12020: Made Of Black By Blacks…?

Campaign spotlighted the new Guinness Africa ad created by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, in conjunction with BBDO offices in Africa. The YouTube caption reads:

This new Guinness Africa ad celebrates ‘Black’. Black is not a colour. Black is an attitude. It’s a mindset, it’s a way of life. Black represents the best of Africa. It features real people with real talent from Lagos, Accra and Cape Town to Nairobi, Gaborone and Johannesburg. People who are Made of Black are people who are Made of More.

Plus, Guinness Global Brand Director Mark Sandys gushed, “Guinness is an iconic brand, famous for its extraordinary and inimitable marketing, and #madeofblack is no different. This campaign is a celebration of an attitude that epitomises individuals who aren’t afraid to truly express themselves. … Through #madeofblack we will provide a stage for those who are an inspiration to others, as they carve their own path with confidence, flair and boldness.”

Never quite sure how to respond to work like this. For starters, the concept is hardly original. It typically comes up every February in the U.S., or whenever a major advertiser seeks to woo Blacks (see My Black is Beautiful, Infiniti in Black, etc.). The recognition that Black culture influences and inspires popular culture has been around forever—even in the advertising industry—although Whites who stumble upon the obvious insight always think they’ve uncovered something unique.

It’s hard to tell who was really responsible for the work. As previously noted, the Campaign story stated, “The spot was created by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, in conjunction with BBDO offices in Africa.” What does “in conjunction” mean? Were the African colleagues consulted to judge the authenticity and cultural competence? Was Made of Black made by Blacks? Sure, many may argue it doesn’t matter. But this is the root annoyance MultiCultClassics feels about these kinds of projects. That is, when are Black creatives and/or Black agencies ever permitted to develop concepts with the generous budget exhibited here? When are Black creatives and/or Black agencies trusted to handle a multimedia campaign (see the accompanying print) of this magnitude? And finally, if Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO truly believes Blacks are such a breakthrough creative force, why the hell doesn’t the agency hire a few more of them?

Guinness Africa launches ‘made of black’ campaign with Kanye West ad

By James Swift

Guinness Africa has released a commercial that builds on the brand’s “made of more” strapline, called “made of black”.

The pan-African campaign aired last night on MTV Base Africa during Guinness’ four-hour takeover of the channel.

The spot was created by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, in conjunction with BBDO offices in Africa and is the agency’s first work for the brand since winning the business in October.

The ad, which was directed by Sam Brown through Rogue Films, features clips of black performers, as Kanye West’s ‘Black Skinhead’ plays in the background. Music artists including Fuse ODG and Phyno will continue the campaign with messages on social media, such as Twitter.

Creative director on the account at AMV BBDO was Mike Schalit, while Mike Sutherland wrote the campaign and Antony Nelson art directed it.

Mark Sandys, the global brand director at Guinness, said: “Guinness is an iconic brand, famous for its extraordinary and inimitable marketing, and #madeofblack is no different. This campaign is a celebration of an attitude that epitomises individuals who aren’t afraid to truly express themselves.

“Through #madeofblack we will provide a stage for those who are an inspiration to others, as they carve their own path with confidence, flair and boldness.”