AgencySpy posted on General Motors selecting Majority Agency—a multicultural marketing shop co-founded by NBA icon Shaquille O’Neal—to help promote electric vehicles. The newbie joins three other ‘diverse’ agencies—two of which are Black-owned enterprises—vying for crumbs from the automaker. The fourth shop, Casanova//McCann, is a Latinx firm obviously connected to White advertising agency McCann, a lead AOR for GM.
It's a safe bet that each of the ‘diverse’ agencies receives a lot less loot from GM than McCann; indeed, the White ad agency might be getting more money than all four minority companies combined.
No disrespect to Shaq, but why not simply allocate a bigger slice of the marketing budget pie to the other Black-owned agencies versus introducing an extra ‘diverse’ player? Providing additional revenue to the minority shops on the current roster would award them greater power and influence, no?
Or maybe this is the true goal—to ensure that the minorities maintain minority status in every way, shape and form.
It all feels like the same old ride with General Motors.
P.S., Why did AgencySpy post this news under the ‘Revolving Door’ banner? Is the implication that minority-owned firms have limited lifespans?
General Motors Selects Majority Agency as Diverse Creative AOR
By Kyle O’Brien
General Motors has chosen Majority Agency, an Atlanta based culture creative agency co-founded in 2021 by Shaquille O’Neal and Omid Farhang as its creative agency of record for branded diversity marketing initiatives, making it GM’s fourth diverse agency of record.
The announcement comes as GM looks to become one of the top inclusive companies in the world with an all-electric future.
“Majority shares our belief that this is a cultural inflection point, not just for EVs, but for multicultural marketing,” said Tarshena Armstrong, GM director of diversity marketing and development in a statement. “It’s about authentic connection, community, and a commitment to drive cultural awareness through inclusive marketing practices that earn cultural capital for GM and our family of brands.”
Majority joins General Motors’ current list of multicultural agencies: Carol H. Williams Advertising, Spike DDB and Casanova INC. Together, these diverse-owned agencies will work with existing GM media, marketing, and experiential agencies McCann/Commonwealth, Jack Morton and Carat to help increase EV adoption, amplify cultural moments and social injustice, and elevate the GM brand.
“Today we are in the infant stages of a perception shift around EVs. But we need to make the category more inclusive,” said Brandon Butler, chief content officer at Majority in a statement. “That means multicultural marketing can’t just be an exercise in consulting, versioning and micro-targeting. It must be a leading conduit to the popular culture that transcends our differences and connects us all.”
Armstrong added: “Investing in sustainable growth and fostering equitable representation extends our reach and strengthens the communities where our customers live and work to ensure education about the transition to EVs.”
It's all hype. GM has no plans to divert real money into real minority hands. Three minority agencies get crumbs that no, don’t add up to what the big white agency gets, and the fourth is just a funnel to divert money back into the white hands at Interpublic Group, protecting the 100 year relationship between GM and IPG.
ReplyDeleteThe District of Columbia requires businesses here to list their real full ownership, so even if an agency claims their diverse owned you can see clear as day that Interpublic Group of Companies still calls the shots and holds the purse strings.
https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_dc/EXTUID_4282617/officers
In short, it’s business as usual at GM except some more crumbs were spread thin and press releases were sent out to make it seem like a multicultural bonanza of wealth.