MultiCultClassics

9723: Just For Bearded Babies.

2012-01-28T00:14:00.001-06:00

Just For Men tries to be creative with its advertising. Fails.

9722: Chicken McBites McSucks.

2012-01-28T00:10:00.002-06:00

This Mickey D’s Chicken McBites commercial demonstrates why multicultural advertising agencies should avoid doing vignette-style spots. It’s like, why are all the Asian Americans getting more excited over fried chicken than, say, African Americans?

9721: Just Say Noooooooooooooooo!

2012-01-27T21:17:00.004-06:00

Was this annoying JCPenney commercial produced by ex-AOR Saatchi & Saatchi before the retailer and agency broke up, or is it the work of a new partnership? Regardless of the creator, the spot—like most of JCPenney’s merchandise—totally sucks.

9720: The Patriots Of Madison Avenue.

2012-01-27T17:02:00.003-06:00

A number of advertising sources—including MultiCultClassics—have noted the outrageousness of General Motors’ decision to consolidate its $3 billion media and planning duties with U.K.-based Carat. The gripes are basically the same; i.e., how dare the automaker that needed a federal bailout to stay in business now take its business overseas? The added pro-American sentiment, however, sounds slightly silly coming from Madison Avenue practitioners.

For starters, many U.S. agencies are currently tied to holding companies based in Europe and abroad. Why, Dentsu of Japan owns the Agency of the Year. And JWT fancies itself a true international agency—at least when producing propaganda on its commitment to diversity. Admakers love to stage commercial shoots in foreign lands under the guise of saving clients production dollars. Of course, all of these shops woo potential new accounts with real and imagined global capabilities. (On an ironic side note, one of the few networks headquartered in this country, IPG, reportedly didn’t pay taxes from 2008 through 2010.)

Oh, and when a U.S. agency is seeking new creative or organizational leadership, the top candidates are Brits with strong English accents and weak American experience.

9719: The Colonel Meets Crocodile Dundee.

2012-01-27T10:25:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was Australia Day, prompting this KFC ad from the Land Down Under. Not familiar with Australian culture—outside of Crocodile Dundee references—so it’s tough to comment on the image here. Then again, there are unintentional ties for Aussies who celebrate Invasion Day, as the Kentucky-rooted fast feeder tries to replace Vegemite sandwiches.

From Ads of the World.

9718: KFC Stamp-Lickin’ Good.

2012-01-27T00:17:00.001-06:00

KFC is running an actual promotion to persuade the U.S. Postal Service to create a commemorative stamp for Colonel Sanders. Wow. Maybe the fast feeder should petition the Social Security Administration to put the old man’s face on food stamps.

9717: Racy Rosario Dawson.

2012-01-26T10:17:00.004-06:00

9716: C’MON WHITE MAN! Episode 17.

2012-01-26T10:13:00.003-06:00

(MultiCultClassics credits ESPN’s C’MON MAN! for sparking this semi-regular blog series.)

Advertising Age honored mcgarrybowen as Agency of the Year, so MultiCultClassics decided to jump on the bandwagon too.

The shop has undeniably enjoyed great success in recent years, and is often recognized for its old-school ways. Well, the throwback style goes beyond client services and rainmaking. The agency website boasts having a diverse staff—alongside a company portrait debunking the claim. And glancing at the people section reveals mostly White people in charge. But the biggest example of maintaining Mad Men traditions is Chief Digital Officer John McGarry III, who happens to be the son of CEO John P. McGarry, Jr. Congratulations to the McGarry clan for proudly perpetuating the industry’s storied White male dominance and nepotism.

C’MON WHITE MEN!

9715: Big, Fat Liars.

2012-01-25T10:11:00.004-06:00

From The New York Times…

Blame Photoshop, Not Diabetes, for This Amputation

By Patrick McGeehan

New York City’s health watchdogs warn that drinking too much sugary soda could cost you a leg. But you also might lose a limb if you appear in one of their ads.

A blunt new poster from the Bloomberg administration shows an overweight man on a stool, his right leg missing below the knee. A pair of crutches leans against a wall beside him. The advertisement, being placed throughout the subway system, warns that ever-growing portions of fast food and sodas could cause diabetes, which could lead to amputations.

But it turns out that the person shown in the advertisement did not need crutches because his legs were intact. The health department confirmed on Tuesday that its advertising agency had removed the lower half of the man’s leg from the picture to make its point: the headline over the image reads “Portions have grown. So has Type 2 diabetes, which can lead to amputations.”

When city officials announced the campaign on Jan. 9, they did not let on that the man shown — whose photo came from a company that supplies stock images to advertising firms and others — was not an amputee and may not have had diabetes. The city did not identify the man, and efforts to reach the agency that supplied the photo were unsuccessful. The photographer who took the picture, Morten Smidt, said he did not know the man’s name.

Mr. Smidt said on Tuesday that he had not seen the advertisement. In response to a description of it, he said, “Well, it is an illustration now, clearly not the picture I did.”

In a news release about the campaign, the health department said that in 2006, nearly 3,000 New Yorkers with diabetes were hospitalized for amputations. The advertisements are the latest in a series of attention-grabbing messages about the dangers of smoking, drinking and consuming too many sweets and fatty foods. Other advertisements that the health department sponsored featured a grizzled smoker who talked through a voice box and a woman named “Marie” from the Bronx who showed off what appeared to be fingers whose tips had been lost to smoking.

City officials said those advertisements were testimonials that showed real people and real consequences. But they said that doing so was not always feasible. “Sometimes we use individuals who are suffering from the particular disease; other times we have to use actors,” said John Kelly, a health department spokesman. “We might stop using actors in our ads if the food industry stops using actors in theirs.”

The American Beverage Association, which opposes the city’s efforts against sodas and fast food, called the advertisement overwrought. “This is another example of the ‘What can we get away with?’ approach that shapes these taxpayer-funded ad campaigns,” Chris Gindlesperger, the association’s director of communications, said in a statement.

Bob Garfield, a commentator for Advertising Age and National Public Radio, said that the misrepresentation “was lazy or cheap or silly, but I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it.” Still, he said, “Why people lie when there’s no penalty for telling the truth is an absolute mystery to me.”

9714: It’s The Sleaziest Cheesiest.

2012-01-25T00:02:00.003-06:00

Sociological Images spotlighted this anti-obesity campaign that attacks cheese and people with cottage cheese thighs. It’s another ineffective example of shaming the victim versus naming the villain.

Meanwhile, the media weight behind this effort likely appears anorexic when compared to pro-cheese propaganda.

9713: GM Moves From Bailout To Bullshit.

2012-01-24T17:38:00.002-06:00

Advertising Age reported on an event that has ties to the recent MultiCultClassics rant spotlighting the Chevrolet Route 66 crowdsourcing contest. One gripe about the Chevy promotion involved the hypocrisy of a corporation taking advantage of desperate people in a rough economy—despite having begged for a federal bailout to remain in business. Now General Motors announced consolidating its $3 billion media and planning duties with a firm based in the U.K. The U.S. saves GM’s ass from financial ruin, and the company responds by taking its business overseas. Brilliant. It seems like the automaker spends more time producing lies than lemons.

Ewanick on GM Media Review: ‘Should Have Done This Many Years Ago’

Quality as Well as Efficiency Drove Decision

By Stephen Williams

General Motors’ Joel Ewanick insists that it wasn’t only money but quality that drove his decision to place GM’s $3 billion global media-buying and -planning account with Aegis’ Carat agency.

“We scrutinized the presentations” during the review process, which began months ago, said Mr. Ewanick, GM’s global chief marketing officer. “I really want to compliment Carat . I went back and forth on this in the past nine weeks. At the end of the day, it was definitely about finding efficiencies, but at the same time we wanted to raise the quality.

“We saw ways to grow with Carat , and we’re willing to establish a new culture,” Mr. Ewanick said. “We probably should have done this many years ago, and that became painfully clear during the presentations.” The consolidation reduces the number to one from 50. Still, he said, “it’s going to take a couple of years for this to seed in.”

The other shoe in the agency review, which formally began last August and involved Chevrolet creative globally, will not drop for several weeks, Mr. Ewanick said. “The creative side is even more complicated than the media,” he said. As of now, Goodby Silverstein & Partners handles North American creative duties for Chevrolet.

Mr. Ewanick said his attention for the immediate future is focused on ad buys for the Super Bowl. He said that this past Sunday he decided to air a 30-second version of a contest-winning, consumer-generated Camaro commercial called “Happy Grads.” It ran during that night’s NFC Championship game on Fox.

The company plans five spots for next week’s game. “It’s almost like running a political campaign,” Mr. Ewanick said.

9712: Women & Washers.

2012-01-24T00:20:00.000-06:00

If this Bosch ad had been produced for the U.S., would the Darwinian chart have included slaves and Black maids?

From Sociological Images

9711: McTweets Bashtags.

2012-01-23T22:52:00.000-06:00

From The Chicago Sun-Times…

McDonald’s #McDStories Twitter marketing effort goes awry

By Tiffany Hsu

McDonald’s latest marketing campaign was supposed to deliver social media praise via the hashtag #McDStories. Instead, in a classic example of the risks of Twitter-based advertising, tweeters with a much snarkier intent commandeered the effort.

The campaign started out as a wholesome, feel-good exercise. There were two hashtags, #McDStories and #meetthefarmers, that launched Thursday and were intended to highlight the fast-food giant’s commitment to fresh produce and meats.

Initially, tweets came in warm and fuzzy, like this one fromMcDonald’s itself: “When u make something w/ pride, people can taste it,” – McD potato supplier #McDStories.”

But then more Twitter users got wind of the campaign and began offering their own, usually backhanded interpretations.

To wit: “I only eatMcDonald’swhen I am ill because it makes me feel sick anyway. #McDStories,” tweeted Parker Stafford through the knightps handle.

Another user, tweeting as nelo_taylor, wrote: “These #McDStories never get old, kinda like a box of McDonald’s 10 piece Chicken McNuggets left in the sun for a week.”

Within two hours, McDonalds pulled #McDStories, saying that the effort “did not go as planned.” The #meetthefarmers hashtag, which escaped the Twitter thrashing and instead drew mostly positive tweets, remained.

“As Twitter continues to evolve its platform and engagement opportunities, we’re learning from our experiences,” Rick Wion, McDonald’s social media director, said in a statement today.

9710: Chevrolet Route 66 Is A Bad Trip.

2012-01-23T00:51:00.002-06:00

Chevrolet Route 66 is one of those crowdsourcing promotions whereby people submit commercial concepts for prizes and the chance to see their big idea play during the Super Bowl. The tired formula actually ran out of gas years ago, yet lazy advertisers continue to ride with it annually.

The Chevy contest is obscene for a host of reasons.

First, the car company opened the field to everyone, including independent directors and filmmakers. This allowed D- and F-level production houses to essentially expel ~~fecal matter~~ spec work.

Second, Chevy presented cash prizes starting at $1,000 and topping at $25,000. Um, the average cost to create a television spot is over $300,000. It’s a safe bet that the typical Chevy commercial shoot spends more than $1,000 just for craft services.

Third, while the winning commercial is OK, does anyone believe Chevy’s lead advertising agency, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, couldn’t come up with something much, much better?

Finally, it’s appalling that Chevy would take advantage of the desperation fueled by a lousy economy—especially when the automaker needed a federal bailout to avoid complete financial collapse.

9709: The 3% Conference Is 100% Silly.

2012-01-23T00:01:00.003-06:00

The 3% Conference is out to address the dearth of female creative directors in the advertising industry. While the event doesn’t yet have a time, place or participants, the initial hype includes:

Women control 80% of consumer spending, yet don’t feel advertisers understand them. Could it be because only 3% of advertising creative directors are women?

