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I don’t want those kinds of clients or ‘civil rights’ ads. I am looking to build brands. Unfortunately, many clients don’t come to minority agencies to do that."—Carol H. Williams
Carol H. Williams Advertising isn’t in the big three. She doesn’t even have offices in New York or Chicago. But thirteen years ago she began her business in Oakland, California and has made her mark with clients such as Coors Brewing Co., Hewlett-Packard, Nissan Motor Corp., and Pacific Bell. She’s so serious about making her mark that many have taken notice. Black Enterprise named her agency Advertising Agency of the Year in 1999, as the agency is moving at light speed toward surpassing the big three mark in billings. Her employees, with a majority of women on staff, rave about the family atmosphere of her successful firm.
Williams is a Chicago native and began her advertising career with Leo Burnett in 1969, after a pre-med major at Northwestern. Williams crafted copy for such campaigns as the "Say Hello to Popin’ Fresh Dough" for
Pillsbury and "Strong Enough for a Man, but Made for a Woman" Secret for Proctor and Gamble. With another successful stint as senior vice-president and creative director at Foote, Cone, and Belding, San Francisco, and a two-year hiatus, Williams opened CHWA in 1988.