*New York, NY — Ad agency guru Valerie Graves knows how “pressure makes diamonds.”
In her memoir “Pressure Makes Diamonds: Becoming the Woman that I Pretended to Be,” she shows the reader every step of her journey from her teen mother experience in the projects of Pontiac, Michigan during the Motown-era to becoming a glass ceiling smashing executive in the ad agency suites of Madison Avenue.
Published by Open Lens imprint of Akashic Books, an independent publishing company, “Pressure Makes Diamonds” takes readers from the “Mad Men” era of the 1960’s to the “Golden Era of Black Advertising” during the 1990’s.
In the late 1960s, Graves used grit to balance her life as a teen mother and student. When she heard an advertising agency CEO make a speech at a NAACP event, Graves followed up to request an interview. Her talent in writing soon had her breaking barriers in major advertising agencies as one of the first black copywriters at BBDO, Kenyon & Eckhardt, and JWT. “Of course, the biggest obstacle was getting in, and although my entree had to do with being Black, most people of any race had to be intrepid or lucky to get that first advertising job,” she recalled. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t say that there were many obstacles in those early years; as a relatively junior person and usually the only Black, I wasn’t a threat to the “Mad Men.”
In “Pressure Makes Diamonds,” Graves’ personal odyssey takes her through the shifting terrain of 1960s and ’70s America on her quest to “be somebody.” The marches, riots, and demonstrations of the era are her backdrop and rock ‘n’ roll the soundtrack. By the ’80s and 90s, Graves makes her ascent to the East Coast heights of the white male–dominated advertising world. She became branded as the award-winning chief creative officer at UniWorld Group, one of America’s oldest multicultural advertising agencies. Reginald Hudlin, of the famed Hudlin Brothers, who created the Eddie Murphy Black ad agency comedy classic “Boomerang,” worked as an intern with Graves.
In 1992, Bill Clinton selects Graves to serve on the national ad team for his presidential campaign.
In the late 90s, Motown’s Andre Harrell taps her to be senior vice president of creative for the legendary label. When she returned to the advertising world, Graves brought her music industry expertise. She was the creative chief behind the famed Pepsi commercial starring rapper Ludacris in a Pepsi spot that was unjustly harassed by FOX News. She later proves FOX wrong by starring Ludacris in a successful Pontiac Solstice commercial.
In 2000, under Graves’ creative helm, Black Enterprise named UniWorld Group the nation’s #1 African American ad agency. The firm was headquartered in downtown Soho with $250 million in annual capitalized billings. Later Graves became creative chief at the multicultural agency Vigilante/Leo Burnett.
Advertising Age magazine named Graves one of the “100 Best and Brightest” in the industry. She was nationally recognized as the creative director of such Fortune 500 accounts as Ford, General Motors, AT&T, Burger King, General Foods, and Pepsi.
To Graves, there is a creative formula in making memorable commercials and ads directed at Black consumers. “There are certain themes and cues that tend to resonate more consistently with Black consumers. We never tire of seeing attentive, involved fathers, for example, because it goes against the prevailing perception,” explained Graves. “Depictions of success and personal style, appropriate use of celebrities, music and humor are elements that are common in advertising but especially effective in communicating with Black consumers,” she stated. “A commercial that my team created for Buick Enclave, featuring the African American lead interior designer of that vehicle, shattered the research records for changing brand perception among Black consumers.”
Some of her most high profile commercials spotlight celebrities such as Wyclef Jean in Rio for Pepsi, Busta Rhymes for Mountain Dew, Steve Harvey for Burger King and Marlon Wayans for AT&T.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAgi215jQss
“Authenticity is key. It’s important to get beyond superficial elements like slang, or a way of dressing, and know the underlying values of a culture.” In 2007, recognizing Graves’s stellar career and public service via the Advertising Council and the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, industry coalition ADCOLOR granted her the title of “Legend.”
For Graves, pressure did make diamonds. “Being a teen mother is life-changing, but doesn’t have to be life-defining. Young women need to cultivate a village to help raise your child,” she advised. “Above all, hold onto your dreams and expectations about yourself. Having a mental picture of the woman I always thought I would be helped me to become her.”
Graves continues to create copy that inspires. She wrote the NBA video PSA for this year’s Martin Luther King Day celebration. She lives in Harlem with her husband former Newsday editor and journalist Alvin Bessent. For more information, check out: www.valeriegravesbook.com
source:
Fern Gillespie
[email protected]