The official website also features a contrived and clichéd video that, if produced by female creative directors, might explain why there are so few of them. But seriously, the conference appears to be an attempt to stage a live rehash of Tiffany Rolfe’s perspective published in Advertising Age last year. MultiCultClassics has repeatedly weighed in on the topic. Besides, if women comprise 3 percent of the creative directors, what do the minority figures look like? Anybody interested in a Less-Than-1% Conference?

9708: More Walgreens News And Comedy.

2012-01-22T10:57:00.000-06:00

As MultiCultClassics predicted, the Walgreens saga is producing comedy already. While Adweek reported the creative portion of the account is up for grabs, Advertising Age claims the drugstore chain is simply fishing for more ideas. According to Ad Age, “It’s possible that the marketer might retain [incumbent agency] Downtown Partners and be looking for additional creative help. The review does not include multicultural or media services, or digital-media planning or buying.” Of course the multicultural players aren’t included in the review. It’s also a safe bet that the minorities will not be allowed to participate in the competition. And once a White agency has been selected, look for the owning network to pitch its resident colored agencies to handle the multicultural duties—probably without a formal review. BTW, the Walgreens website boasts a deep commitment to diversity.

9707: Carla Unplugged.

2012-01-22T02:06:00.005-06:00

The only prominent Black character on AMC series Mad Men—Carla the housekeeper—was portrayed by Deborah Lacey. Here’s a pictorial peek at the actress.

9706: Walgreens Review Is Rx For Comedy.

2012-01-22T00:31:00.002-06:00

Adweek reported the creative portion of the Walgreens account is going into review. Can’t help but believe the upcoming competition will provide comedy galore. For starters, the incumbent agency, Downtown Partners, is an Omnicom unit. And everyone knows Omnicom is masterful at keeping unhappy clients in the network by serving up sister agencies as replacements. Second, Walgreens’ digital agency is Publicis Groupe’s Digitas, which recently “won” the Sprint account via old-fashioned cronyism. It all sounds like a prescription for Corporate Cultural Collusion.

Walgreens Reviews Creative Business

Annual media spend approaches $200 million

By Andrew McMains

Add Walgreens to the list of restless retailers.

The drugstore chain, which has more than 8,200 locations, has contacted agencies about its creative business via a request for information that’s due back next week.

The document asks agencies about their experience in retail, healthcare and with Fortune 500 companies. The RFI also identifies potential conflicts, listing Walmart, Target, CVS, Rite Aid and Amazon as direct competitors.

Walgreens spent more than $192 million in media in 2010 and about $164 million in the first 10 months of 2011, according to Nielsen. Those figures don’t include online spending.

The chain’s lead creative agency is Downtown Partners in Chicago, a unit of Omnicom Group. Publicis Groupe’s Digitas handles digital creative efforts. Calls to each agency and Walgreens were not immediately returned.

Not in play, according to the RFI, are media planning and buying (both traditional and digital), search engine marketing/optimization and multicultural efforts.

Other retailers who have reviewed or shifted creative business in the past three months include Radio Shack, JCPenney, Staples and Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Retail, of course, is among the business sectors hardest hit by the economic downturn, so the restlessness is understandable. As consumer confidence (and buying power) wanes, so do sales at many retailers. What’s more, many stores offer the same merchandise, which puts the onus on marketing to develop brand distinctions beyond the price points.

Last year, Walgreens developed its first national campaign for its namesake line of health and wellness products. The effort included TV spots, online videos, Web banner ads and blogging.

Walgreens posted a 6 percent increase in sales in 2011 to $73.1 billion. In December alone, sales grew nearly 3 percent to $6.98 billion, according to the Deerfield, Ill.-based company.

9705: Hospital Branding Ad Is Sick.

2012-01-21T21:54:00.000-06:00

This scenario is overly staged—and Dad looks like he’s about to seriously beat his daughter. Plus, if Dad’s flipping over his kid’s phone bills, how will he react to hospital bills from Children’s of Alabama?

From Ads of the World.

9704: Miami Ad School Degree = 7-Eleven Job.

2012-01-21T21:44:00.003-06:00

This campaign is another example of Miami Ad School students receiving poor guidance from instructors. It’s bad enough that the students think glorifying the client’s logo is a big idea. But to do so while promoting food items in a thoroughly unappetizing way is, well, nauseating.

From Ads of the World.

9703: Etta James (1938-2012).

2012-01-21T14:46:00.000-06:00

From The New York Times…

Etta James Dies at 73; Voice Behind ‘At Last’

By Peter Keepnews

Etta James, whose powerful, versatile and emotionally direct voice could enliven the raunchiest blues as well as the subtlest love songs, most indelibly in her signature hit, “At Last,” died on Friday morning in Riverside, Calif. She was 73.

Her manager, Lupe De Leon, said that the cause was complications of leukemia. Ms. James, who died at Riverside Community Hospital, had been undergoing treatment for some time for a number of conditions, including leukemia and dementia. She also lived in Riverside.

Ms. James was not easy to pigeonhole. She is most often referred to as a rhythm and blues singer, and that is how she made her name in the 1950s with records like “Good Rockin’ Daddy.” She is in both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Blues Hall of Fame.

She was also comfortable, and convincing, singing pop standards, as she did in 1961 with “At Last,” which was written in 1941 and originally recorded by Glenn Miller’s orchestra. And among her four Grammy Awards (including a lifetime-achievement honor in 2003) was one for best jazz vocal performance, which she won in 1995 for the album “Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday.”

Regardless of how she was categorized, she was admired. Expressing a common sentiment, Jon Pareles of The New York Times wrote in 1990 that she had “one of the great voices in American popular music, with a huge range, a multiplicity of tones and vast reserves of volume.”

For all her accomplishments, Ms. James had an up-and-down career, partly because of changing audience tastes but largely because of drug problems. She developed a heroin habit in the 1960s; after she overcame it in the 1970s, she began using cocaine. She candidly described her struggles with addiction and her many trips to rehab in her autobiography, “Rage to Survive,” written with David Ritz (1995).

Etta James was born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles on Jan. 25, 1938. Her mother, Dorothy Hawkins, was 14 at the time; her father was long gone, and Ms. James never knew for sure who he was, although she recalled her mother telling her that he was the celebrated pool player Rudolf Wanderone, better known as Minnesota Fats. She was reared by foster parents and moved to San Francisco with her mother when she was 12.

She began singing at the St. Paul Baptist Church in Los Angeles at 5 and turned to secular music as a teenager, forming a vocal group with two friends. She was 15 when she made her first record, “Roll With Me Henry,” which set her own lyrics to the tune of Hank Ballard and the Midnighters’ recent hit “Work With Me Annie.” When some disc jockeys complained that the title was too suggestive, it was changed to “The Wallflower,” although the record itself was not.

“The Wallflower” rose to No. 2 on the rhythm-and-blues charts in 1954. As was often the case in those days with records by black performers, a toned-down version was soon recorded by a white singer and found a wider audience: Georgia Gibbs’s version, with the title and lyric changed to “Dance With Me, Henry,” was a No. 1 pop hit in 1955. (Its success was not entirely bad news for Ms. James. She shared the songwriting royalties with Mr. Ballard and the bandleader and talent scout Johnny Otis, who had arranged for her recording session. Mr. Otis died on Tuesday.)

In 1960 Ms. James was signed by Chess Records, the Chicago label that was home to Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters and other leading lights of black music. She quickly had a string of hits, including “All I Could Do Was Cry,” “Trust in Me” and “At Last,” which established her as Chess’s first major female star.

She remained with Chess well into the 1970s, reappearing on the charts after a long absence in 1967 with the funky and high-spirited “Tell Mama.” In the late ’70s and early ’80s she was an opening act for the Rolling Stones.

After decades of touring, recording for various labels and drifting in and out of the public eye, Ms. James found herself in the news in 2009 after Beyoncé Knowles recorded a version of “At Last” closely modeled on hers. (Ms. Knowles played Ms. James in the 2008 movie “Cadillac Records,” a fictionalized account of the rise and fall of Chess.) Ms. Knowles also performed “At Last” at an inaugural ball for President Obama in Washington.

When the movie was released, Ms. James had kind words for Ms. Knowles’s portrayal. But in February 2009, referring specifically to the Washington performance, she told an audience, “I can’t stand Beyoncé,” and threatened to “whip” the younger singer for doing “At Last.” She later said she had been joking, but she did add that she wished she had been invited to sing the song herself for the new president.

Ms. James’s survivors include her husband of 42 years, Artis Mills; two sons, Donto and Sametto James; and four grandchildren.

Though her life had its share of troubles to the end — her husband and sons were locked in a long-running battle over control of her estate, which was resolved in her husband’s favor only weeks before her death — Ms. James said she wanted her music to transcend unhappiness rather than reflect it.

“A lot of people think the blues is depressing,” she told The Los Angeles Times in 1992, “but that’s not the blues I’m singing. When I’m singing blues, I’m singing life. People that can’t stand to listen to the blues, they’ve got to be phonies.”

9702: Black Bankruptcy Bias…?

2012-01-21T14:45:00.002-06:00

From The New York Times…

Blacks Face Bias in Bankruptcy, Study Suggests

By Tara Siegel Bernard

Blacks are about twice as likely as whites to wind up in the more onerous and costly form of consumer bankruptcy as they try to dig out from their debts, a new study has found.

The disparity persisted even when the researchers adjusted for income, homeownership, assets and education. The evidence suggested that lawyers were disproportionately steering blacks into a process that was not as good for them financially, in part because of biases, whether conscious or unconscious.

The vast majority of debtors file under Chapter 7 of the bankruptcy code, which typically allows them to erase most debts in a matter of months. It tends to have a higher success rate and is less expensive than the alternative, Chapter 13, which requires debtors to dedicate their disposable income to paying back their debts for several years.

The study of racial differences in bankruptcy filings was written by Robert M. Lawless, a bankruptcy expert and law professor, and Dov Cohen, a psychology professor, both with the University of Illinois; and Jean Braucher, a law professor at the University of Arizona.

A survey conducted as part of their research found that bankruptcy lawyers were much more likely to steer black debtors into a Chapter 13 than white filers even when they had identical financial situations. The lawyers, the survey found, were also more likely to view blacks as having “good values” when they expressed a preference for Chapter 13.

“Unfortunately I’m not surprised with these results,” said Neil Ellington, executive vice president of Consumer Education Services, a credit counseling agency in Raleigh, N.C. “The same underlying issues that created the problem in mortgage lending, with minorities paying higher interest rates than their white counterparts having the same loan qualifications, are present in all financial fields.”

The findings, which will be published in The Journal of Empirical Legal Studies later this year, did not suggest that there was any obvious evidence of discrimination in the bankruptcy process. “I don’t think there is any overt conspiracy,” Professor Lawless said. “But when you have a complex system, these biases can play out and the people within the system don’t see the pattern because nobody is in charge of looking at these big issues.”

Read the full story here.

9701: Sam’s Club No Longer White Boy’s Club.

2012-01-21T08:59:00.003-06:00

From USA TODAY…

Wal-Mart makes executive changes; woman to head Sam’s Club

BENTONVILLE, Ark. (AP) – Wal-Mart Stores (WMT), the world’s biggest retailer, said Friday that it has named Rosalind Brewer CEO of Sam’s Club— the first woman and the first African-American to hold a CEO position at one of the company’s business units.

Brewer, 49, is replacing Brian Cornell, 52, who is leaving the company so he can return to the Northeast for family reasons.

Brewer, who will also be president of Sam’s Club, was previously president of the retailer’s U.S. East business unit. She will report to Wal-Mart CEO Mike Duke. The moves are effective Feb. 1.

