David Bowles Markets Diversity

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Photo by Tom Jenz

David Bowles of CMRignite

David Bowles of CMRignite

At only 31, David Bowles is a business success story. As president of the CMRignite marketing agency, he leads his 65 employees in creating social impact programs for government agencies, nonprofits, and private companies. He leads by example, his staff equally divided among whites, Blacks, Latinos, and Asian Americans.  

David Bowles comes from an upper middle-class family of four. When he was a small boy, his mother, Jacqueline Moore Bowles, founded CMR, hired three people, and built the marketing agency from scratch. From kindergarten through the 12th grade, he attended the private University School of Milwaukee. He played sports and was involved in student government. “It was a good school,” he said, “but I wish I could have experienced a little more diversity.” 

I met Bowles in the sprawling CMRignite conference room with a bank of windows offering a dramatic view of Downtown. His enthusiasm is catching, and he speaks of his company like a coach inspires a football team. 

After University School, you ended up at the Ivy League Columbia University in New York City. What was that like for you?

I went to Columbia because I wanted a totally different situation than how I grew up. I was raised in a non-diverse suburban experience. Columbia is a diverse urban experience with 50% students of color and in the heart of downtown New York. I wanted discomfort. That’s how you grow. It was the hardest, most stressful time in my life, but it was amazing to be performing at a high level, competing with the smartest kids in the nation. My major was financial economics. I love macroeconomics, the national or global scale of economics—the Fed moving interest rates, fluctuating employment rates, international money policy.  

After college, did you start right away working for your mother at CMR? 

I started working at CMR while I was still in college. My mom was able to obtain a nine-year certification that allowed CMR to qualify for certain Federal government contracts. While still in college, from 2010 to 2013, I’d travel to Washington D.C. for CMR. At 19, I was pitching new business, and I was able to win a number of government contracts. Not long after college, I came back to Milwaukee to join the company.

You are now president of CMRignite, one of the nation’s leading minority-owned social impact marketing agencies. After joining the company as director of business development, you worked your way up to the top over the years. How did that transpire? 

When I joined the company in 2010, we had four employees. In 2014, I moved back to Milwaukee to work full time at CMR, basically to run the company. We were still pretty small. My mom acted as my collaborator. I learned the business from the ground floor on up. I watched her handling clients, coaching employees, motivating people. I learned how to be a leader. I worked 60 hours per week. From 2014 to 2021, we built up the company to 65 employees. I became President in July 2021. 

Let’s talk specifics. I found this on your website, and I quote, “CMRignite is a full-service, strategic communications agency that specializes in developing cause and behavior change marketing for Fortune 500 companies, major nonprofits and government agencies.” Can you expand on this further, maybe give an example or two of how you are strategizing with your clients?

We don’t sell iPhones or new cars. We focus on how to use behavioral science to drive impact. For example, we do work for the government in the area of COVID vaccines. Our job is to show African Americans how the vaccine is made and provide them with information to make a decision on whether to take the vaccine. We do this through traditional advertising—TV ads, radio, billboards and so on. Our goal is to understand how people think and what motivates them to certain behaviors. We encourage our clients to understand their clients’ behavior patterns, what they value and believe, and what they fear. We try to craft messages that speak to their customers’ behavior patterns. For example, the anti-tobacco campaign: We start by asking why does someone smoke, and then compare the value they get from not smoking. We try to help change overall customer behavior. We act as our clients’ consultant.    

Are your clients involved in social causes—nonprofits and government agencies, for instance?

We work primarily with government agencies. But we have worked with GE, Northwestern Mutual and other private corporations or their foundations. It’s usually about corporate social responsibility, environmental, social and government. We focus on social causes, like diversity, health, and environmental issues.

Your company works through what you call the Total Marketing Model. You have conducted business with notable national clients, like GE Healthcare, UW-Madison and the Air National Guard. What exactly is the Total Marketing Model?

The Total Marketing Model is a marketing ideology that looks at combining the needs of white consumers with multi-cultural consumers—that kind of broad spectrum. We provide key information as to where the white and multi-cultural sectors overlap. Our CMRignite staff is made up of 25% each of white, Black, Latino, and Asian-Americans. We’ve brought together employees who look different and have different experiences. We have the perspective to create an ad campaign that reaches both rural white folks and urban African Americans. This inclusivity approach is the Total Marketing Model. That is what we do for our clients.

Criminal activity and violence have been major problems in Milwaukee, especially in the central city occupied by mostly Black residents. I understand that CMRignite is helping to address violence. To quote you, “As a proud Milwaukee native, I’ve seen the irreversible impact of gun violence and have watched it destroy too many of our neighborhoods, our communities and our families. From the Central City to the Deer District, we’ve lost too many lives to this epidemic. It’s time for bold ideas and bold actions, and I’m hopeful that CMRignite can be a part of the solution.” How is your company helping to reduce violence?

Violence is a huge issue, especially gun violence. Unfortunately, I hear a lot of empty words from people in positions of power about lowering violence. I don’t see them putting their money where their mouths are. At CMRignite, we did not ask for government or non-profit funding. We made a sizable investment of our own money and conducted surveys of Milwaukee residents to find out how they see the violence problem. Too often, leaders and bureaucrats tell residents what the problems are, and do not listen to them. We work with Antonia Drew Norton and The Asha Project. One of our programs is We Are Here, which supports domestic assault survivors from culturally specific groups like Blacks, Native Americans, and Latinos. Often, victims of color don’t feel comfortable in similar programs tailored to the general market. We helped design and promote the We Are Here brand. Our goal is to provide services where survivors feel included and can be heard.

CMRignite’s Innovation Hub conducted a recent survey. 

The survey found that in Wisconsin, about seven in 10 African American and Hispanic residents say gun violence is the most important issue facing Milwaukee. That is a remarkable statistic if you compare it to the issues suburban white residents deal with. Can you comment on this? And what exactly is the Innovation Hub? 

The Innovation Hub is our research team led by our senior research director, Heidi Tarr, MPH. We wanted to hear about the violence problem from the actual residents who live in those neighborhoods affected by violence, who live in a state of fear. The overall fear creates an unhealthy environment. How can you have a productive community in that kind of depressing environment? I’ve heard a lot from people who don’t live in these communities telling us what the problem is, and I don’t think that judgement is appropriate. Frankly, I am so tired of hearing that Milwaukee is the worst place for Black people to live. Too many in our community say they care about racial justice but aren’t doing much. People of color in Milwaukee want to have the problem of gun violence and criminal activity solved, and we’re committed to solving it.   

You were recognized as one of Wisconsin’s most influential Black leaders in 2022. What does that mean for you and your company?

I think it means I have a responsibility to help create social change. My expertise is in communications. If I don’t use that expertise, then my name should be removed from the list.  

You are still a young man. Do you have a long-term goal for your company?

My long-term goal is to be the nation’s biggest Black-owned marketing agency, while still remaining 100% committed to creating real social impact.