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ABC7 Features commonground During Premiere of New Show, Heart & Soul
December 2009 – In 2004, advertising executives Sherman Wright and Ahmad Islam took a deep breath and big risk when they left their successful careers to start their own marketing firm, commonground Marketing. HEART & SOUL finds out how they did it and what makes the pair tic.

Chicago Now – African American Visibility in Advertising, Chicago’s commonground Business Owners
November 2009 – “…This two-team, African-American owned marketing company had their success honored this year on Crain’s Chicago 2009 40 Under 40 List. I knew about their products and I saw some of their work, like the Sprite Step Off commercial, but I didn’t know who the brains were behind these operations.”

Examiner.com – Chicago Marketing Company commonground Owners Discuss Chicago, Diversity in Marketing, Social Media
November 2009 – “…Both Sherman Wright and Ahmad Islam have an impressive background in marketing, especially from a multicultural standpoint. They took time out to speak with Shamontiel, the Chicago Culture and Events Examiner, about Chicago, what brought them here, the marketing industry in Chicago and how they chose their entrepreneurial professions.”

AssociatedContent – Ahmad Islam and Sherman Wright Talk Marketing, Diversity Education
November 2009 – Commercial are becoming more diverse. Some advertising agencies are adding other target groups to their lineup. And the marketing industry is becoming more multicultural. And two of the four African-American honorees in Crain’s Chicago.

Chicago, IL – The award-winning, cross-consumer marketing agency Commonground has announced its co-founders, Ahmad Islam and Sherman Wright are among Crain’s Chicago Business Magazine’s annual Top 40 under 40 list for 2009. Each year, Crain’s selects forty individuals under the age of forty from the Chicago-land area, who are considered champions of their respective industries. Past lists have included presidents and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, high ranking political figures and thought leaders from various industries.

While the 2009 list features a wide array of business mavens and marketing peers, Commonground’s Ahmad Islam and Sherman Wright stand out as the only African-American entrepreneurs on the list, with a flourishing agency that can boast an authentic and multi-faceted multicultural philosophy. The agency takes a non-traditional approach to multicultural marketing, leveraging what they’ve coined, the “New Marketplace”, as an means of dimensionalizing multicultural, being inclusive of the general market as well as the traditionally defined multicultural marketplace.

Launched in 2004, and approaching their sixth self-funded year of providing a full-range of marketing disciplines, the Commonground team is forecasting an $11 million revenue stream for the coming year. “We are very honored to be recognized by Crain’s for the work we create on behalf of our client roster,” offered co-founder Sherman Wright, “it’s a symbol of the perseverance of our agency, our diverse culture and our commitment to building a foundation for mutual understanding.” In addition to the Crain’s honor, the agency heads have also been recognized as Gillette “Men of Style” and Commonground was the recipient of the 2009 Ex Award, for Best Nightlife Marketing Campaign.

Committed to being an active partner-in-process to their roster of blue-chip clients, such as The Coca-Cola Company, MillerCoors, General Mills and others, Islam and Wright foster an environment of cultural and professional diversity. “By making a conscious effort to walk the talk, we find the middle ground and we lead by reflecting the true diaspora of our country,” said co-founder Ahmad Islam, “and it manifests in the ways our clients benefit from our style of service.”

The agency partners will be feted along with the other 40 under 40 honorees during an upcoming event held by Crain’s Chicago Business. The evening is a compliment to the approaching anniversary the agency will commemorate in January 2010, and a testament to growth in spite of challenging economic times.

View the full article with Ahmad’s video
View the full article with Sherman’s video

By definition, common ground is “a foundation for mutual understanding”. Hard to believe its been almost 5 years since our vision for commonground began to come to life. We’ve learned a lot, had a few hiccups, accomplished a great deal, and of course had tons of fun along the way. The agency has grown from the original two partners working out of their homes to over 45 employees between Chicago, Atlanta, and Houston.

We could not be prouder of our team, client roster, and the work we put out for them every day. Most importantly, we are proud of how we remain true to our original intent… to build and grow an agency that continuously stretches the thinking of our talent and our clients in the spirit of collectively finding common ground between brands, products, and consumers. We’ve been so busy building our clients’ businesses that, ironically, we haven’t really given our website much love over the last couple of years.

With all we have to talk about, we realized it was a great time to launch our new website, connect with friends both old and new, and get everyone current on what’s going on at the CG HQ @ 1035 W. Lake Street in Chicago. We are very excited about the new DiscoverCG.com site and look forward to sharing ongoing updates about the agency, our people, our clients, and the impactful work inspired by our valued partnerships. You can also follow us on FB and Twitter…or tune into CG radio to see what’s playing at the agency in case you can’t stop by for a visit or need some musical inspiration during your day. Please spend a little time on the site and let us know what you think. We welcome your feedback and look forward to connecting from time to time via DiscoverCG.com and all of our other touch points.

Cheers…..Sherman and Ahmad