Wal-Mart has in recent years has been battered by a combination of the slow-growing economy and its own decisions that caused U.S. customers to flee to competitors. But it has refocused on offering the lowest prices and shoppers’ favorite goods and that strategy has been paying off.

In its third fiscal quarter ended Oct. 28, its net income fell 2.9% but it reversed a slump in U.S. namesake business.

Its Sam’s Club warehouse club business has outperformed its namesake stores. Revenue in stores open at least one year rose 5.7% at Sam’s Club and 1.3% at Walmart U.S. stores in its third quarter.

Before joining Wal-Mart, Brewer held a number of executive positions at Kimberly-Clark.

Wal-Mart also said Friday that it is promoting Gisel Ruiz, 41, to executive vice president and chief operating officer for its U.S. operations. Ruiz has been an executive vice president working on human relations and store innovation issues.

Wal-Mart is also promoting Rollin Ford, 49, to chief administrative officer. Ford was chief information officer. He will be replaced as CIO by Karenann Terrell, 50.

9700: Overreaction Of The Week.

2012-01-21T02:40:00.003-06:00

Another futile search for the KFC Hot Wings/Wingman commercial drew a bunch of fried chicken videos—and a banner ad featuring Dennis Haysbert.

9699: Saluting Buffalo Soldiers.

2012-01-20T21:35:00.004-06:00

Here’s a comment left at a previous post by Buffalo Soldier 9:

Keep history alive by telling that history.

Read the greatest ‘historical novel’—Rescue at Pine Ridge—the first generation of Buffalo Soldiers. The website is: http://www.rescueatpineridge.com

This is the greatest story of Black Military History…5 stars Amazon Internationally and Barnes & Noble. YouTube commercials are: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iD66NUKmZPs and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVslyHmDy9A&feature=related

Rescue at Pine Ridge is the story of the rescue of the famed 7th Cavalry by the 9th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers. The 7th Cavalry was entrapped again after the Little Big Horn Massacre, fourteen years later, the day after the Wounded Knee Massacre. If it wasn’t for the 9th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers, there would [have] been a second massacre of the 7th Cavalry. This story is about brutality, compassion, reprisal, bravery, heroism, redemption and gallantry.

You’ll enjoy the novel that embodies the Native Americans, Outlaws and African-American/Black soldiers, from the south to the north, in the days of the Native American Wars with the approaching United States of America.

The novel was taken from my mini-series movie with the same title, “RaPR”, to keep the story alive. The movie so far has the interest of Mr. Bill Duke, Hill Harper, Glynn Turman, James Whitmore Jr., Reginald T. Dorsey and a host of other major actors in which we are in talks with, in starring in this epic American story.

When you get a chance, also please visit our Alpha Wolf Productions website at http://www.alphawolfprods.com and see our other productions, like Stagecoach Mary, the first Black Woman to deliver mail for the US Postal System in Montana, in the 1890’s. Spread the word.

Peace.

9698: Bacardi Revisionist History Party.

2012-01-20T00:00:00.002-06:00

This party seems uncommonly integrated for circa 1957. Perhaps the concept creators drank too much Bacardi.

9697: Illinois Lottery Account Is Rigged.

2012-01-19T23:40:00.001-06:00

Advertising Age reported the Illinois Lottery named new agencies to handle branding and digital duties. However, the new agencies and the ex-agency are all within the Omnicom network. So it looks like Corporate Cultural Collusion is the winning ticket.

Critical Mass, Downtown Partners Set to Win Illinois Lottery

Account Previously Handled by Energy BBDO

By Maureen Morrison

Omnicom siblings Critical Mass and Downtown Partners are set to pick up advertising duties for the Illinois Lottery.

The account was previously handled by Energy BBDO, which had originally won the Lottery account in 2009. It was put into review in November, less than six months after a private consortium, the Northstar Lottery Group (which included Energy BBDO), took over day-to-day marketing and management as part of a 10-year state contract. The lottery was previously run by the Illinois Department of Revenue, but the state put the management contract up for bid in 2010.

The unexpected move to conduct a review happened about a month after Michael Jones was named superintendent of the Illinois Lottery, the agency that oversees Northstar. Mr. Jones is not new to the Lottery, having run it in the 1980s.

Since Downtown Partners and Critical Mass are also owned by Omnicom, the account essentially stays within the same company. A number of Illinois agencies had been invited to participate in the review, with five making the cut for the second round of the review: Downtown Partners (which partnered with Critical Mass), sibling agencies DDB, Chicago, and Element 79; Interpublic’s DraftFCB; and WPP’s Y&R , Chicago, which opted out of the review. According to Northstar’s website, the decision came down to Downtown Partners and DDB. The Lottery is expected to keep Omnicom’s OMD on for media services. Energy BBDO did not participate.

“The caliber of work and strategic thinking we received during this selection process was off the charts impressive,” said Jessica Powell, VP-Northstar Lottery Group, in a statement. “We challenged agencies to radically redefine our brand and they delivered.”

Mr. Jones said in a statement that the Lottery “looks forward for ways to work closely with Critical Mass/Downtown Partners to maximize revenue to the state in an ethical and socially responsible manner.”

Downtown Partners did not return calls, Critical Mass could not be immediately reached and DDB did not comment.

According to the request for proposal, the Lottery typically spends “between 1.0%-1.2% of sales in advertising, production and related agency fees. The aggregate amount has ranged from $20M-$35M per year with the highest level during [fiscal year] 2012.” A person familiar with the business said the agency fee was an estimated $4 million a year.

Downtown Partners counts Walgreens among its largest clients. It also works with the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau. Critical Mass clients include Nissan and AT&T .

9696: Zowie Zoe Saldana.

2012-01-19T23:19:00.006-06:00

9695: Seeking A Plain Copywriter.

2012-01-19T21:58:00.001-06:00

This actual job listing is seeking copywriters with experience writing for the Amish community. And candidates must provide at least three relevant samples. Goddamn.

Position: OFFSITE Lifestyle Writer – Experience with Amish Audience
Location: Offsite
Status: Freelance
Estimated Duration: Weeks
Starts: Within a Couple Weeks
Rate: Up top $40/hour; DOE

Job Description:
If you are a writer with experience writing for an Amish audience, we want to hear from you!

Our client is looking for a talented writer to help them with a project aimed toward the Amish community.

You will be responsible for writing content for two lifestyle publications, one is focused on household hints and tips and the other is about gardening. Work can be done OFFSITE.

You must be familiar with the Amish culture or have experience writing for an Amish audience. Please send at least 3 relevant samples.

If you feel you are qualified for this position please send your resume (and samples if applicable) to: chicago30@jobalert.creativecircle.com

Best wishes!

Creative Circle

9694: This Is Not How We Do It.

2012-01-19T20:18:00.004-06:00

What’s the only thing worse than a contrived, stereotypical Jackson Hewitt commercial? A contrived, stereotypical Jackson Hewitt commercial playing in slow motion. Please make it stop.

9693: Meagan Good & Plenty.

2012-01-19T00:38:00.004-06:00

9692: Goodbye, GoodWorks.

2012-01-17T22:29:00.000-06:00

Advertising Age announced its GoodWorks blog is going on hiatus. Guess Madison Avenue has decided pro-bono efforts are no longer affordable—unless there’s a sure-win award involved. Wonder where the annual press releases for minority internships and inner-city youth outreach programs will be posted.

GoodWorks Goes on Hiatus

Creativity to Carry Best Cause-Related Work

Ad Age’s GoodWorks blog is on hiatus. If you have cause-related creative work, please share it with the editors of Creativity (Creativityeds@creativity-online.com), who will continue to highlight the best of the best. If you’re interested in finding out more about cause and green marketing issues, please check these blogs:

• Ad Council’s AdLibbing blog

• Cause Marketing Forum’s Companies and Causes blog

• Causecast’s CSR blog

• Jacquie Ottman’s Green Marketing blog

Ad Age will also continue to support the GoodWorks Effie Award. Stay tuned to see who wins this year’s Goodworks Effie.

9691: Beyoncé Not Black Enough…?

2012-01-17T06:16:00.002-06:00

From The New York Daily News…

Beyonce taking heat for new pale-skinned photo promoting latest album

Milky complexion could simply be the result of bright lighting and not Photoshop flourishes

By Michael J. Feeney and Nancy Dillon / New York Daily News

White-hot superstar Beyoncé Knowles is taking fresh heat for a new pale-skinned photo promoting her last album.

The new mom, who weathered similar accusations of photo snow jobs in 2008 and 2011, is shown lying on a leopard print couch in a slinky black monokini, with straight blond hair, bleached eyebrows and nearly alabaster skin.

The milky complexion could simply be the result of extremely bright lighting and not Photoshop flourishes, critics conceded. But either way, some believe any amount of whitewashing sends a damaging message — and the star should know better by now.

"It’s like, Again? Are we here again? I think in a lot of ways shes culpable because there’s history there," said Lincoln Anthony Blades, founder of the popular race-conscious blog ThisIsYourConscience.com.

"She's not saying explicitly you have to lighten your skin, but it does carry that inherent message," he said.

It was summer 2008 when beauty behemoth L’Oreal denied accusations it digitally lightened Beyoncés honey-colored skin in an ad for hair dye. Last year, she faced criticism for the blond, unusually light-skinned photos accompanying her fourth solo album, simply titled “4.”

Ugandan-born British writer Yasmin Alibhai-Brown blasted Beyoncé for turning her back on her African-American roots.

"I despair for the youngsters who see those images," she wrote in London's Daily Mail.

Filmmaker D. Channsin Berry, whose documentary “Dark Girls” looks at issues facing black women with darker skin than their peers, told The News Beyoncé is “doing what she needs to do to be accepted worldwide and keep those sponsors happy.”

“I wish she had people around her telling her that God doesn’t make mistakes, that you are beautiful the way you are,” Berry said. “What does something like this do for a young girl who’s so impressionable and … says ‘Mommy, I want my skin to look like Beyoncé’s,’ that’s dangerous.”

Blades agreed and said he’s concerned about the rise in popularity of skin-bleaching creams.

In Harlem, Rochelle Mosley, the owner of Salon 804, said the singer is being given a hard time.

“That has been around since the beginning of time. Lighter has always gotten over,” said Mosley, a dark-skin woman. “I don’t think she’s trying to be a white woman. I think she’s trying to be herself.”

But stylist Ayanna Lockett, who also works at the same salon, disagreed:

“It bothers me,” she said, looking at the photo. “I think she went a little too far.”

Beyoncé’s publicist did not respond to a request for comment.

9690: Buffalo Soldiers Ride On.

2012-01-17T06:08:00.002-06:00

From The Los Angeles Times…

Buffalo Soldiers tell their stories

Two Buffalo Soldiers speak at the Autry museum, recalling their experiences as black men in the then-segregated Army. It was one of many L.A.-area events honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

By Ari Bloomekatz, Los Angeles Times

When James Cooper was a teenager in segregated Louisiana, he worked at a factory for $2 a day and didn’t see a bright future.

So he entered the military, attracted by such benefits as free lodging and meals, and eventually joined the ranks of one of the first African American regiments in the U.S. Army, becoming what was known as a Buffalo Soldier.

“Why did I join the Army? Survival. At 17, I looked at the Army and it was better than what I had,” Cooper, now 89, told a small audience Sunday at the Autry National Center of the American West, in one of many events commemorating the birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

A program in Culver City featured a panel discussion, poetry, choral and jazz music and a staged reading of a play called “The Dreamers” featuring Margaret Avery, an actress best known for her role in “The Color Purple.” In Exposition Park, the California African American Museum kicked off a two-day program with a celebration called One Dream, a National Influence, a World of People.

