Monday, January 31, 2011

8433: Ad Age Completely Covers Cultural Crap.


This week’s issue of Advertising Age—i.e., the one printed on paper—completely covers the confounding contradictions, corruption and crimes comprising the counter-colorblindness on Madison Avenue.

The front cover displays a corner callout for an interior spread of reports on pages 4-5 that spotlights “cross-cultural” controversies, questionable quotas and the shady NBCU-Comcast deal.


The final four pages feature a Special Advertising Section from the AAF, celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Most Promising Minority Students Program. The paid propaganda hypes the rousing recruitment results of the youth-wooing effort, while the piece on page 4 appears to contradict the congratulatory hoopla. Specifically, the AAF section’s headline proclaims: “Most Promising Alumni Report Career Success.” In contrast, the Ad Age story’s headline declares: “Sorry state of diversity in advertising is not just hiring, but culture problem.”


To bring it all full circle, the magazine’s back cover promotes Toast The Agency A-List—an annual salute to the ad shops honored by the trade publication as being the best in the business. The top winner? Wieden + Kennedy, whose iconic leader openly admitted the industry’s diversity situation is “fucked up.” The gala event, incidentally, is sold out.

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