Hernan Cerdeiro de AnyGivenDay
The Miami-based Cofounder of AnyGivenDay, Hernan Cerdeiro, feels the industry must take a stand in support of the community in the light of #BlackLivesMatter, though he is not sure that all brands must make a statement. “Each brand is a world apart. It is a very personal thing in each company to decide whether to take action or not,” he said. “Not all brands have to take a stand on what is happening. I don´t feel we have to ask them to get involved. But if a company does decide to make a statement in that regard, it will be more than welcome. But it should not feel obliged to express its position or to take any specific action.” He noted that AnyGivenDay always values people just as they are, without the pressure of specifying that it has a certain number of African Americans or women or Latinos on its team. “I personally feel that this ends up being a sales issue. We began as an agency based on people’s talent and not on what society considers politically correct. We’re convinced that a mix of cultures makes any workplace a more interesting place, while people from different parts of the world make for an incredibly rich country in terms of culture.” He added that the advertising industry, being pure communications, should understand how cultures evolve and must act accordingly. “Stereotypes cease to be stereotypes when they go through a natural evolution affected by change factors. It’s important to understand that what used to work in communications in the past regarding gender, for example, hasn’t worked for a very long time. In the future, other aspects we have not yet pinpointed will probably also stop working. I also believe that what is currently happening is a much deeper problem that goes well beyond the advertising industry. It has to do with society as a whole and human behavior.”
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