Mosaic Center on Multiculturalism
The AAF Mosaic Center on Multiculturalism implements all AAF multicultural and diversity initiatives and is the only national ad industry resource of its kind. The Center was formed to expand AAF's well-established leadership capabilities on multicultural marketing/advertising and diversity issues. The Center's mission includes development of new programs and services to meet evolving corporate and governmental needs for education, strategic recommendations and access to business and human resources. The AAF Mosaic Council serves as the advisory board to the Center.
AAF Mosaic Council
The AAF's Mosaic Council is an established infrastructure of national
advertisers, general market and minority advertising agencies, media organizations and
suppliers. As the advertising industry's premiere "think tank" on diversity and
multiculturalism, the council identifies best practices for achieving greater
industry diversity and multiculturalism while advancing the common interest of
all industry segments.
This document provides guidelines to help companies leverage growth opportunities in multicultural markets and to build successful multicultural marketing and advertising teams.
Mosaic Awards
This annual initiative recognizes successful integrated multicultural
marketing and diversity efforts that demonstrate the spirit of AAF's Mosaic Principles
and Practical Guidelines.
Mosaic Career Fairs
Mosaic Career Fairs connect talented minority advertising, marketing and
communications students with industry professionals who are seeking entry-level
candidates. Students and corporate recruiters are brought together for one day to
discuss potential career opportunities. The students also participate in a
professional development seminar designed to increase their knowledge about resume
writing, interview skills and networking.
AAF's Most Promising Minority Students
The AAF's Most Promising Minority Students Program acknowledges those
minority students who are deemed exceptional by their college professors and advisers.
The program commenced in 1997, in response to the advertising industry's
concerns regarding identifying top minority talent for entry-level positions. Since
the program's inception, AAF and its sponsoring partners have assisted in
connecting the ad industry with hundreds of outstanding minority career candidates.
The program has been expanded to provide more students with the opportunity to meet recruiters from major ad agencies, media companies and client organizations and to participate in professional development workshops. The industry immersion component of the program gives the students exposure to the inner workings of major industry companies.
The students are acknowledged for the accomplishments at the Building Bridges for Our Future luncheon.
Mosaic Alumni & Friends Association
The Mosaic Alumni & Friends Association (MAFA) connects advertising and communications professionals of color who are alumni of the AAF Most Promising Minority Students Program , the National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC), Mosaic Career Fairs, AAF College Chapters, Alpha Delta Sigma Honor Society and supporters of the AAF Mosaic Center’s mission to advance diversity in this industry. MAFA members are able to maintain and build new relationships with a network of advertising and communications professionals, participate in career development initiatives, support minority youth aspiring to enter the business and stay knowledgeable and involved in industry diversity and inclusion efforts.
Mosaic Vendor Fair
The Mosaic Vendor Fair is a one-day event designed to provide diverse and women-owned vendors with the opportunity to connect with advertising agencies, advertisers and media companies and learn about the company’s minority supplier programs.
Mosaic Center Internship sponsored by Gotham Inc.
Gotham is the biggest small agency in NYC. It’s full of people who are passionate about ideas—the kind of people who push something as far as it can go and then stand back and watch what happens. Every day is different. You never know what you might get the chance to work on. Oh, and one thing that defines us? We are all creative. Every single one of us has a talent for pushing the envelope, and we do it with laughter. Our days are unpredictable and our nights can be long. But we’re in it together, and we love what we do. Why not intern with us this summer and make the biggest small agency a little bigger?
With the support of Gotham, Inc., the American Advertising Federation’s Mosaic Center on Multiculturalism is awarding one (1) scholarship in the form of a 10-week paid internship in Gotham’s New York office. The scholarship will be awarded to one (1) extraordinary minority upperclassmen majoring in communications, advertising or marketing at a four-year college/university.
Industry Education & Information
Working in conjunction with AAF's Council on Multiculturalism, the Mosaic
Center advances its primary mission of educating American companies on new growth
opportunities by providing customized seminars, researching best practices and
by hosting exclusive forums for top corporate executives.
Government Relations
The AAF Mosaic Center on Multiculturalism serves as the advertising
industry's primary educational resource for federal government including Congress and
regulatory agencies on issues relating to advertising and multicultural marketing.
Cardiss Collins Scholarship for Diversity
One of the advertising industry's most prestigious awards, this is a fully
endowed scholarship at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It was
funded through the proceeds of the ad industry's first-ever tribute to African
Americans in advertising that was held in 1996. The scholarship is named to honor
then-Congresswoman Cardiss Collins, who worked to promote more opportunities for
minorities in advertising. The full-tuition scholarship is awarded once every
four years to a freshman UIUC student in advertising. For more information on
this program, please contact Connie Frazier at cfrazier@aaf.org.
Crain Diversity Grants, to recognize local advertising association diversity initiatives