“[The issue of diversity] continues to gnaw at me because, like it or not, in this business I essentially hire a bunch of White, middle-class kids, pay them enormous, enormous sums of money to do what? To create messages to the inner-city kids who create the culture the White kids are trying like hell to emulate. But if you go into the inner city, odds are these kids aren’t even going to see advertising as a possibility, as an opportunity for them. Now that’s fucked up.”
“Don’t get me wrong. I’m not bringing this up today because I think Wieden + Kennedy is doing this phenomenal goddam job at rectifying the situation. I think we’ve made some progress. But we’ve got miles and miles to go before we sleep.”
Yes, this quote delivered by Dan Wieden at the 2009 4As Leadership Conference has been repeated to death here. But honestly, what goes through the old man’s head when he constantly sees his own agency produce work like this?
4 comments:
Hypocrites usually repeat the same mistakes a thousand times. And still don't give a fu$k. Because there are no reprucusions.
It's like a preacher preaching a sermon on morality when he's going after choir boys in the catholic church. Fox news is a christian network, but preaches hate and subliminal bigotry. Rappers passing out turkeys and christmas toys in the hood when their music is brainwashing those same youth.
Thats why they are hypocrites. Do as I say and not as I do. When Dan Wieden preached diversity at the 4a's conference it was the ultimate cover up. Lets get a white guy to show sympathy or that he cares without really doing anything at all. His agency pumps out this stuff year after year and no one challenges him on his hypocrisy. The best he says he can do is a summer camp for needy kids called caldera. hahahaha who does this guy think hes fooling. Nice try Dan.lol
Goodby, tony granger, dan wieden and bogusky, dont want black people to create the work, they want to hire them as coons to act in front of the camera that they direct.
That campaign nike "hypertize" is a true example of that. If these so called leaders wanted to really diversify their ranks they wouldn't they go on a industry wide manhunt, for new and fresh faces. But they don't, because they don't care. Dan at least had the balls to call himself out on his own hypocrisy, but he won't change his ways either so he's just as bad as the leaders in the industry who turn a blind eye and do nothing at all.
I didn't realize this was a W+K ad... OMG this is so bad I couldn't figure out if it was a spoof of the lebron work or what. It's pretty much what u'd expect from typical GM creatives trying to get their "urban on" these days...
Sometimes you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. Dan did what very, very few ad cats of his stature do. He told the truth. Since the truth is more of what we need, I wouldn’t blast him for telling it like it is.
And while Dan can, should and absolutely will do better in terms of hiring more folks of color, he does deserve some credit for what he has done.
These are some of the folks of color who have (or still currently) worked at W+K.
Darryl McDonald - AD and the first brotha in the creative department
John Jay - ECD and the first partner of color in the history of W+K
Kilpatrick Anderson - AD
Feh Tarty - CD
Cheeraz Gorman - CW is a new hire and a star on the rise
Keith Cartwright - CD on Brand Jordan
Desmond Marzette - Writer
Brandon Pierce - CW
Charles Hall - CD
Jayanta Jenkins - AD
Tina Davis used to run Brand Jordan on the account side
Dara Marshall - Account Supervisor
Arty Tan - AD
Craig Namba - CW
Adrian Hilton - AD
Javier Castillo - AD
Donna Lamar headed up the production department in Amsterdam.
Robert Nakata - CD
And I worked their, too.
Sorry for the grammatical error.
I meant to say, "And I worked there, too."
Not, "their."
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