UWG Inc.

UWG, also known as UniWorld Group, is a well-known advertising agency based in Brooklyn, New York. They've been around since 1969, making them the oldest multicultural ad agency in the United States. UWG has offices in Atlanta, Detroit, Miami, and Los Angeles too.

UWG Inc.
FormerlyUniWorld Group, Inc.
TypePrivate
IndustryAdvertising
Headquarters
New York City
,
New York
Key people
Monique L. Nelson (CEO)[1]
OwnerLori-Laine Holdings (51%)
WPP Group (49%)[2]
DivisionsUniWorld Group Advertising
UniWorld Group Healthcare
UniWorld Group Hispanic
UniWorld Films[3]
Websitewww.uwginc.com

In 2014, they decided to rebrand themselves and started going by the name UWG. This change reflected their focus on innovation and staying up-to-date in the fast-paced advertising world. They wanted to keep connecting brands with diverse audiences while being inclusive and culturally relevant.

UWG offers a wide range of services to their clients, including planning, creative development, media buying, digital marketing, and public relations. They're experts at reaching different communities and creating campaigns that resonate with them.

Over the years, UWG has earned a reputation for their outstanding work. They've won many awards for their creative campaigns and strategies. Their success comes from their dedication to excellence and their ability to understand and engage diverse consumers.

With their headquarters in Brooklyn and offices in other major cities, UWG has a strong presence across the United States. They understand the unique preferences and cultures of different communities, allowing them to connect brands with their target audiences effectively.

In summary, UWG is a well-established advertising agency that specializes in multicultural marketing. They've been in the business for a long time and have a history of success. UWG helps brands connect with diverse audiences by creating innovative and culturally relevant campaigns.

History

UniWorld Group was founded in 1969 by Byron Lewis,[4][5] who pioneered the concept of multicultural advertising before its potential was widely recognized.[6] One of the company's first achievements was the conception of the marketing campaign for the "Blaxploitation" film Shaft in 1971. The company was credited for popularizing Shaft by using the rhetoric of black power.[7][8][9]

In 1974, the company created a radio soap opera that centered on the post Great Migration and African Americans settling in the Northern United States entitled Sounds of the City. The soap opera helped the company earn its first million dollars in gross sales.[10][11] The company started creating TV commercials in 1975. Its first television advertisements were for Avon, a cosmetic company.[12]

In 1997, the company launched UniWorld Entertainment, a production company that developed national TV specials. The company has also handled publicity for films such as A Bronx Tale (1993), Amistad (1997), Boyz n the Hood (1991), Glory (1989), Malcolm X (1992), Shaft (1971), Shaft's Big Score (1973), and Shaft in Africa (1973).[11]

UniWorld did Burger King's minority advertising in the '80s and '90s.[13][14] In 2000, WPP plc acquired a 49% stake in UniWorld Group for an undisclosed sum.[15][16]

In 2012, Monique Nelson and her family acquired the majority stake and was appointed chair and CEO of the company.[17] In 2014, UniWorld Group changed its name to UWG.[18][19][20] Some of the notable clients that UWG served include CVS Pharmacy, Marriott International, U.S. Marine Corps, Gatorade, AT&T, Mars, Incorporated, Amtrak, Smirnoff Vodka, Colgate-Palmolive, Texaco,[21] Lincoln-Mercury, and Ford Motor Co.[22][1][23][24][25][26][27]

Awards and recognition

UWG has been ranked multiple times in Black Enterprise magazine: #16 on their Industrial/Service 100 (1994),[23] Advertising Agency of the Year (2000);[16][28] #5 in Advertising Agencies (2011);[17] and #8 in black-owned ad companies in the United States (2014).[29]

The Association of National Advertisers) has also given the company mutlple Multicultural Excellence Awards in 2010, 2012, and 2017.[30][31][32]

The company's founder, Byron Lewis was inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame by the American Advertising Federation (AAF) in 2013.[33][34]

Other awards and nominations include: Communications Excellence to Black Audiences (CEBA) awards (1983)[35] and the APAC Effie Awards Gold Award in United States Multicultural & Lifestyle Segments – the multimedia 'Real Talk' ad campaign produced for the United States Marine Corps (2010).[36][37][38]

Further reading
  • Jessie Smith (2017). Encyclopedia of African American Business: Updated and Revised (Ed. 2, Vol.2 ed.). ABC-CLIO. pp. 495, 496, 497, 498, 499. ISBN 9781440850288.
  • Derek T. Dingle (1999). Black Enterprise Titans of The B.E. 100s: Black CEOs Who Redefined and Conquered American Business. John Wiley & Sons. p. 112. ISBN 9780471318538.

