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The Real Mad Men & Women of Washington
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Vasquez, 47, started Washington's Maya Advertising in 1990 and recently opened an office in Los Angeles, both aimed at delivering advertising to Latino audiences.
Vasquez got his first lesson in the power of brand-building as a community leader during the riots in Washington's Mount Pleasant neighborhood in the early '90s. When appearing on television and issuing press releases, he referred to them as "disturbances" instead of riots, a phrase that was picked up by the media.
Soon after, he was approached by ad giant Ogilvy & Mather and asked to start its Latino division. He turned it down, but it gave him an idea. "I figured if I was good enough for Ogilvy," Vasquez said, "I was good enough to start my own business."
One of Vasquez's challenges today is convincing advertisers that the Latino market is not homogenous, that it has as many niches as the Anglo market. He also is disappointed when he sees what he calls "trans-created" advertising: Ads written in English and featuring white characters that are simply translated into Spanish with the expectation that Spanish-speakers will identify with them.
Combs, 45, partnered with Bob Witeck to found Washington's Witeck-Combs in 1993, aimed at the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender market, telling major companies how to reach the often-affluent, taste-making groups at a time when gay visibility was rising, particularly in Washington.
Gay-niche agencies like Witeck-Combs have seen major companies draw unwanted attention when targeting non-heterosexual customers. Ford and McDonald's, for instance, have been boycotted by social-conservative groups, upset that the companies are reaching out to gays.
Combs said he can think of two instances when Witeck-Combs lost potential clients when they discovered the firm is gay-owned and focuses on gay issues.
"In fact, some clients encouraged us not to reveal our sexual orientation to their contacts for fear of repercussions and discrimination," Combs said. "This idea is still perpetuated by some to this day."
To help overcome bias toward the gay market, Combs has mused about presenting it to advertisers simply as a group of statistics, which they would find appealing: consumers who are generally higher-income, educated, fond of luxury goods and travel, and who are heavy media users. Then he would reveal to advertisers that those traits belong to gay and lesbian buyers, a market they should be courting.
Beth Rilee-Kelley, 47, a partner in Richmond's Martin Agency, laughs when she watches TV's "Mad Men" spend an entire episode coming up with one catchphrase when she would have juggled a half-dozen campaigns during the same time.
She entered the business in 1983 and was lucky to have mentors who treated her as an equal. But she knows it was not always so.
On "Mad Men," Peggy is a bright young secretary who has worked her way up to be a junior copywriter. Joan runs the steno pool and is the mistress of a senior partner. She doesn't understand why Peggy would want a "man's job," Weiner said.
Rilee-Kelley thought of the two female characters while sitting for the photo with this article.
"I felt I was doing something for all of the Joans and Peggies of 1960," Rilee-Kelley said. "I thought, 'It's 2008 and I'm a partner in one of the great agencies in the world. This one is for you, babe.' "
