just add to the already existing “noise” Gullov-Singh described and dilutes the organic exchange between the famous and their fans that has won Twitter so much praise. Are Ad.Ly’s practices polluting that process, or simply demonstrating how devotees truly will “follow”?

San Diego Chargers linebacker, Shaun Phillips has been on Twitter for over a year, and says in his six months working with Ad.Ly he hasn’t gotten a single complaint from any of his 416,390 followers. “I can approve or deny any tweet, so if it’s something I don’t stand behind in some way, shape or form, then I won’t tweet it,” Phillips says. “But it’s always in good taste and good content and it’s not something that’s redundant that gets people annoyed.”

Phillips adds that Ad.Ly account execs also do their part to screen the offers. “I don’t think Ad.Ly would ever put me or any of their clientele in a bad position.”

Ad.Ly certainly takes measures to protect themselves and their partners. First, all of the paid tweets are carefully crafted by their team, in such a way to prevent celebs from saying anything the brands wouldn’t approve of, or vice versa. Each micro-endorsement is also clearly labeled as such—a measure that likely goes a long way in not being misleading to Twitter followers or breaking any SEC regulations, steps Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson may have skimped on when he made those infamous “pump and dump” tweets about H&H Imports.

“We’re really clear about disclosure,” Krista Thomas, Vice President of Marketing for Ad.Ly explains. “I think that’s part of the issue some of the celebs are getting into when they go out on their own and are not working with Ad.Ly and they forget about disclosure. That’s really an SEC guideline thing. We pioneered creating the #Ad or [Ad] or #Spon for sponsored [hashtags]; we pioneered using a lot of those tags very clearly at the end of the message for disclosure. That keeps you out of trouble.”

Ad.Ly CEO Arnie Gullov-Singh tweets his way to success

Gullov-Singh won’t reveal how much Ad.Ly is making off their arrangements with brands or exactly how much celebs make per tweet (that number depends on the celeb’s number of fans, how engaged their fans are and how previous endorsements have performed) but with celebs earning a fee that falls between four to five figures per tweet or Facebook post, it’s easy to imagine how it all adds up. For those looking at Twitter to be their latest get-rich-quick scheme, think again. Ad.Ly isn’t interested in micro-endorsements from run-of-the-mill Tweeters.

“Our minimum threshold is 25,000 followers,” Gullov-Singh says of Ad.Ly’s “celebrity endorser” criteria. “But we prefer to get people who have 100,000 or more, people with scale and people who have a presence on more than just Twitter so they have reason to stay top of mind with their fan base.”

Just as the advent of Twitter has changed social media, Ad.Ly’s success is ushering in a major shift in how brands sell the public on their products. Sheen might call that bi-winning, but when it comes to this kind of marketing, the question remains: how long will we buy it?