The Idea Generation: A podcast about the value of creativity in business and pop-culture
Music: Black Pumas “Colors”
Sponsor: Today’s sponsor is Fast Company.
LISA: Hello, I’m Lisa Richmon. Welcome to Idea-Lirius where ideas explode into bigger ideas, trends, and brands.
My guest today is Kevin Miles, an award-winning copywriter and creative director whose words + ideas have helped shape brand stories for McDonald’s, the NBA, Fiat, Salesforce, and General Mills – to name a few. Just last month, Adweek featured Kevin’s long copy ad about child labor in India in its “Profiles In Black Creativity” for Black History Month. In 2020 Ad Age spoke to Kevin about his perspective as a black man in the overwhelmingly un-black world of advertising. It was published as part of the magazine’s “Uncomfortable Conversations” series.
Kevin is the father of twins named Noah and TJ. He lives in beautiful, sunny, downtown, Wake Forest, North Carolina. His laugh is his superpower.
Welcome Kevin. Thanks for playing along with my first ever podcast episode. This takes me back to the old days when we worked together in Virginia before you left for California to start a new life. Even back then, you were the big talent with the big heart who gave me a shot at copywriting when everyone else saw me as a sushi runner.
Ok, so I can see that you’ve been crushing it as a creative director and senior copywriter for brands like Lexus, McDonalds and the NBA. What big brand haven’t you touched with your Kevin Miles pixie dust?
KEVIN: Hey Lisa. Thanks for having me on Idea-Lirius. I love the name! Yes, I remember us working together and laughing a lot. But hey, even though, apparently, some people have forgotten this – advertising is supposed to be fun. As we both know, some agencies get it and others don’t. (BIG LAUGH. PRIVATE JOKE) So, yeah, I’ve been freelancing for 20 years and have been really lucky to work on some amazing campaigns. But my dream project is a company I founded last year, called the Creative Conservancy that will give me the opportunity to use my powers for good on a massive scale. As far as big established brands go, you’re right. I’ve gotten the opportunity to work on some nice projects over the years.
LISA: Well, speaking of career highs, 2021 is already a banner year and it’s not even February. Just last week I read about Adweek’s partnership with Derek Walker, the agency dude who parlayed Black History Month into an opportunity to highlight black industry professionals like you! He featured your one-page ad for the Longhand Awards which as we know is a big-ass deal. You must be so proud of this.
KEVIN: You know I am. My partner Carl who you hear me talking about all the time, and I created it in 12 hours before the Longhand Awards submissions were due. We wanted to light a fire in people about this issue. What’s cool about that ad is we killed two birds with one stone. Fighting child labor in India is a social issue I care about. The second thing is that I never wrote a long-copy ad before so having selected by judges who are considered some of the best long copy writers in the world, was mind-blowing. Derek gets the credit though. He made this happen. In fact, Derek Walker deserves a lot of the credit for many of the positive changes happening in the advertising industry, particularly when it comes to Diversity & Inclusion.
(PAUSE)
You know, what really sucks about advertising, and the entertainment and media industries today? There is a total lack of respect for people’s ideas, contributions and impact. Just look at what happened to Shonda Rhimes. After all she did for ABC and Disney. They refused to comp her an extra ticket – $154 and actually had the nerve to ask her, “Don’t you have enough?” as if they were doing her a favor after all the success she contributed to those companies in their 15 year relationship. Can you fuckin’ believe that? But hey, now she’s Executive Director of Bridgerton on Netflix – with a HUGE development deal on Netflix.
LISA: I can’t even. If people at the top are this clueless, what hope is there for change?
KEVIN: That’s a good question, Lisa. I’ve been in this industry for so long and I can prove that I’ve been overlooked for promotions even though the work I created dramatically changed the arc of the agencies I was working for. So, it’s not just a question of it being a hard industry for anyone to break into, there’s a value problem that exists once you’re in. It needs to be addressed at the top. Did I tell you about the cereal CEO? This really pissed me off.
LISA: You mentioned it. What got you so fired up?
KEVIN: Back in the day, I worked on a cereal campaign that put this particular brand on the pop-culture map in a way no cereal brand has ever been put on the map before. I mean the impact it had on their sales and popularity as a brand was astronomical. When my team and I heard they were trying to recapture the magic of the original campaign, we went into full creative mode with a fully produced, broadcast ready, live-action hip-hop song that we composed, produced and performed; a Tik Tok video complete with another original new hip hop song we composed, produced and performed, and several additional TV and video scripts that we believed recapture the magic of the original campaign. So, what do you think happened when we tried to pitch it?
LISA. They HATED it?
KEVIN: Worse. They saw it and instead of thanking us for all the work we put into it -all on our own dime I might add, they blew us off! No meeting. No interest. Nothing. So when I saw this guy declaring his brand’s commitment to diversity and inclusivity, and I knew that they were trying to bring back something I created, I wrote him a letter asking him to tell me what inclusivity looks like because I didn’t experience it.
LISA: This sounds like two HUGE missed opportunities. One is the great talent they overlooked and the other is being sincere about diversity and inclusivity.
KEVIN: Exactly.
(PAUSE)
It seems that the advertising industry is known for two things. If you’re black, it’s hard to get in and once you do, it’s even harder to get ahead.
LISA: If this could happen to you and Shonda Rhimes…
KEVIN: Yes. Most of the industry’s problems would disappear if ALL people with talent who are trying to break in were given a fair shot, AND if talent, ideas and impact were valued universally.
LISA: I’m tackling the access issue on Idea-Delirius when I talk to Nicole LeLacheur about Gonnabe Copywriter and the creative leaders who are charging ahead with this. I know she talked to you about the program and that you will be a great mentor who will help her build a new culture.
KEVIN: I’m going to message her on Linked-In and let her know I’m ready. It sounds like something we’ve needed for a long time. I’m glad Nicole used the pandemic to make it happen..
LISA: The two of you together will be so powerful and I can’t wait to have you on IdeaLirius one day. Thanks for breaking away from your homemade pho to do this. Laugh. Stay safe and sane.
KEVIN: (Bellowing laugh.) You got me, Lisa. And I got you. I would have saved some pho for you if you didn’t live so far away. Thanks for having me. I’ll come back anytime you like. Just say when.
(TO BE CONTINUED…)