Diego Scotti From Verizon: The Ad Fellows Program Is A Key Part Of Our Diversity Work

Diego Scotti, Executive VP and CMO of Verizon, was one of the presenters at the 2017 ANA Multicultural Marketing & Diversity Conference, where he spoke to the audience about the importance of diversity in the industry. Scotti said that at Verizon, diversity has gone to the next level – which is why the international telecom company has decided to take another a step forward and commit to forming the next generation of market leaders, the better to serve such a diverse environment. “Our goal is to state the diversity problem and make sure the next generation is ready to deal with it. Brands must contribute to the conversation and take their responsibilities seriously.” For that reason, Verizon developed the Ad Fellows program, which offers low-income participants a client/agency immersion experience. The initiative began about a year ago when Scotti sent letters to the company’s agencies asking for help in addressing the diversity problem across the telecom industry. Twenty new graduates from around the country, all from diverse backgrounds, have been picked for this eight-month scholarship program. When it’s over, most of those taking part are expected to transition to full-time jobs at one of the participating companies” he said. The agencies accepted to join in the project include McCann, Momentum, Rauxa, Zenith and Weber Shandwick.