This time, the U.S. Census Bureau's $200 Million acct is on the line and the 6 agency finalists couldn't be any more homogenized if they were an NBC sitcom cast.

Now with the Census Bureau announcing early last week that of America’s 300 million citizens, a full 100 million are minorities, specifically African-American (over 40 million), Asian-American (14.9 million), Hispanic American (over 44 Million) and Pacific Islander (nearly 2 million), you'd think they'd want a a little more wholistic approach to connecting with these communities and assessing and trends within said communities.

But some how, Madison Ave with its 93% white corporate rosters (according to the 4A’s) that I’ve spent some 15 years in building brands, resurrecting brands, etc., still finds a way to ignore this ginormous fact. Look no further than this Adweek story of 6 GM shops fighting over a $200 million acct, predicated on reaching across cultural and ethnic lines while ethnic shops are relegated to sub-contractor status (also known as “standard industry practice since Day One”).

And again, what bugs me even more about this one is the very specific nature of it. This is tax dollars, not private sector loot. The U.S. Census Bureau’s budget comes from citizen tax money for a product/service (citizen data collection) designed to help all the citizens.

Common sense would dictate that the best ways to reach all these multicultural, multiethnic communities which is an edict to properly serve this client is to go beyond the homogenized whitebread options of GSD&M, O&M, Campbell-Ewald, JWT, DraftFCB, and Y&R, that are inline to win the lion’s share of this $200 million biz.

But once again, we get the great big white GM shops are deciding that they know all there is to know about every consumer group. And no doubt, the potential $200 mill in billings only fuels this arrogance beyond its current state.

Here's the story below. ----

6 Pitch $200 Mil. U.S. Census Bureau May 25, 2007 By Wendy Melillo

WASHINGTON At least six of the seven agencies that responded to the proposal request for the U.S. Census Bureau's $200 million 2010 campaign have progressed to the oral presentation round, according to sources.

Advancing are: WPP Group's Ogilvy & Mather in New York, JWT in Atlanta and Young & Rubicam in New York; Omnicom's GSD&M in Austin, Texas; and Interpublic's DraftFCB in New York and Campbell-Ewald in Warren, Mich., per sources.

The status of SYColeman, an Arlington, Va.-based firm representing a consortium of 25 shops that would serve as sub-contractors on the business, could not immediately be determined.

Census officials confirmed extending offers to shops to participate in oral presentations in June. They declined to name the shops or say how many will participate. Agency executives either could not be reached or declined comment.

Y&R created the campaign for the 2000 Census. The government spent $100 million in measured media on that effort, per TNS Media Intelligence.

The Census Bureau intends to select an agency by the end of August.