[ गैविन बैरिट ] CEO/Chief Creative Officer + Founder, Barrett and Welsh. Co-founder of POCAM, MMAC and the Tartan Turban Secret Readings. Poet, inclusionist, big Idea hunter, entrepreneur.
Canadian #advertising and #marketing, it’s your lucky day. This long weekend I am delighted to introduce you to Melanie Isaac Taitt. Melanie has been in marketing for over 20 years. She has worked for some of Canada’s—and the world’s—most iconic brands: Second Cup, 20th Century Fox, Maple Leaf Foods, Coca-Cola, and most recently Roots, where Melanie was Vice President of Marketing. A first-year Intro to Marketing course at York U drew Melanie to the industry. She tested her interest in a real-world setting at a Marketing internship job that very summer. “After that, I was sold,” says Melanie. As a creative person (Melanie is a lifelong gospel singer) who is also an analyst and problem solver, she loves that marketing allows her to bring her whole self to her day job. The experience she treasures most from her marketing career? The opportunity to spotlight the work of Black changemakers like Révolutionnaire, Adidem Asterisks * and Benny Bing during her time at Roots (see video). "I got to do this not just during Black History Month, but throughout the year, and that was an experience I didn’t take lightly," Melanie says. Like many black people in business, Melanie has faced bias, microaggressions, and racism. She remembers an incident when a colleague called her ‘racist’ simply for hiring a man of colour. Melanie says it changed her for the worse and for the better. “It made me second guess my judgment for future new hires,” Melanie shares, “but it also fortified my strength to address racial challenges.” While marketing has come a long way in driving diversity for businesses, Melanie feels it is still mostly external—seen in marketing campaigns. Like all strategic business imperatives, Melanie says, it must start inside and at the top. When diversity is authentically on the internal agenda, the employee base reflects it at all levels. “And if the voice of those employees is given value,” Melanie explains, “the benefit of diversity more naturally manifests through the work and radiates from the brand out into the marketplace.” Melanie is on a much-needed career break. As she prepares for her next chapter as a senior marketing leader and brand advisor, she shares a lesson she learned years ago—that women are held to a high standard of expectation in order to earn their seat at the table in the business world; and that Black women are held to an even higher standard. “But,” says Melanie, “I have learned to know and stand firm in my worth, and in doing so I don’t just make sure I have a seat at the table. I take my seat at the head of it.” Amen to that Melanie. This #BHM 2024 profile was written by Gavin Barrett [ गैविन बैरिट ], CEO/CCO/Founder of Barrett and Welsh Inc and a co-founder of POCAM - People of Colour in Advertising & Marketing and the #MulticulturalMarketingAllianceofCanada.
[ गैविन बैरिट ] CEO/Chief Creative Officer + Founder, Barrett and Welsh. Co-founder of POCAM, MMAC and the Tartan Turban Secret Readings. Poet, inclusionist, big Idea hunter, entrepreneur.
6moDescribed video: 1. White speech-balloon-wallpaper on a black background with POCAM "dialogo" logo device. The message reads, "POCAM presents." 2. A photo portrait of Melanie Isaac-Tait appears on the left. The words "Melanie Isaac-Tait" and "VP of Marketing" appear. 3. A quote animates to its right on a black background. It reads, "I have learned to know and stand firm in my worth.” 4. A photo portrait of Black changemaker Benny Bing appears to the right of Melanie. 5. Photo portraits of Black changemakers Revolutionnaire and Adidem Astersisk*. 6. The POCAM logo appears centre-screen against a black background, followed by white text below that reads "Shining a light on BIPOC professionals." A small-type production credit appears in grey: "Created by Barrett and Welsh Inc for POCAM" 7. The words "Donate or become a member at wearepocam.ca" appear.