MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. June 2, 2022 – The marketing industry has long struggled to accurately represent the consumers it serves. Though it is more diverse than ever, at 30.8% (Association of National Advertisers), there is still much work to be done. The BrandLab, a local non-profit working to change the face and voice of the marketing industry, has partnered with Ovative Group for the past six years to drive sustained change. This partnership is part of Ovative’s Champions of Change program, created to enable Ovative team members to “just do” and “do more” within and beyond Ovative’s walls. Champions of Change focuses on opportunities for charitable giving, providing pro bono services to social organizations, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) education, and promoting equitable workplace practices. Ovative’s partnership with The BrandLab includes employing their students as interns and full-time analysts, providing professional mentors for students, providing employees fearless training, and raising annual scholarships.
“The BrandLab and Ovative Group’s partnership serves to break down one more barrier for the diverse talent we serve and another way partners can sow seeds directly into participants, their education, and future career paths,” said Koisey Hiama, College + Beyond Manager at The BrandLab. “It is the consistent commitment Ovative made to us year after year that truly helps to support our mission of changing the face and voice of this industry to reflect the world at large. The work is far from done, as we aim to also have equitable workplaces that make our talent feel like they truly belong, but this is an amazing start.”
Ovative Group hosted their first annual golf tournament fundraiser, the Octopus Open, on Friday, May 20, inviting team members, clients, and partners to deepen their involvement with The BrandLab.
Over 250 participated in golf, lawn bowling and volunteering from Ovative Group, UnitedHealthcare, Special Olympics Minnesota, Radisson, Bright Health, Post, Sleep Number, Mason, CH Robinson, Schwan’s, General Mills, Focus Brands, and more.
“The BrandLab is an amazing organization, taking action to change the face of the industry. We are honored to partner on several initiatives that truly make our team, and communities, stronger,” said Dale Nitschke, CEO at Ovative Group.
The impact of the partnership lasts longer than any individual event, by helping students find their place and grow in the industry.
“I am a recipient of the Ovative Group x The BrandLab scholarship. I am originally from Ethiopia. It was never expected that I would go to college. I was lucky to get in touch with The BrandLab and be awarded a scholarship. It changed my life. I am now majoring in Economics and attend college in California,” said Anaa Jibicho who co-founded Didómi, a social enterprise dedicated to combatting the water crisis through reusable water bottles.
ABOUT OVATIVE GROUP
Ovative Group is an independent, full-funnel media, measurement, and creative firm. Leveraging our deep industry expertise, we help brands like Domino’s, Facebook, The Home Depot, General Mills, Disney, and UnitedHealth Group transform their media and measurement programs. The result? Profitable growth that speaks for itself.
At Ovative, we don’t just track data, we redefine success. How do we do it? Our proprietary MarTech platform, EMRge™ helps businesses transform marketing into a driver of sustainable growth. Powered by Enterprise Marketing Return (EMR), our differentiated approach to holistic media buying, planning, and measurement, EMRge™ is the first MarTech platform to measure businesses holistically. We’re all about raising the bar every day, and it shows. Our work has been recognized by organizations like Digiday, Google, Inc. 5000, USA Today, and Search Engine Land. For more information about Ovative, visit our website or follow Ovative on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. For media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