At the Autry, Cooper spoke of the need to tell younger people about the Buffalo Soldiers as time rapidly shrinks their ranks.

“I want them to remember what we accomplished as a black people … and that we’re still marching on,” he said.

The first African American regiments in the Army were authorized by an act of Congress in 1866.

Buffalo Soldiers guarded the Western frontier and fought in the Spanish-American War, both world wars and other conflicts. The all-black regiments disbanded in the early 1950s as the military desegregated.

Cooper and fellow Buffalo Soldier Andrew Aaron spoke in front of the Autry museum’s exhibit on Henry O. Flipper, the first African American cadet to graduate from West Point. The two men talked about their experiences fighting in Korea, Japan and Italy, and they wore high blue hats, blue jackets adorned with medals and yellow ties decorated with images of Buffalo Soldiers.

Their audience of about two dozen included children — some squirmy and some eager to take photos. One child asked whether Cooper and Aaron were the first Buffalo Soldiers, to which the 80-year-old Aaron replied: “Weren’t the first, one of the last.”

It is unclear how many Buffalo Soldiers are still alive. Charles L. Davis, who helps organize some of their public appearances, called their story “a treasure that we’re letting fade away.”

“If you don’t keep that bandwagon going,” Davis said, “people will throw dirt over your history.”

9689: Paula Patton Pleasing Protocol.

2012-01-17T00:00:00.004-06:00

Presenting more pictures for Paula Patton fans.

9688: I Have A Tweet.

2012-01-16T00:01:00.002-06:00

9687: Think Again, Sears, Think Again.

2012-01-15T19:52:00.002-06:00

Anybody else think these Sears spots with the Black guy calling from a sink and a cupboard really suck?

Oh yeah, this guy does.

9686: How To Spend MLK Day.

2012-01-15T19:17:00.003-06:00

9685: Bud Light NFL Spot Fumbles.

2012-01-15T16:07:00.003-06:00

Hate this Bud Light commercial celebrating NFL fans. The Afro scene is corny—as is the final line, “Looking good, dawg.”

9684: North Dakota—Multicultural Matchmaker.

2012-01-15T14:26:00.003-06:00

Came across this North Dakota tourism ad at copyranter. Was the state boasting about its diverse hook-up selections? White men, come find your multicultural maiden! The ad was pulled for a variety of other complaints.

9683: Dove Real Beauty Redux…?

2012-01-15T09:32:00.003-06:00

From The New York Daily News…

Plus Model magazine shows beautiful, naked women displaying their ample curves

Pictures show the heavier models with the skinny women usually favored by fashion magazines

By Nina Mandell / New York Daily News

One New York magazine editor is looking to help fashion gain a little weight.

PLUS Model Magazine, a virtual publication aimed at larger ladies, is making waves with a provocative photo spread.

The eye-popping shots show nude plus-sized models hugging runway models in this month’s issue. The point: Decrying the shrinking size of the women who work in the modeling industry.

Models have shrunk to 23% smaller than the average American woman. The disparity was 8% two decades ago, the mag said.

Plus-sized models are also getting tinier. Madeline Figueroa-Jones, the magazine’s editor-in-chief, said the fashion industry had leaned toward plus-sized models wearing a size 6, making it impossible for normal-sized women to pick the right outfit.

“This is not a health issue, this is about fashion,” said Figueroa-Jones, a former plus-sized model who lives in Battery Park.

Major magazines rejected the photo concept, Figueroa-Jones said, but Katya Zharkova and photographer Victoria Janashvili kept pushing to find a home for the images.

“They said we love them, but we can’t run them,” the edgy editor said.

The series seems to have hit a nerve. “We’ve gotten some negative comments like we’re advocating eating disorders, it looks like porn, but the majority of comments – even the ones we got this morning from Norway, Australia, Malaysia, husbands and even teens – are overwhelmingly positive,” she said.

Plus-sized women across the country have flocked to the magazine’s Facebook page to cheer for the campaign.

“I love what you are doing for our community!!” one fan wrote. “Its about time that the fashion world sees what opportunities they are missing!”

9682: No Wingman Needed.

2012-01-15T01:25:00.001-06:00

These 2009 KFC cross-cultural “True Friends” commercials for Caribbeans and Latinos are true bullshit.

9681: Cross-Cultural Wingmen.

2012-01-14T18:55:00.003-06:00

Still seeking the KFC wingman commercial, but came across a 2009 cross-cultural campaign targeting the Caribbean market and Latin American market.

9680: The Black Groupon.

2012-01-14T08:35:00.003-06:00

From The Chicago Sun-Times…

An ‘African-American Groupon’

By Sandra Guy

Christopher Nolen, an independent film director and producer, enjoys using Groupon coupons to get half-off deals at restaurants. So when he found out about a new deals website dedicated to black-owned businesses, he signed up.

“This is the African-American community’s Groupon — it’s a great way to give African-American business owners some notoriety and help them in this economy,” said Nolen, a Roseland native who teaches eighth-grade algebra in addition to running Nferno Productions, Inc., in Calumet City.

The site, Blackmark-it.com, whose name is a play off of the idea of marking an event and the black community’s often-hidden marketplaces, launches Monday (January 16).

Its first discount is for a 40 percent off tax-preparation service by Chicago accountant Emerging Business Solutions Group, LLC.

The first deal will run for one week, as will the next three.

After the first month, the website’s creators intend to offer two deals per week and gradually ramp up to daily deals.

The deals extend beyond spas and nail salons, with discounts ranging from professional photography services to 50-percent off the price of “The Veil of Victory,” a non-fiction book by author Yorli Huff about her experience as an undercover cop.

“As a business owner and filmmaker, it’s incredible when I see other African-Americans helping each other in business,” Nolen said. “We need more of that.”

Blackmark-it.com is the work of Oak Lawn couple Jamel and Natasha Williams, both 33, who financed the web startup on their own after they grew disappointed that so few offers from Groupon and LivingSocial featured black-owned companies. Jamel, a truck driver who manages the couple’s catering business, Covenant Café, and Natasha, a marketing consultant at The Nielsen Company, aim to keep the deals manageable for merchants, and to help strategize other ways the businesses can grow.

“We’re setting maximums (of deals) as low as 25 to 50 to make sure the merchants can meet the demand, and then we can revisit growth strategies,” Natasha Williams said. “For many minority-owned businesses, advertising feels like more risk than a gain.”

Delandon Mason, 34, a jazz and classical-music trumpet player and friend and former college classmate of the Williames at Northern Illinois University, is recruiting subscribers and helping implement strategy. He is using the experience to inform his own entrepreneurial ambitions and to learn how to build a personal brand.

The Williamses are only too aware of the widely publicized missteps of daily deal giant Groupon, including the latest dispute in which a contractor-bidding company alleges that Groupon changed the terms of their deal after both parties had signed off on it.

The Williamses frequent their clients’ businesses and tweak discounts so the merchants maintain their profits.

They’re also cognizant of Groupon’s elaborate list of merchant-help tools, including a scheduler, a rewards program and location-based offers that alert consumers to deals at places near where they are standing and at times the merchant needs more customers.

Compared with most daily deal sites that take half of the cut, Blackmark-it.com takes 20 percent to 40 percent of the revenue from each deal, depending on the deal’s amount, the quantity sold and other factors.

To track each coupon as it is redeemed, merchants may log in to a Blackmark-it web portal; scan coupons set up with their preference of barcodes or QR codes to update the redemptions at checkout in real time, and keep up-to-date with spreadsheets that the Williamses create.

Blackmark-it also will offer for an extra fee a one-minute video commercial, which the merchants may use for their own marketing, Jamel Williams said.

Some analysts say the ability of smaller players to offer better terms poses a threat to the Groupons of the industry, while others say the market affords massive opportunities for all players.

Goldman Sachs analysts said in a note to investors, “While we believe Groupon taps primarily into the $500 billion (worldwide) advertising market, of which $100 billion is local advertising, with Groupon’s expansion into travel, goods and events, the total addressable market is well more than $10 trillion.”

9679: Defining Latinos.

2012-01-14T08:28:00.001-06:00

From The New York Times…

For Many Latinos, Racial Identity Is More Culture Than Color

By Mireya Navarro

Every decade, the Census Bureau spends billions of dollars and deploys hundreds of thousands of workers to get an accurate portrait of the American population. Among the questions on the census form is one about race, with 15 choices, including “some other race.”

More than 18 million Latinos checked this “other” box in the 2010 census, up from 14.9 million in 2000. It was an indicator of the sharp disconnect between how Latinos view themselves and how the government wants to count them. Many Latinos argue that the country’s race categories — indeed, the government’s very conception of identity — do not fit them.

The main reason for the split is that the census categorizes people by race, which typically refers to a set of common physical traits. But Latinos, as a group in this country, tend to identify themselves more by their ethnicity, meaning a shared set of cultural traits, like language or customs.

So when they encounter the census, they see one question that asks them whether they identify themselves as having Hispanic ethnic origins and many answer it as their main identifier. But then there is another question, asking them about their race, because, as the census guide notes, “people of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin may be of any race,” and more than a third of Latinos check “other.”

This argument over identity has gained momentum with the growth of the Latino population, which in 2010 stood at more than 50 million. Census Bureau officials have acknowledged that the questionnaire has a problem, and say they are wrestling with how to get more Latinos to pick a race. In 2010, they tested different wording in questions and last year they held focus groups, with a report on the research scheduled to be released by this summer.

Some experts say officials are right to go back to the drawing table. “Whenever you have people who can’t find themselves in the question, it’s a bad question,” said Mary C. Waters, a sociology professor at Harvard who specializes in the challenges of measuring race and ethnicity.

The problem is more than academic — the census data on race serves many purposes, including determining the makeup of voting districts, and monitoring discriminatory practices in hiring and racial disparities in education and health. When respondents do not choose a race, the Census Bureau assigns them one, based on factors like the racial makeup of their neighborhood, inevitably leading to a less accurate count.

Latinos, who make up close to 20 percent of the American population, generally hold a fundamentally different view of race. Many Latinos say they are too racially mixed to settle on one of the government-sanctioned standard races — white, black, American Indian, Alaska native, native Hawaiian, and a collection of Asian and Pacific Island backgrounds.

Some regard white or black as separate demographic groups from Latino. Still others say Latinos are already the equivalent of another race in this country, defined by a shared set of challenges.

“The issues within the Latino community — language, immigration status — do not take into account race,” said Peter L. Cedeño, 43, a lawyer and native New Yorker born to Dominican immigrants. “We share the same hurdles.”

Read the full story here.

9678: I Have A Revision.

2012-01-14T08:20:00.002-06:00

From The New York Daily News…

Quote on MLK memorial will be changed after accusations that inscription skewed King’s words

Maya Angelou said shortened quote made MLK look like an ‘arrogant twit’

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A quote carved in stone on the new Martin Luther King memorial in Washington will be changed after the inscription was criticized for not accurately reflecting the civil rights leader’s words.

The Washington Post first reported on Friday the decision to change the inscription, which currently reads: “I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness.” The phrase is chiseled into one side of a massive block of granite that includes King’s likeness emerging from the stone. It became a point of controversy after the memorial opened in August.

The phrase is modified from a sermon known as the “Drum Major Instinct,” in which the 39-year-old King explained to his Atlanta congregation how he would like to be remembered at his funeral. He made the February 1968 speech just two months before he was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn.

In the speech, King’s words seem more modest than the paraphrased inscription: “Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter.”

Poet Maya Angelou previously said the truncated version made King sound like “an arrogant twit” because it was out of context.

A spokesman for the U.S Department of the Interior confirmed on Friday that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar decided to have the quote changed. It’s not clear how much the cost of any change might be or how it would be paid for.

