UniWorld Group
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| Industry | Advertising |
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| Founded | 1969 |
| Headquarters | New York, New York, USA |
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Key people
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Monique Nelson, CEO |
| Website | uwg.is |
UniWorld Group, Inc., a multicultural ad agency headquartered in New York with satellite offices in Detroit and Atlanta, is the longest-standing minority-owned ad agency in the U.S.
History
UWG was founded in 1969 by advertising pioneer Byron Lewis. In 2012, Monique Nelson took the helm as Chair and CEO. Today, it is certified female- and minority-owned.
UWG’s UniCultural approach to understanding a consumer’s identity enables the agency to see how dynamic layers of culture, beyond race or ethnicity, inform and impact the way people view and interact with products, services brands and causes.
In 2014, UWG launched Culture LabsSM, a think tank that uncovers proprietary insights, data and information, to solve marketing challenges for clients, agency partners and the industry at large.
The Work
UWG has created award-winning programs targeting African American, Hispanic American, Asian American, LGBT and General Market consumers in the categories of diversity practices, public relations, digital content, branded entertainment, promotions and experiential marketing. The industries served by the agency include healthcare, big-box retail, nonprofit education and consumer packaged goods.
Understanding that every brand has a story, like the people to whom it markets, UWG prides itself on understanding these stories and pulling out the key insights that unite the culture of the brand with the culture of the consumer.
UWG’s client list includes Ford Motor Company, Lincoln Motor Company, The Home Depot, Pfizer Inc, U.S. Marine Corps, Amtrak and Colgate-Palmolive Company.
Clients
- Colgate-Palmolive Company
- The Home Depot
- AARP
- Ford Motor Company
- Lincoln Motor Company
- Pfizer Inc
- U.S. Marine Corps
- Amtrak
Timeline
- 1969- Byron Lewis opens UniWorld Group, Inc. with one account: Smirnoff Vodka. Billings are $400k.
- 1970- UniWorld creates groundbreaking campaign and slogan for the movie Shaft.
- 1971- UniWorld lands first media strategy assignment for Kenneth Gibson, the first black Mayor of Newark, NJ.
- 1974- Lewis creates Black radio series Sounds of the City, for New York’s WBLS-FM. Gross Billings reach $1M.
- 1975- UniWorld creates first TV spot for Avon.
- 1976- Lewis partners with National Black Network for the first on-site black radio and press coverage of Democratic and Republican presidential conventions.
- 1977- UniWorld Entertainment, a production company is created.
- 1978- General Foods (now Kraft Foods) becomes a client.
- 1979- UniWorld acquires first Hispanic account for Avon.
- 1983- $30-million contract signed with Burger King, largest contract to date.
- 1984- UniWorld creates Jesse Jackson’s first presidential campaign. America’s Black Forum (ABF), a TV offshoot of the 1976 radio program, is nationally syndicated. Also Kodak signs on for a 4 million dollar contract.
- 1986- Lincoln-Mercury and Eastman & Kodak (AA and Hispanic) become clients.
- 1989- UniWorld moves to location in SoHo.
- 1990- Colgate-Palmolive becomes a client.
- 1993/94- Over fifty general market commercials developed for Burger King.
- 1995- With an $11 million contract for Mars, 3 Musketeers becomes Uniworld’s first general market agency of record account.
- 1996- Ford Motor Company hires UniWorld to launch new campaign.
- 2000- One of the last 100% Black-owned companies, UniWorld joins WPP. Named "Agency of the Year" in Black Enterprise Magazine.
- 2001- The United States Marine Corps becomes a client.
- 2002- Healthcare division launched.
- 2005- "Aloud" Campaign created for HSBC, UniWorld’s first GLBT advertising campaign.
- 2006- Time Warner Cable enlists UniWorld for "Power of You" launch.
- 2008- UniWorld creates the first commercial for the United States Marine Corps to directed towards an African-American market.
- 2009- UniWorld moves to Brooklyn, NY
References
- "Black Enterprise Titans of the B. E. 100's : Black CEOs Who Redefined and Conquered American Business" by Derek T. Dingle- New York: Wiley- Interscience, 1999. Pages: 94-114. (Retrieved on January 11, 2009)
- UniWorld Group (Retrieved on February 1, 2009)
