Name: Alix Montes
Profession: Advertising & Marketing, Account Executive at LMO Advertising
Age: 25
I have changed/contributed to my industry by: doing my best to bring diverse talent into the industry. I hope to change the industry by constantly challenging the status quo and looking for new ways to bridge the gaps between brands, their values, and their audiences.
Alix Montes is a part of a team that remains focused on the big idea in advertising and marketing. LMO, the largest advertising agency in the DC market has entrusted Montes to build strong client relationships, develop strategy for new campaigns, and co-lead a team that manages a local advertising program for one the agency’s biggest accounts.
When you focus on the big picture you have to factor in the risk that are involved with reaching your goals. At a young age, Montes witnessed both his parents and grandparents take huge risks to ensure he would have a better future. “They are my inspiration because of the sacrifices I saw them make,” Montes tells BE Modern Man. “Although they try to encourage me to have a safety net and avoid making mistakes, I remind myself that they had to take risks to get to where they are.”
Creating change also involves taking risk, both socially and professionally. Harry Belafonte serves as inspiration for Montes who is active in the LEVO League and regularly dishes out career advice and inspiration for professional women. “He is a great example that you don’t have to choose between financial and professional success to give back to society,” says Montes. “In his prime, Harry Belafonte managed to have a successful career as well as dedicate himself to the advancement of the Civil Rights Movement.”
Although he is passionate about women’s issues there is no shortage of advice for the younger generation of BE Modern Man hopefuls. “It comes down to three things,” says Montes. “The economy is increasingly global so you will be working alongside people vastly different from you. Develop cultural competency in order to effectively communicate with people of different backgrounds. Secondly understand women’s issues. Women make up a large percentage of professional marketers and, like Black men, they have historically been underrepresented in leadership positions. However, they are making great strides. To be successful, Black men must be able to interact with women in a professional context. Last thing is to think big and don’t be scared to fail.”
Thinking big is what propelled Montes’s momentum into a advertising and marketing career.
During his last semester at the George Washington University he was a part of the National Student Advertising Competition. Working on an 18-person team he was tasked to build brand awareness, market share, and lasting favorability among African-American, Hispanic-American, and Chinese-American millennials for Nissan. “While this was a school project, it was my introduction to what it was like to work at an agency,” Montes tells BE Modern Man. “I got to learn about market research, media planning, creative strategy, group dynamics, and leadership.”Read more on page 2…
This introduction into group dynamics and leadership also helped Montes to realize how important it is for Black men and women to have a presence in the advertising and marketing industry. “Black Americans currently have $1.1 trillion in buying power and we are some of the globe’s most influential consumers,” says Montes. When it comes to technology we’re early adopters—we over index on social media platforms such as Twitter, Vine, Instagram, and Snapchat. When it comes to popular culture, we’re innovators and brands consistently look to align themselves with the cool without understanding our culture, values, or issues. “As long as Black marketers are absent from the conversation, brands will continue to misrepresent and overlook us while taking advantage of our influence and tastes.”
This is an interesting time in the industry. Technology and how we interact with technology has led to a lot of new changes. The growth of mobile, and the rebirth of direct marketing through email and content marketing has undoubtedly changed the landscape of advertising. There is one trend in particular that Montes hopes to see develop. “Improvements in digital advertising is important for us to move forward. Digital advertising is very effective, but for consumers it can be very annoying. Online advertising hasn’t evolved much since the first banner ad appeared in 1998. If we’re going to bombard consumers with ads as they surf the web, we owe them something better than stale ads.”
Conversations about race have resurfaced thanks to current events and the proliferation of these conversations from the Internet. We are in a space where championing men of color and sharing their narratives need to be highlighted. “What’s great about the current state is our ability to control our own narrative and champion one another,” Montes tells BE Modern Man. “Thanks to digital tools like Twitter, Instagram, and blogging platforms we’re able to change the conversation and create content to tell our stories. I’m a swimmer, an Eagle Scout, I’m multilingual, and I have been a yoga instructor for over a year. None of this aligns with the media’s archetype of Black men.”
Montes provides evidence that African-Americans are not homogenous and that our interests, talents, and skills expand far beyond the typical assignments of mainstream media. “To me, a BE Modern Man is an innovator,” says Montes. “They are not afraid to go against the grain or go into unchartered territory. They’re working to shift the culture forward. Change cannot happen in the absence of learning, so a BE Modern Man is curious and always looking for new ways to learn. Finally, a BE Modern Man is authentic, true to himself in all that he does, and will not compromise values or cut corners to achieve success.”
The BlackEnterprise.com team congratulates Alix Montes for his success in the advertising and space with the largest agency in the DC market. His ability to draw upon a diverse skill-set and background is why we are honored to call him a BE Modern Man. We look forward to seeing the impact Alix Montes makes on how brand advertising aligns with changing consumer habits.
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