Over the past few months, MultiCultClassics has been occupied with real work. As a result, a handful of events occurred without the expected blog commentary. This limited series—Delayed WTF—seeks to make belated amends for the absence of malice.
Finally got around to reading Baked In by Alex Bogusky and John Winsor. Overall, the book delivers innovative thinking in a progressive style—including interactive components like a wikiblog and Twitter feed. The authors provide visionary perspectives with plenty of case studies and recipes for breakthrough results. Baked In could be the best cookbook for contemporary advertising and marketing since Luke Sullivan’s Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This.
Bogusky clearly knows how to ignite creativity at every point in the journey, refusing to settle for the expected or accept the contrived and clichéd. The book challenges us all—agency wonks and clients alike—to reinvent our current conventions. In fact, study Baked In closely and it’s not surprising that Bogusky ultimately experienced an alleged spiritual rebirth as a consumer crusader.
Yet it’s somewhat disappointing that Bogusky appeared unable to tap his cutting-edge skills when confronted with the advertising industry’s diversity dilemma. On his Fearless Q+A show, Bogusky offered zero new ideas, regurgitating the same old solutions that have failed for over 80 years. He didn’t consider the implications of cultural trends. He couldn’t hatch fresh designs for change. There were no declarations of knocking down walls and jumping silos. Bogusky never mentioned a single tactic listed in Baked In that might be incorporated to address the dearth of diversity in our ranks.
Perhaps now that Bogusky plans to stage societal revolutions, he should lend a hand to the industry that made him a star. Let him develop serious strategies and executions for the biggest challenge in Madison Avenue’s history. Surely Bogusky can reach beyond his initial suggestions which seemed so, well, half-baked.
4 comments:
Advertising lives in the comfort of homogeny and the fact that minorities are too shook and scared to challenge them on the current status quo. I just watched that interview it was as if bogusky was in total control. The two black guys there didnt call him out on his own agency record, I dought they have 1 black creative over there in boulder. Like it or not bogusky and crispin are a poster child for say something do nothing when it comes to diversity. And the two black guys there are also a poster child for minorities too shook to do anything about the current situation. Pathetic and horrible situation. All three are guilty. I like how in the end bogusky tells lincoln to get his stuff together. What hypocrisy. But blacks dont get it either. If a white man in this industry mentions diversity anything minorities will come running like a dog. Hey doggie, heres a 1000 dollar scholarship,some books & a used laptop, but we still wont hire your black ass. These agencies will donate money, but wont hire anybody. Very slick cold and calculated, sad thing is minorities are still dumb to believe they care about diversity after all these years. Bogusky is running game on them, and they dont even know it. At least the great bogusky gave them some of his time, I guess on their flights back they must have thought damn, did we just get played? Bogusky must have had a good laugh back in boulder. "I'll just donate some books, $500 and some used equipment for this bootcamp, and all is well". -->suckers
I hoped they would apply some of that cpb hutzpah towards the issue too. I guess I better start printing some t-shirts or something, cuz the diversity game in the ad biz is bullshot.
But F-it, there are other ways around this force-field. And I'm still looking.
Bogusky could care less, his ignorance overshadows events and like the adcolor adwards, not one advertising blog mentioned those awards that went down last weekend. How sad. Its like "blacks and minorities" dont exist to the powers that be that run the industry. They are truly missing out.
Bogusky is just a very clever white boy, not a saviour. One shouldn't expect him to offer insight on a problem that doesn't really affect him or his bottom-line. Black creatives are not 'too shook and scared'[sic], we just don't give a damn anymore. And yes, give away free sh*t, I'll take it. Nothing as pathetic as white guilt. Like Mama said "the road to hell is paved with good intentions."
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