GlobalHue likely turns global hues of red every time Jim Edwards of BNET calls. Edwards has been reporting on all the drama surrounding the multicultural shop and the Bermuda Tourism account. From noting accusations of overbilling to race-based overreactions to potential political overthrows, Edwards has probably given the place more press than it’s ever received. A Google® search ranks the BNET posts among the top five results for GlobalHue. Edwards even chipped in a story on racial-ethnic strife between GlobalHue and Montemayor y Asociados Inc.
Whatever.
If everything negative turns out to be true, GlobalHue still looks like an amateur compared to the typical White agencies. The questionable bookkeeping won’t rival the schemes of Ogilvy & Mather, Doner or Leo Burnett. Omnicom alone has presented greater race-related obscenities worldwide, including consistent displays of homophobia and screwing minority shops.
Edwards called GlobalHue’s media buying for Bermuda Tourism weird, supposedly because the agency poured more loot into TV One and the Gospel Music Channel versus bridal magazines and the New York Times. Um, it’s SOP for multicultural shops to support minority media—and clients usually force the shops to do so. For a bigger crime worth uncovering, try exposing the way White agencies ignore minority media.
Regarding winning accounts through personal relationships and sans reviews, well, White agencies mastered those maneuvers from jump.
Not trying to defend GlobalHue here. MultiCultClassics has never been overly impressed by the enterprise, and regularly criticizes their corny and clichéd campaigns. If the agency is indeed breaking the rules, Edwards should continue the journalistic blitzkrieg. But based on the past actions of White agencies, any alleged financial improprieties can and will be remedied by simply writing a reimbursement check and calling it a day. The rest of the “misconduct” is Madison Avenue 101.
Hey, it’s a twisted sign of progress that multicultural shops can occasionally be corrupt too.
5 comments:
I wonder if BNet will run this piece or an extrapolated version? I thought it mighty suspect when Mr. Edwards question the use of 'minority media' and winning accounts through personal relationships, I'm pretty sure that's SOP!
Wanted to leave a comment at BNET, but it's no longer possible unless you're a registered member. Too much work. Forwarded the link to Edwards, though, so we'll see if there's a response.
Hi, thanks for the note on Globalhue. Can't say I disagree with anything you've written, and as your links note I've also called out larger non-minority agencies for concealing wrongdoing on client billings. Here's another one:
http://industry.bnet.com/advertising/1000855/publicis-q4-155-army-fraud-settlement-not-noted-in-its-numbers/
@kiss my black ads: No, I will not be noting this blog on my blog, as this blog is a blog on my blog and to reblog it once more would be redundant.
As for whether my views are "suspect" because a minority shop is involved: You are wrong. I will continue to write about both minority and non-minority agencies whenever they are involved in billing scandals.
Doh!!!
LOL.
Jim, I'm not suggesting that your views are suspect because they involve a minority agency. As a matter of fact I have the low-down on a minority shop that would blow your mind, a gen market shop too now that I think about it.
However even you must admit that personal relationships are how business is done in America and probably the world over.
If overbilling is par for the course in our industry, does it make it right? GH has been getting crazy kickbacks and doing illegal mess for YEEEeeearssss... Not to mention having a misogynistic structure. Still waiting for them to do the "expect the unexpected" great work they claim to do.
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