Salazar gave the National Park Service, which the U.S Department of the Interior oversees, a month to consult with the King Memorial Foundation, which led the effort to build the memorial, as well as family members and other interested parties. The committee is supposed to come up with a more accurate alternative to the quote.

Harry Johnson, president of the King Memorial Foundation, said it wasn’t yet clear what the alternatives might be. The group would look at all the ways a change could be made, he said.

The executive architect of the $120 million project, Ed Jackson Jr., had previously said he stood by the paraphrased line and that there was no way it could be altered. King’s words were shortened for space reasons, Jackson said. He did not immediately respond to an e-mailed request for comment Friday evening.

Angelou was named among the memorial’s Council of Historians tasked with selecting the inscriptions for the memorial. But she did not attend meetings about the inscriptions, Jackson said. Project planners also explained the shortened quote to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, which ultimately approved the memorial’s design.

At least one other recent memorial has undergone changes after being opened to the public. After the Franklin D. Roosevelt memorial opened in 1997, advocates for the disabled campaigned to have a statue added portraying Roosevelt in his wheelchair. Originally, only one statue in the memorial alluded to the fact Roosevelt lost the use of his legs after contracting polio as an adult. That statue portrayed him seated with small wheels on the back of his chair.

In 2001, a bronze sculpture depicting Roosevelt in his self-designed wheelchair was added to the entrance of the memorial. Disability groups raised $1.65 million for the addition.

9677: Red Tails At White House.

2012-01-13T07:13:00.001-06:00

From USA TODAY…

White House showing ‘Red Tails’ movie about airmen

WASHINGTON (AP) – It’s a night at the movies for President Obama and the first lady — and they won’t have to leave the White House.

The Obamas will be hosting Tuskegee Airmen along with cast and crew members of the movie Red Tails, about the legendary African-American fighter pilots during World War II.

Screening of the military drama will cap a day in which the president is scheduled to hold private meetings with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Obama will also take time out to attend a campaign event at the Jefferson Hotel in Washington.

9676: Safe To Say That SafeAuto Is Racist.

2012-01-12T00:00:00.001-06:00

SafeAuto has consistently displayed cultural cluelessness with colored people, but this commercial is simply unbelievable.

9675: Shucking And Diving At Golden Corral.

2012-01-11T22:18:00.003-06:00

Golden Corral would have us believe that Black people will jump out of a moving car for the restaurant’s 2 for $20 appetizers. Um, maybe the colored couple simply sought to ditch the White folks. Even more pathetic is the behind-the-scenes video showing the production of the spot, as the Black actors shamelessly shill for the menu items.

9674: Anti-Obesity Ads Are The Biggest Losers.

2012-01-11T13:39:00.003-06:00

Advertising Age published the following piece regarding the advertisement depicted above:

Bloomberg to Critics of Anti-Obesity Ad: ‘Take Your Poison’

Some Call Campaign Featuring Amputee Too Graphic

By Ken Wheaton

According to NY1, Michael Bloomberg today defended the current crop of anti-obesity ads. It seems that some people find the ad featuring a person with an amputated leg too graphic. (It’s unclear who “some people” are, however.)

Bloomberg offered a supersized portion of smackdown: “What do you want to do? Do you want to have people lose their legs or do you want to show them what happens so that they won’t lose their legs? Take your poison. Which do you want? You can’t have it both ways.”

It’s important to realize that Bloomberg is a politician, which might explain his ignorant and uninformed rhetoric. And because the advertisement ran in New York City, perhaps the mayor is simply defending having approved a supersized waste of taxpayers’ dollars. Like the awful campaign from morons in Atlanta, this NYC effort is a misguided mess which will probably fail to persuade anyone to do anything.

As MultiCultClassics has repeatedly pointed out, the fast food industry operates remarkably similarly to Big Tobacco—including the deployment of lobbyists and PR hacks to push greedy agendas and sleazy tactics. Plus, just as Big Tobacco knows shock value and threats of death and dismemberment won’t dissuade smokers, the McIndustry is completely aware that scary ads won’t dramatically alter bad eating habits. Additionally, any PSA-style initiatives to combat obesity are greatly outweighed by the marketing firepower of fast feeders.

So does that mean battling unhealthy food creators is a hopeless endeavor? Au contraire, fellow citizens! To succeed, justice fighters must employ the maneuvers that have been proven effective versus Big Tobacco:

Stop attacking the victims. Start annoying the culprits. For example, the iconic Truth campaign gained traction by forgoing stereotypical images of diseased lungs, opting to focus attention directly on irresponsible tobacco executives and their companies. In other words, don’t show fatties and amputees. Expose the fat cats and corporate honchos behind the deadly menu items instead.

Restrict marketing and apply warning labels. Big Tobacco is not allowed to hawk its products to kids. Big Mac should be equally regulated and prohibited. Imagine placing Surgeon General’s warnings on Happy Meals too. Honestly, what’s the real difference between Ronald McDonald and Joe Camel?

Raise McTaxes. Big Tobacco doesn’t want to admit it, but smoking decreases when pricing increases. The same may hold true with fast food. When people realize they can’t afford—literally and figuratively—to eat the shit, they may turn to better alternatives.

Mayor Bloomberg ought to reconsider his statements. “You can’t have it both ways” is a feeble attempt to justify doing things the wrong way.

9673: George Lucas Goes To The Dark Side.

2012-01-11T13:37:00.002-06:00

From The Huffington Post…

George Lucas: Hollywood Didn’t Want To Fund ‘Red Tails’ Because Of Its Black Cast

In an appearance on The Daily Show last night, George Lucas said that he had trouble getting funding for his new movie, “Red Tails,” because of its black cast.

“This has been held up for release since 1942 since it was shot, I’ve been trying to get released ever since,” Lucas told Jon Stewart. “It’s because it’s an all-black movie. There’s no major white roles in it at all...I showed it to all of them and they said no. We don’t know how to market a movie like this.”

“Red Tails,” which stars Cuba Gooding, Jr., and Terrence Howard, is based on the Tuskegee Airmen, the group of pioneering black pilots who fought in the United States’ segregated armed forces during World War II. The movie is directed by Anthony Hemingway, the rare black director getting a chance to direct a big-budget feature.

Last week, Lucas told USA Today that he was worried that if Red Tails was a failure, it could have negative repercussions for black filmmakers. “I realize that by accident I’ve now put the black film community at risk [with Red Tails, whose $58 million budget far exceeds typical all-black productions],” he said. “I’m saying, if this doesn’t work, there’s a good chance you’ll stay where you are for quite a while. It’ll be harder for you guys to break out of that [lower-budget] mold. But if I can break through with this movie, then hopefully there will be someone else out there saying let’s make a prequel and sequel, and soon you have more Tyler Perrys out there.”

9672: Kross-Kultural Kicks.

2012-01-10T00:02:00.001-06:00

Are these sneaker ads targeting minorities by kicking a piñata and watermelon?

From Ads of the World.

9671: Animated Annie The Chicken Queen.

2012-01-09T00:44:00.001-06:00

Popeyes and advertising agency GSD&M seem to prohibit posting videos of Annie the Chicken Queen. But that didn’t stop someone from creating this animated Popeyes Chicken Commercial parody co-starring Uncle Ben and other stereotypical characters.

9670: Friend Of Jennifer Aniston…?

2012-01-09T00:43:00.001-06:00

Is this alumna really a success story—or is it just that she’s a celebrity lookalike?

9669: 20% Black Representation In Advertising…?

2012-01-08T19:37:00.001-06:00

Advertising Age presented an article titled, “Hats Off to These 10 Forward-Thinking Clients”—and two of the executives are Black! American Express CEO and Chairman Ken Chenault and former Kraft Foods Executive VP Ann Fudge were the sole minorities among the White people saluted by the trade journal. In fact, Ad Age went so far as to write that Fudge “is still probably the most important [Black] executive the advertising industry has ever seen.” It’s interesting that a list of top ten innovative clients can include two Blacks, yet such a diverse representation is never seen in collections of advertising agency superstars.

9668: Frito Bandito Burrito.

2012-01-08T16:37:00.002-06:00

Considering that Pepsico hatched Taco Bell parent company Yum! Brands and also own Fritos parent company Frito-Lay Brands, there’s something inherently lazy about the Beefy Crunch Burrito. Look for Beefy Doritos Gorditas and Beefy Cheetos Chalupas soon.

9667: Saints Alive, Club Med!

2012-01-08T16:15:00.002-06:00

Um, there is an easier way—and lots of better ways—to advertise vacation resorts.

From Ads of the World.

9666: Subliminal Images In Bottles.

2012-01-08T11:26:00.000-06:00

Are these ads demeaning to women and flight attendants?

From Ads of the World.

9665: Sunday With Sofia Vergara.

2012-01-08T10:21:00.004-06:00

9664: Schooling The Clueless.

2012-01-08T10:15:00.001-06:00

From The Root…

Mrs. YoMama Controversy: Not Again

By Mary C. Curtis

It should be common sense; here are some helpful hints for how to avoid forwarding racist emails.

One thing I hate to do is act as teacher to the clueless. But it’s clear, after the speaker of the Kansas House, Republican Mike O’Neal, forwarded an email with pictures making fun of first lady Michelle Obama’s appearance and calling her “Mrs. YoMama,” that school is once again in session.

You would think these folks—including Wisconsin GOP Rep. James Sensenbrenner, with his unhealthy obsession with what he called the first lady’s “large posterior”; the South Carolina Republican activist who once compared her to a zoo’s escaped gorilla; and all the other offenders—would have at least learned self-control. But since they can’t seem to help themselves, some lessons bear repeating. Read and learn.

1. When people who aren’t black use slang that purports to be “black,” it just makes them look incredibly foolish. To all who thought the email O’Neal sent was hilarious, you need to know that black people don’t go around saying “YoMama” in conversation. (After holiday visits with family, I can report that the term did not come up once.) Use the term around anyone, particularly your actual mother, and random black people within earshot will make that circle-around-the-head motion and slowly back away. (Hint: Black people call other black people by their names.)

Words such as “YoMama” are used by people who don’t know anything about black people to mock them. It’s how they imagine black folks speak, and the fact that they spend so much time imagining such things is something they probably should discuss with a doctor. Either that, or spend some time with black people.

2. The cartoon in O’Neal’s email showed Mrs. Obama’s hair blowing in the wind and compared it to an image of Dr. Seuss’ Grinch. Hair is hair. A black person’s hair is no exception. It comes in all different textures and styles. We wash it, dry it, curl it, straighten it or leave it be—and sometimes it even blows in the wind. Our hair is not a secret weapon or a hiding place for one.

3. An apology goes something like this: “I messed up; I’m sorry.” In O’Neal’s apology, first reported in the Lawrence Journal-World, he said he didn’t read the email before he forwarded it and had no idea it labeled Mrs. Obama with a racist slur. He made clear that he did indeed intend to share the cartoon, which he thought was a real thigh-slapper.

In a statement, O’Neal said, “I’ve had bad hair days too … To those I have offended, I am sorry. That was not at all my intent.” Did you write that statement—the one that repeats one part of your insult before implying that anyone who had a problem with the email might be too thin-skinned—with a straight face, Mr. O’Neal? No apology at all would have been better.

4. No woman likes to be insulted and demeaned or compared to cartoon characters. Just because black women are used to such treatment (and worse) in America does not mean they think it’s OK. Would your wife or mother, daughter or sister, like it? What would you do to the guy who spread insults about them? Keep it up, and even no-drama Obama might be tempted to punch you in the mouth.