References
  1. Baskin, Anna (May 2, 2012). "PEOPLE ON THE MOVE: MONIQUE L. NELSON TO TAKE OVER FOR BYRON LEWIS SR. AT UNIWORLD GROUP". Ad Age.
  2. "UniWorld Group advertising & marketing assignments". Adbrands.net. 9 January 2020.
  3. "UniWorld Film's New President". Upscale: 28. 1999.
  4. Byron, Ellen (March 3, 2004). "Questions for… Byron Lewis". The Wall Street Journal.
  5. "Leader of the pack". Manhattan Times. May 8, 2013.
  6. [Jet; 07/26/99, Vol. 96 Issue 8, p24, 2p, 5 bw.]
  7. Eric Lichtenfeld (2017). Action Speaks Louder: Violence, Spectacle, and the American Action Movie. Wesleyan University Press. pp. 14, 15. ISBN 9780819568014.
  8. Reid, Mark. Redefining Black Film. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993.
  9. Robert E. Weems; Robert E. Weems, Jr. (1998). Desegregating the Dollar: African American Consumerism in the Twentieth Century. NYU Press. pp. 97, 98, 192. ISBN 9780814793275.
  10. Campbell, Barbara (April 8, 1974). "SOUNDS OF CITY, Black Soap Opera, to Cut the Jive". The New York Times.
  11. Jessie Carney Smith; Millicent Lownes Jackson; Linda T. Wynn (2006). Encyclopedia of African American Business: K-Z. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 446. ISBN 9780313331114.
  12. Laura Warren Hill; Julia Rabig (2012). The Business of Black Power: Community Development, Capitalism, and Corporate Responsibility in Postwar America. University Rochester Press. pp. 126, 127, 128. ISBN 9781580464031.
  13. Dougherty, Philip H. (April 14, 1983). "Uniworld Group Gets A Burger King Account". The New York Times.
  14. Elliott, Stuart (December 20, 1993). "Burger King Widens Role for Uniworld". The New York Times.
  15. Sampey, Kathleen (June 19, 2019). "WPP Takes Piece of Uniworld Pie". AdWeek.
  16. Alexander, George (September 2000). "A matter of survival". Black Enterprise (September 2000): 23.
  17. Edmond, Alfred Jr. (May 30, 2012). "UniWorld Group's New CEO Monique Nelson". Black Enterprise.
  18. Aditham, Kiran (June 3, 2014). "UniWorld Group Rebrands as UWG". Adweek.
  19. Spiropoulos, Richard (June 3, 2014). "Changes at UniWorld repositions agency for digital age". Black Enterprise.
  20. Willoughby, Sergie (May 4, 2012). "UniWorld Group CEO Byron Lewis Retires". The Network Journal.
  21. Beatty, Sally Goll (November 21, 1996). "Black-Owned Agency Retained By Texaco to Bolster Its Image". The Wall Street Journal.
  22. "Top Black Ad Men and Women You Won't See on Mad Men". The Root. November 4, 2014.
  23. "Uniworld Group Inc. celebrates its silver anniversary in the advertising business by targeting international markets". Black Enterprise. January 1995. p. 95.
  24. "WPP announces joint venture with Uniworld". WPP.com. June 16, 2000.
  25. Dingle, Derek T. (July 24, 2017). "No. 37: Black Ad Agency Slays A Madison Avenue Giant". Black Enterprise.
  26. "UniWorld Group wins Amtrak Account". Portada Online. October 12, 2012.
  27. Rittenhouse, Lindsay (August 2, 2019). "Toasting UWG's 50th year". AdAge.
  28. Earl g. Graves, Ltd (June 2000). "How UniWorld redefining urban reality". Black Enterprise (June 2000): 189, 190, 192, 194, 195.
  29. "Minority Owned Advertising Agencies Shut Out on Game Day". NBC News. February 2, 2015.
  30. "Burrell and UniWorld Win Top Honors at ANA". Rolling Out. November 11, 2010.
  31. Wentz, Laurel (November 1, 2012). "Ford, GM, Xoom, Rosetta Stone Win ANA Multicultural Ad Awards". Ad Age.
  32. "ANA Announces 2017 Multicultural Excellence Award Grand Prize Winners". Ana.net. November 6, 2017.
  33. "UniWorld founder Byron Lewis' Hall of Fame induction to be celebrated at Schomburg". Targetmarketnews. April 8, 2013. Archived from the original on August 17, 2013.
  34. Caslin, Yvette (April 29, 2013). "Advertising maverick Byron Lewis inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame". Rollingout.com.
  35. Dougherty, Philip H. (October 28, 1983). "Uniworld and J.W.T. Tie for CEBA Awards". The New York Times.
  36. "2010 Effie Winners" (PDF). 2010. pp. 1, 9.
  37. 2010 United States Multicultural & Lifestyle Segments
  38. https://www.effie.org/search?utf8=✓&search_form%5Bfilter_type%5D=1&search_form%5Bsort_order%5D=0&search_form%5Bkeyword%5D=UniWorld&search_form%5Bpublished_case%5D=0&commit=Search
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