American Advertising Federation’s 10th District to recognize Lerma’s impact in the advertising community
LERMA is proud to announce that the American Advertising Federation’s 10th District has selected Pete Lerma as a Mosaic Champion Award recipient. Lerma is the founder and principal of LERMA, a Dallas-based next-generation communications agency dedicated to creating disruptive and impactful content for multicultural America.
The inaugural District 10 Mosaic Awards recognize individuals, companies and agencies within Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas whose commitment to diversity and inclusion is evident through their creative work and organization-wide initiatives. The 2020 awards ceremony will take place on Friday, April 17 at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Lerma will be honored on stage and featured in a special program for the event.
Lerma will be recognized for his success increasing awareness of social issues and fostering diversity and inclusion within the advertising industry—and beyond. He has led his team’s efforts to create campaigns that promote compassion towards immigrants, encourage Americans to take action against gun violence, and raise awareness as well as financial support for Puerto Rico’s continued reconstruction efforts—to name a few. He also supports the Home Depot Foundation, a LERMA client, in a very actionable way, building cinder block foundations, painting, landscaping, etc.—all to better the lives of U.S. veterans who have made enormous sacrifices for the country.
Lerma’s clients describe him as someone who, “has made a career looking toward the future, but has no problem reaching back to lend a helping hand.”
“America is a great nation, made strong by the coming together of people to celebrate diversity and cultures,” said Lerma. “I truly am honored to be named a Mosaic Award winner, and I celebrate this recognition with my entire agency team. At LERMA ‘diversity and inclusion’ are not just buzzwords. We welcome and celebrate the diversity of our team and clients, who bring with them diversity in points of view, problem-solving styles and beliefs. This type of thinking is our core business.”
Lerma’s career began at a small ad agency in Wichita Falls, TX. He then moved to Dallas and joined Click Here, The Richards Group’s digital division, where he focused on digital marketing. More than 10 years later, he and Stan Richards launched Richards/Lerma to specialize in Hispanic marketing, which recently rebranded to LERMA. While leading LERMA, he has brought his vision of the next-generation agency to life, embracing change. His vision has pushed the agency to defy labels and constantly pioneer how brands connect with their customers, working with clients including Avocados From Mexico, Dr Pepper, Metroby T-Mobile, The Home Depot and Southwest Airlines.
Lerma’s work in the community extends to serving on the boards of the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, Booker T. Washington High School for the Visual and Performing Arts, Big Brothers & Big Sisters International and the Culture Marketing Council. He also chairs the annual Latino fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and serves on the Refugee Services Task Force for Catholic Charities.
About LERMA
LERMA is a Next Generation communications agency that is at the forefront of business trends, technological advancement, and consumer’s ever-changing relationship to brands. For the past 10 years the agency has made clients and their brands win in the U.S. marketplace by uncovering untapped business opportunities, establishing meaningful connections, and developing creative that is loud and clear. That is, creating meaningful communications that disrupt convention and have a clear and relevant message for consumers. The agency’s work includes award-winning campaigns for Keurig Dr Pepper, The Home Depot, BanCoppel, Ocean Spray and Southwest Airlines.