5. A little history and geography lesson is also in order for those who continue to grumble that the president and first lady took a Hawaiian vacation on the taxpayers’ dime. All presidents take well-deserved breaks; many Americans, for that matter, return home for the holidays. For me, that meant seeing hubby’s mom in New York and my family in Baltimore. President Bush loved to clear brush in Crawford, Texas.
President Obama returns to Hawaii because he was born and mostly grew up there. (Yes, it is a state.) It’s where the grandmother who helped raise him lived until her death in 2008. He can’t help it if his home has beaches, warm weather and killer optics.

In November 2012 there will be an election when all those who want a new family in the White House will have the chance to make their dreams a reality. It’s how America works. Until then, the first family we have is the image the United States presents to the world. Some respect, or at least good sense, is in order.

And one final lesson: When you receive a nasty email, “delete” works so much better than “forward.”

Mary C. Curtis, an award-winning Charlotte, N.C.-based journalist, is a contributor to the Washington Post’s She the People blog, The Root, NPR, Fox News Charlotte, Creative Loafing and the Nieman Watchdog blog, and she was national correspondent for Politics Daily.

9663: Better Intolerance. Papa John’s.

2012-01-07T20:09:00.002-06:00

From The Huffington Post…

‘Lady Chinky Eyes’: Papa John’s Store Calls Woman Racial Slur In Receipt

The Huffington Post | Laura Hibbard

Minhee Cho went to Papa John’s for some fast food goodness. Little did she know, she would get it served with a side of racism.

At around 12:30 p.m. today, Papa John’s customer Minhee Cho tweeted a photo of a receipt she received at a Papa John’s restaurant in uptown, New York City.

In it, under the customer’s name section, the restaurant employee who rang up the order used the racial slur “lady chinky eyes” to describe her.

Cho posted the photo to her Twitter page, where it was quickly retweeted by hundreds of people. By 3 p.m., the photo had been viewed over 25,000 times.

When The Huffington Post reached the Papa John’s in question for comment, the assistant manager—who only gave her first name as Marjani—said she was unaware of the incident.

“I apologize,” she said in a phone interview. “I’m sure they didn’t mean any harm but some people will take it offensive.” She added that she “had an idea of who it was,” based on the time of the receipt.

Marjani went on to say that this was the kind of behavior that would result in disciplinary action, but declined to go into further detail on what she planned to do.

Papa John’s has yet to respond to the incident in a statement or its Facebook and Twitter accounts, but with such a PR disaster on their hands, they most likely will soon.

UPDATE: Papa John’s has responded to the incident on Facebook. A post on its official page reads:

We were extremely concerned to learn of the receipt issue in New York. This act goes against our company values, and we’ve confirmed with the franchisee that this matter was addressed immediately and that the employee is being terminated. We are truly sorry for this customer’s experience.

The company has also addressed the matter on its Twitter feed, tweeting to multiple people that “We have issued an apology, are reaching out to customer & franchise employee is being terminated.”

9662: French Fries And Fluffy Towels.

2012-01-07T08:59:00.004-06:00

Apparently, McCain Frozen French Fries make French women imagine that they’re locker room towels being used to wipe off naked men. Yep, seems like a typical female fantasy.

From Ads of the World.

9661: Cardinal Sorry For Gays-KKK Remark.

2012-01-07T08:40:00.002-06:00

From The New York Daily News...

Chicago cardinal apologizes for comparing gay rights activists to Ku Klux Klan

Satisfied with apology, gay and civil rights activists call off protest in front of Cardinal Francis George’s church planned for Sunday

By Roque Planas / New York Daily News

Chicago Cardinal Francis George is sorry for comparing gay activists to the Ku Klux Klan in an interview on Christmas Day.

“I am truly sorry for the hurt my remarks have caused,” George said in an interview with the Chicago Tribune published Friday.

“When I was talking, I was speaking out of fear that I have for the church’s liberty and I was reaching for an analogy which was very inappropriate, for which I’m sorry.”

The controversy erupted back in October when George objected to next summer’s Gay Pride Parade passing by his Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church on a Sunday during mass. Organizers agreed to push the start time of the parade to noon to avoid bothering morning worshippers, according to the Chicago Tribune.

But the compromise didn’t solve the dispute for George, who continued to rail against segments of the Chicago gay rights movement, arguing that they view Catholics as an enemy—which reminded George of the KKK.

“You don’t want the gay liberation movement to morph into something like the Ku Klux Klan, demonstrating in the streets against Catholicism,” George told Fox Chicago in an interview broadcast on Christmas day.

“That’s a little strong analogy, don’t you think? Ku Klux Klan?” the host asked George.

“It is, but you take a look at the rhetoric—the rhetoric of the Ku Klux Klan, the rhetoric of some of the gay liberation people. Who is the enemy? The Catholic Church.”

Days later, the cardinal doubled down, defending his comparison in a public statement.

“Organizers (of the pride parade) invited an obvious comparison to other groups who have historically attempted to stifle the religious freedom of the Catholic Church,” the cardinal said, according to the Chicago Tribune.

“One such organization is the Ku Klux Klan which, well into the 1940s, paraded through American cities not only to interfere with Catholic worship but also to demonstrate that Catholics stand outside of the American consensus. It is not a precedent anyone should want to emulate.”

The comments sparked a firestorm of criticism, while few leaders came forward to back George up. The Rainbow Sash Movement—a Catholic group that supports gay rights—demanded the Chicago cardinal to step down. Several gay and civil rights groups planned to show up at George’s Sunday mass for a protest if they didn’t get an apology.

But George’s apology satisfied most and the organizers called off Sunday’s protest, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

George’s public relations fiasco came just a month after he landed himself in hot water by blasting Illinois Gov. Patrick Quinn for agreeing to present an award to rape survivor Jennie Goodman on behalf of pro-choice organization Personal PAC.

“Governor Quinn has gone beyond a political alignment with those supporting the legal right to kill children in their mother’s wombs to rewarding those deemed successful at this terrible work,” the Illinois bishops said in a public statement.

It turned out Goodman had never had an abortion, so the Catholic leaders backed down.

9660: Impossibly Gorgeous Paula Patton.

2012-01-06T22:55:00.003-06:00

9659: Crystal Light Is Lost.

2012-01-06T21:57:00.002-06:00

Did Crystal Light just make light of an airliner crash scene? Wow. Just wow.

9658: Mike O’Neal Is O’Racist.

2012-01-06T16:51:00.001-06:00

From The Associated Press…

Apology follows email referring to Michelle Obama as ‘Mrs. YoMama’

By Associated Press

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas House Speaker Mike O’Neal apologized Thursday for forwarding an email poking fun at first lady Michelle Obama and referring to her as “Mrs. YoMama.”

The Lawrence Journal-World reported Thursday that O’Neal, a Hutchinson Republican, sent the email from his personal account. The email also had a photo comparing Mrs. Obama to the Grinch and the subject line, “Twins separated at birth?”

The photo has been circulating on the Internet and shows Mrs. Obama’s hair being swept by the wind, recalling a drawing of the fictional Dr. Seuss character from the classic Christmas cartoon. In forwarding the email, O’Neal joked that he’d “had worse hair days.”

“Cartoons are intended to be humorous,” O’Neal said in a statement. “This one made me laugh — I’ve had bad hair days too. I forwarded it too quickly, missing the text included in the body of the email. To those I have offended, I am sorry. That was not at all my intent.”

It was the second email O’Neal sent from his personal account regarding President Barack Obama and his family. The Journal-World reports that O’Neal recently sent along an email to House Republicans referring to the president with a Bible verse that says, “Let his days be few and brief.”

Spokeswoman Alyson Rodee said the email was referring to Obama’s days in office.

Rodee defended the forwarding of the second email, describing it as a “lighthearted political cartoon.” She said it also dealt with “extravagant spending of taxpayer funds” by the first lady when many Americans are struggling.

“I’m sure you’ll join me in wishing Mrs. YoMama a wonderful, long Hawaii Christmas vacation — at our expense, of course,” the email says. Mrs. Obama and the president, a Democrat, spent the holidays in Hawaii, where he was born and mostly raised.

But Kansas Democratic party Chairwoman Joan Wagnon said the email demeaned the first lady and that forwarding it was “highly offensive, disrespectful and unacceptable.”

“Regardless of how he feels about President Obama’s politics, Speaker O’Neal’s decision to promote language demeaning Mrs. Obama is simply wrong,” Wagnon said.

The earlier email, also circulating on the Internet, refers to a bumper sticker that reads “Pray for Obama. Psalm 109:8.” The verse says, “Let his days be few and brief; and let others step forward to replace him.”

“At last — I can honestly voice a Biblical prayer for our president! Look it up — it is word for word! Let us all bow our heads and pray. Brothers and Sisters, can I get an AMEN? AMEN!!!!!!”

9657: Java Sutra.

2012-01-06T00:02:00.002-06:00

From those wonderful folks who gave you rifle-toting coffee drinkers comes a multicultural java presented with virtually zero taste appeal.

From Ads of the World.

9656: The Obama Super Pac.

2012-01-05T00:05:00.002-06:00

Hype for the Obama Super Pac reads:

The Obama Super Pac is not a Political Action Committee. We are a Presidential Advertising Committee. Our agenda is not complex. We exist to create powerful advertising messages in support of the re-election of President Barack Obama. We are making these ads available to anyone to distribute.

Learn more at the website or Facebook.

9655: Extra Shock Value Meal.

2012-01-04T00:37:00.002-06:00

This campaign is shameful. It disregards the true reasons behind the obesity problem, opting for shock value wrapped in clumsy copywriting and bad art direction. The press to hype the shit demonstrates the creators’ ignorance:

The ads, which appear on the campaign’s website, strong4life.com, are modeled after blunt — but effective — campaigns attacking methamphetamine use and smoking.

Um, blunt tactics playing off fear and embarrassment have never been effective with anti-smoking advertising. Modeling PSA-style work after other PSA-style work is simply hackneyed. Overweight youth likely have enough problems with ridicule and bullying from classmates. Imagine the troubles the depicted kids will receive for literally being the poster children for obesity.

9654: White Man Ends Slavery.

2012-01-04T00:07:00.002-06:00

Slavery to electricity monopoly? Discover the underground ~~railroad~~ kit? This banner is shockingly stupid.

9653: Unintelligible Brainpower.

2012-01-03T00:27:00.000-06:00

Make a New Year’s resolution to get fit—so you can have sex with people in libraries…?

9652: Worst Agency Greeting Card Of 2012.

2012-01-02T22:18:00.001-06:00

Next year, the hacks at Saatchi & Saatchi IAL should just hire mcgarrybowen.

From Ads of the World.

9651: Happy New Year, Salma Hayek Fans!

2012-01-02T22:03:00.003-06:00

9650: Attention, Goodwill Shoppers.

2012-01-02T20:58:00.002-06:00

Imagine the possibilities… because it would be too depressing to imagine the probabilities of shopping at Goodwill.

From Ads of the World.

9649: NASCAR’s Multicultural Slow Start.

2012-01-02T13:28:00.002-06:00

Advertising Age interviewed NASCAR CMO Steve Phelps, and the discussion included the sport’s multicultural efforts. Phelps said NASCAR has done “small things,” yet he likely realizes there is a long road ahead for building minority appeal. Hopefully, the initiatives will include partnering with multicultural marketing experts. Plus, NASCAR should steer clear of White advertising agencies that have failed to even promote and foster diversity in their own offices.

Nascar Targets New Audiences, Revs Up Social-Media Strategy

Sport Endured Several Bumpy Years, but TV Ratings Are Recovering and Execs Have Charted a Five-Year Plan for Growth

By Jason Del Rey

After a few bumpy years marked by declining TV ratings and weakened traction in the vital 18- to 34-year-old male demographic, Nascar regained some footing in 2011. TV viewership rose year-over-year in all three Nascar series, both overall and among the target group of young men. And the sport landed several key sponsorship renewals, including Sprint, UPS and Kraft Foods.

But if Nascar is to continue its assault on the professional team sports occupying much of the nation’s bandwidth, it needs to reach new audiences in new places. With that in mind, it has embarked on a five-year plan with five key goals: Build the star power of individual drivers, increase engagement among children and college-age consumers, attract a multicultural fan base, craft more cohesive digital- and social-media strategies and improve the racetrack experience for fans.

Nascar CMO Steve Phelps is overseeing the execution. While some efforts kicked off in 2010, work over the next 18 months on the digital-media and multicultural-marketing fronts will be crucial. Mr. Phelps, star of a 2010 episode of “Undercover Boss,” sat down with Ad Age to discuss the process of individual brand-building, the promise of a Hispanic fan base, and why the sport’s legacy digital partnership won’t work long term.

Ad Age: How do you go about building the individual brands of drivers?

Mr. Phelps: One key is that we’re not just going to be focused on the stars of today but on those emerging stars even outside of the three national series. We’re going back to the local level and identifying young talent. We’ll start with kids that are 15 or 16 in developmental series. We’ll identify who has the best talent and who has real charisma.

Ad Age: How far along is the process?

Mr. Phelps: We’re in Round Two, where we are doing the profiles and brand mappings for 120 drivers. We hired two new people to take this on, and we’ll talk to the team, sponsors and drivers to determine the best approach to have each driver break through. Certain drivers are media-savvy and like the lens, so to speak. Others, candidly, don’t. So we won’t ask a guy who doesn’t want to be on TV to go on Fox to promote the Daytona 500. We may instead get him involved in a hunting and fishing blog, if that’s his passion.

Ad Age: How will your digital and social strategy shift going forward?

Mr. Phelps: We are hiring someone new, and a big part of the job will be training an entire industry—from driver reps to driver teams to our own internal teams—on social.

On the digital side, we’ve had a relationship with Turner since 2001, where they operate Nascar.com. That relationship has served our industry very well. That said, our agreement goes through 2014, and we will probably go in a different direction after that. Not because Turner has done anything wrong, but because in the future it will be important for us to control our own message and content. They have allowed us to take portions of their rights back. For example, all the Twitter feeds that we do come from our internal team and are not run by Turner people anymore.

Ad Age: How are you improving the event experience?

Mr. Phelps: We wanted to get a sense for how a Nascar race stacked up against other sports. So we [anonymously] sent families of four or four college buddies to a Nascar race, an NFL game, the circus or a concert. [A third party] asked what they liked about each one, which provided very rich data. What came out of it was, for a new fan, if they’re not with someone who has been to a race before, they don’t know how to be a fan. Where do I park? Where’s my seat? We had guys come in button-down shirts and khakis, not realizing this is a big party. We’ll use all of this to make changes.

Ad Age: How are you reaching a new, multicultural audience, specifically Hispanics?

Mr. Phelps: We’ve done some small things. At three of our race tracks we did heavy up-spending in those markets buying media. We had a virtual garage tour in Spanish. The Nascar website can be viewed in Spanish, as well, but that’s basically just a translation. Looking ahead, we’re in discussions with a Spanish-language outlet to create digital content for us, and we hope to have meaningful content live in 2013.

9648: Agency Diversity Statement 24.

2012-01-02T11:28:00.002-06:00

Reviewing the new-and-improved mcgarrybowen diversity statement inspired MultiCultClassics to take another peek at the other agencies without such statements. Sure enough, GSD&M has made revisions to its website. There is a section devoted to Vendor Diversity—featuring the agency’s Vendor Partner Diversity Manager. Oddly enough, while GSD&M boasts a commitment to connecting with diverse vendors, there appears to be no public dedication to embracing diversity among its staff.

9647: Energy Drinks To Target Grandma.

2012-01-02T11:16:00.002-06:00

From The New York Daily News…

Energy drink market to target senior citizens in 2012 as way to experience more active lifestyle

‘Cheers’ actor John Ratzenberger to hawk energy drinks to the 60+ set

AFP RELAXNEWS

The energy drink market will experience a significant change in 2012, with beverage makers shifting their focus away from younger demographics to senior citizens, and consumers seeking out natural sources of liquid energy over sugar-loaded, canned beverages, predicts a consumer research institute.

Traditionally marketed towards younger consumers, the energy drink market will slowly wake up to the fact that it has been neglecting an even bigger consumer market in the over-60, retired crowd and become increasingly popular among seniors, predicts The Values Institute at DGWB in California.

Take for instance 5-Hour Energy’s partnership with actor John Ratzenberger, best known for his role as Cliff Clavin in the 1980s sitcom Cheers, the report points out.

At the beginning of 2011, the company which produces pocket-sized energy drinks enlisted Ratzenberger to hawk the product as a restorative pick-me-up for a senior citizen crowd keen to maintain an active lifestyle.

Unlike energy drinks, energy shots come in portable 2-ounce or 50 ml bottles that deliver a powerful shot of caffeine in a few sips. Brands like 5-Hour, Rockstar, 6 Hour Power and NOS Power contain as much caffeine as their larger counterparts like Red Bull, Monster and Lucozade, only in concentrated formulas and less calories.

Common ingredients include stimulants like caffeine and herbs like guarana, ginseng or gingko biloba.

Meanwhile, the energy drink market also has the potential to swing the other way, says the same report, with more and more consumers seeking out energy boosts the all-natural way through foods and ingredients like green tea extract, vitamins, whole grains and fresh fruit.

Juice bars like Jamba Juice and Booster Juice, for instance, sell natural, fruit-based energy shots and are enjoying rising popularity, while Starbucks recently announced plans to move from java to juice after acquiring juicery Evolution Fresh, based in California.

More consumers will also adopt the “Flexitarian” lifestyle in 2012, the report says, as they voluntarily reduce their meat intake for health reasons. The rising popularity of Meatless Mondays, an initiative developed in association with John Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health, is offered as a prime example of the rise of the part-time vegetarian.

User-generated online recipe site Allrecipes.com also cited Flexitarians as a rising trend that will change the way home cooks eat in 2012.

9646: Agency Diversity Statement 23.

2012-01-02T00:09:00.001-06:00

Last year, MultiCultClassics spotlighted mcgarrybowen among a handful of prominent advertising agencies without diversity statements on their websites. Well, an anonymous tipster noted the site has been updated, and the shop now declares, “Our colleagues are diverse…”—alongside a staff photograph that kinda disputes the claim.

9645: Road To Diversity…?

2012-01-02T00:03:00.000-06:00

Anybody else think the Black kid in this Honda Pilot commercial feels forced and out of place?

9644: China Times Means Racist Times.

2012-01-01T22:33:00.002-06:00

China Times restaurant “Brings Out The Chinese In Anyone,” according to this campaign from DDB in Dubai, UAE. OK, but what does it do for Chinese patrons?

From Ads of the World.

9643: I’m Not Leaving My Wingman.

2012-01-01T21:41:00.000-06:00

Can’t find it online yet, but there is a new KFC Hot Wings commercial targeting Blacks that features partygoers referring to a character as a “wingman.” Pathetic. Until the spot surfaces on YouTube, enjoy this almost equally ridiculous KFC Hot Wings commercial that tries so hard to be hip.

9642: 12 Predictions For 2012.

2012-01-01T11:16:00.002-06:00

1. Corporate Cultural Collusion will enjoy an all-time high.

2. Team Sprint will make Enfatico look like Wieden + Kennedy.

3. Howard Draft may get his wish for running a small shop.

4. A White adperson will create a new minority scholarship program—and honestly believe it’s an original idea.

5. There will be no original advertising ideas presented during Black History Month.

6. Jeff Goodby will win an ADCOLOR® Award.

7. Donny Deutsch will continue to embarrass the industry—and never even realize it.

8. AgencySpy will continue to be the place where adpeople anonymously reveal their inherent racism.

9. Advertising Age and Adweek will devote more coverage to Miley Cyrus than Cyrus Mehri.

10. The Big Tent will fold.

11. “Where Are All The Black People?” will remain an unanswered question.

12. Summer’s Eve will launch a conservative coochie campaign.

9641: Campaigning Requires Dead Presidents.

2012-01-01T10:23:00.002-06:00

What’s next? Endorsements from Truman, Lincoln and Jefferson?

9640: Taking On Amazon.com.

2012-01-01T10:01:00.002-06:00

From The Los Angeles Times…

Skirmish with Amazon draws new attention to Bay Area bookstore

Marcus Books in San Francisco, the nation’s oldest African American bookstore, has been a center of black intellectual and civic life for half a century.

By Lee Romney, Los Angeles Times

Reporting from San Francisco—Before Jasmine Johnson could walk, her crib was tucked behind the counter of her grandparents’ San Francisco bookstore. By age 6, she was reciting Langston Hughes poems to customers and picking out books for other children. At 12, she marched nervously up to civil rights icon Rosa Parks at a store event to chat.

“At a very young age, we were expected to have opinions, to have veneration for elders and to be well read,” said Johnson, 27, a UC Berkeley doctoral student who is among the third generation to help run Marcus Books, the nation’s oldest African American bookstore.

So it came as no surprise in December when Johnson took a stand on behalf of small businesses nationwide by launching a petition against retail giant Amazon.com.

As part of a holiday shopping promotion, Amazon had offered customers a price break if they used a smart phone app to scan products’ costs in brick-and-mortar stores and then bought them online instead. Although the promotion did not apply to books — Amazon said it was aimed at electronics sold in “major retail chain stores” — it infuriated booksellers long stressed by Internet competition.

“Marcus Books is still here but it’s a struggle,” Johnson wrote in the petition. The price-check app, she continued, “goes beyond simple competition in a free marketplace. It represents an ugly race to the bottom that … will lead to long-term pain for communities in the form of lost jobs and tax revenues.”

More than 11,000 people so far have signed the change.org petition, which asks Amazon to swear off such promotions and apologize.

That may never happen. But Johnson’s efforts have drawn consumers’ attention and provided valuable publicity for the Bay Area institution founded by Julian and Raye Richardson and now run by a clan that includes Johnson’s mother, aunts, uncle, siblings and cousins.

Marcus Books has been at the center of Bay Area black intellectual, political and civic life for more than half a century, the site of Black Panthers meetings as well as the Bay Area’s first Kwanzaa celebration. The San Francisco store and a second outlet that opened in Oakland in 1976 have hosted prominent authors and activists — Ralph Ellison, James Baldwin, Malcolm X, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison and Muhammad Ali among them.

Most of all, the business and its determined overseers have offered sanctuary to generations of African Americans, broadening their view of the world and of themselves.

“To see that many books written by and for black people in one place — I could reach for a children’s book, for science, social science, poets,” said Kenneth Monteiro, dean of San Francisco State University’s College of Ethnic Studies, who discovered the haven while a graduate student at Stanford.

“They were the keepers of the knowledge who would take the book off the shelf and say: ‘You’re having a personal crisis. Read this poetry.’”

Marcus Books also has been a lifeline for prominent black authors such as Ishmael Reed — a link to readers and a source of research. On its shelves, the poet and novelist said, he discovered a book on the son of the first African American U.S. Army general that provided inspiration for his protagonist Chappie Puttbutt in “Japanese by Spring.”

“The kind of work I’m writing has a small audience, and a lot of African American writers are in the same position,” Reed said. “If Marcus Books were to disappear, it would be a great loss to many of us.”

Julian and Raye Richardson opened Marcus Books in San Francisco’s Fillmore District in 1960, not long after the area had been designated as a redevelopment zone. When bulldozers displaced thousands of black residents and businesses, the store — which had been named to honor black nationalist Marcus Garvey — moved as well. But it returned to the street in 1980, setting up in a purple Victorian on the edge of what is now Japan Town.

Julian, who also launched a print shop in 1948 that is still run by the family, died in 2000. Raye, longtime chairwoman of San Francisco State’s black studies department, is 91. She and daughter Blanche Richardson — who runs the Oakland store with her own daughter — live on the Victorian’s second floor. Jasmine’s parents, Karen and Greg Johnson, live on the third. Karen and another of her daughters run the San Francisco store.

In addition to its books, the store houses a smattering of instruments for impromptu jam sessions. Music is in the Victorian’s bones: In the 1950s, before it was lifted off its foundation on nearby Laguna Street, it was home to Jimbo’s Bop City, an after-hours jazz club where John Coltrane, Charlie Parker and other jazz greats played.

One recent afternoon, Karen Johnson greeted customers in a low, steady voice, engaging them as her mother had done. As she fixed the slightly startled teenage daughter of one customer in her gaze, the questions tumbled out. Do you go to school? What subject do you love? Maybe we’ll carry your book here one day.

She raised her four daughters in much the same way she was brought up, turning the store into their day-care center and its visiting luminaries into teachers. “We were under an umbrella of love and wisdom, which was just preparation for everything,” Johnson, 63, said of her youth.

She recalled that as a teenager, she had come home from school one day to find Black Panther co-founder Huey Newton sitting in the store, looking handsome.

Among her favorite visiting speakers was singer Barry White. He got out of his limousine in front of the Oakland store, she said, and headed inside. “He had this walk, I call it the black man elephant walk, where the head swings slowly,” she recalled. White lumbered in and then proclaimed in his distinctive voice: “This is nice.”

Despite its notoriety, the store has weathered financial hardship. Marcus Books narrowly escaped foreclosure two years ago thanks to community support and fundraising, but still it struggles to stay out of the red.

Johnson is getting her doctorate in African diaspora studies, with the goal of better serving the family business. While spending the last semester as a visiting scholar at Princeton, she has worked from afar to increase the store’s online presence through a Facebook page. Meanwhile, a family friend has produced videos of store readings that will soon be posted on YouTube.

The petition also spurred support.

First-time customers have been drawn by news of Johnson’s efforts: One woman drove two hours to do her Christmas shopping at Marcus Books.

“That’s really the goal of the campaign,” Johnson said, “hoping … that people are thinking about the future of communities and not just the cheapest deal.”

It is a hope many share.

Ezekiel McCarter, who moved to San Francisco from Texas a year ago, said he had passed the store daily before walking in a few months ago and forging an instant bond with Karen Johnson. Now he drops by daily.

If he’s feeling down, the 19-year-old said, Johnson will pick out a book that makes him think.

“As soon as I came in here, I felt at home,” he said. “People say you go to college to network. Well this is like a college. This is home base for everyone.”

9639: Clarification On Wall Street Slavery.

2012-01-01T00:57:00.003-06:00

Last month, MultiCultClassics questioned the quote in the ad below, wondering about its accuracy. Slavery in America is often considered having been more prevalent in the South. However, New York has a strong history with slavery that has been clearly documented and detailed—including plenty of references involving Wall Street players.

9638: Black Ads Wanted.

2012-01-01T00:28:00.004-06:00

Call for Entries due by February 1, 2012

The 1st Annual Association for the Study of African American Life and History Advertising Showcase

The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), and the Founders of Black History Month, announces its first annual showcase to recognize exceptional accomplishment, skill, talent, and excellence in advertising directed to the African American marketplace and consumer—as well as advertising which exemplifies the Association’s mission “to promote, research, preserve, interpret, and disseminate information about Black life, history, and culture to the global community.”

The showcase will take place at the Association’s 86th annual Black History Month Luncheon in Washington, DC, on Saturday, February 25th, 2012. Click here for more information on the ASALH luncheon.

For more details on how to enter, type of media required, entry format, and delivery address, please click here.

If you have any questions, please contact us at info@asalh.net or click here.

All completed packages must be received by February 1, 2012.

ASALH Advertising Showcase
Howard University – The Howard Center
2225 Georgia Avenue NW, Suite 331
Washington, DC 20059
Attn: Gwen Kelly

9637: MultiCultClassics Moments For 2011.

2011-12-31T20:23:00.014-06:00

January: Advertising Age opened the month with a fluff piece on BrandLab, eliciting commentary from MultiCultClassics and industry icon Roy Eaton. Meanwhile, the comment thread turned ugly at AgencySpy for a post on GlobalHue. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. commented on Madison Avenue. No comments were required when examining the official diversity statements from Campbell-Ewald, Draftfcb, DDB, JWT, Ogilvy, Euro RSCG, McCann Worldgroup, PHD, Kaplan Thaler Group, Avrett Free Ginsberg, WPP, Gotham, Merkley + Partners, Havas, a handful of shops without diversity statements, IPG, Leo Burnett, Publicis, Deutsch, MDC Partners and Omnicom. Tiffany Edwards, education and diversity director for The One Club, left a comment in response to MultiCultClassics’ critique of the exclusive awards organization. Steffan Postaer kicked off a new series—“C’mon White Man!”—with a self-absorbed salute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Black Enterprise saluted Blacks in the advertising business, although the publication could only name four creatives in White firms. And Advertising Age closed the month with a bunch of articles exposing the dismal state of diversity, prompting commentary from Harry Webber.

February: Black History Month offered its share of historical and hysterical moments. Alex Bogusky landed the second installment of “C’mon White Man!”—by launching a new enterprise that looked like the common White enterprises. Summer’s Eve senior brand manager Angela Bryant publicly apologized for an offensive promotion which inevitably seemed tame compared to what would be unveiled in the near future. Jeff Goodby made his inaugural debut in “C’mon White Man!”—by executing a blatant mercy hire of Barbara Lippert as his shop’s curator of pop culture. Marian Salzman became the first female to be honored in “C’mon White Man!” Groupon aired its premier TV campaign during the Super Bowl, earning a championship trophy for insensitivity and ignorance worldwide. A Draftfcb douchebag duo designed an app to meet chicks—and hooked up as losers for “C’mon White Man!” JWT New York followed the Draftfcb dimwits with agency-wide recognition in the “C’mon White Man!” series. Craig Brimm authored a multicultural marketing manifesto, urging minority shops to avoid becoming Black history. An ex-Publicis executive filed a $100 million gender bias suit against the holding company, mere months before Publicis Groupe Chairman-CEO Maurice Levy proclaimed he was seeking an adman as his successor.

March: Rich Silverstein introduced “One Job for America”—although it wasn’t clear if the Lippert mercy hire fulfilled his agency’s quota for the endeavor. Y&R and the UNCF celebrated the 40th anniversary of the famous “A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste” campaign—although Madison Avenue has failed to embrace diversity for over 70 years. IPG CEO Michael Roth, WPP CEO Martin Sorrell and Omnicom CEO John Wren admitted their corporations are awful in regards to talent recruitment—although the three stooges were referring to White talent. The Institute for Advertising Ethics shat out its “Principles and Practices of Advertising”—although Shona Siefert’s “Proposed Code of Ethics for the Advertising Industry” was much better (and it was written by a convicted criminal!).

April: Pabst was blasted for concocting Colt 45 Blast with Snoop Dogg. The only other thing worth mentioning was a lawyer’s perspective in Advertising Age titled, “Seven Legal Issues That Agencies Should Be Thinking About in 2011.” Of course, the list did not include diversity.

May: The Top Ten Earners in Advertising are—surprise, surprise—all White men. “Where Are All The Black People?” resulted in Jeff Goodby offering a scholarship to send Black ad students to the land of all the White people. Ogilvy North American Chairman John Seifert, Ogilvy North American CCO Steve Simpson and StrawberryFrog CEO Scott Goodson perpetuated all the White male hiring and firing practices that prohibit progress on Madison Avenue all the time.

June: Peter Madden felt inspired by a young minority’s character—but not inspired enough to consider, say, hiring more minorities. Tiffany Rolfe felt inspired to speak out on the dearth of women in agency creative departments—but not inspired enough to consider, say, hiring more women. Summer’s Eve felt inspired to try a viral video approach to selling vajayjay cleansers—but not inspired enough to consider, say, firing the advertising agency that ultimately turned the brand into the laughingstock of the year.

July: Goodby Silverstein & Partners produced the “Got PMS?” milk campaign and received responses that made PMS sufferers look calm—plus, Jeff Goodby received a record third “C’mon White Man!” acknowledgement. Jim Glover published “Mad Man” and received a review from Pepper Miller and a reaction from Harry Webber. Ogilvy & Mather dabbled in cross-cultural marketing and received indifferent yawns. Summer’s Eve fully exposed its “Hail to the V” campaign and received instant condemnation. A D&AD-sponsored panel at Cannes 2011 discussed diversity in advertising and received a critique from MultiCultClassics for their contrived and clichéd thinking—as well as their displaying a White Pencil throughout the proceedings. Bob Hoffman bemoaned the complainers of offensive advertising and received a few complaints himself. Oh, and Draftfcb received the pink slip of the millennium from SC Johnson.

August: Rich Silverstein ripped off a logo—and won an award at Cannes for his thieving style. Donny Deutsch defended a woman’s right to be a Sugar Baby—the perfect position for an aging adulterer to take. Draftfcb and NIVEA told Black men how to become civilized—in a totally uncivilized fashion.

September: R/GA proved it regularly hires women of color, provided they’re exotic dancers. Uncle Ben quietly returned, yet he’s no longer a corporate honcho with a fancy office. JWT promoted itself as a true international agency, apparently hoping to fool people into believing a global network equals diversity. JWT Atlanta hyped itself as diverse via the Bill Sharp Award, a scholarship program for—you guessed it—minority students. Dan Wieden won an ADCOLOR® Award—now that’s fucked up! A fake letter from John Wren revealed the real racism on Madison Avenue.

October: The logo for Advertising Week 2011 was brainless. The sequel to “Where Are All The Black People?” failed to answer its own question. Jeff Goodby is on a “C’mon White Man!” hot streak. However, Donny Deutsch is making a serious run to overtake Goodby’s lead. Michael Wolff tried to reinvent Adweek, but should have started by familiarizing himself with the industry. The 4As officially asked members to stop being racist.

November: Walmart marketing wonk Tony Rogers declared advertisers should “blow up” their multicultural marketing budgets. Um, somebody tell Tony the majority of advertisers don’t have multicultural marketing budgets. TBWA\Toronto shot an autobiographical documentary in a Nigerian Nollywood style, complete with an all-African cast. Um, guess there weren’t enough mailroom attendants at the shop to cover the roles. Burrell Communications sought to bash cross-cultural marketing with research results questioning its effectiveness. Um, this amounts to a battle over crumbs, no? A study indicated IPG hasn’t paid taxes for at least three years. Um, IPG, meet IRS.

December: New York City Councilman Larry Seabrook enjoyed a mistrial in his corruption case. The obscene part is, diversity advocate Seabrook went to court long before Cyrus Mehri will pin charges on Madison Avenue crooks. Additionally, the month witnessed an amazing example of Corporate Cultural Collusion and karmic payback. In 2007, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners won the $1.4 billion Sprint account—probably due in part to its Omnicom ties that have led to plenty of shifty moves through the years. The agency found itself on the other side of the equation, however, as it suddenly lost the communications client without a review. The “winning” advertising agency isn’t even an advertising agency. Digitas Chicago suddenly assumed command, despite having no actual experience producing anything besides clickable banners. How did it happen? White male bonding between new Sprint CMO Bill Malloy and Digitas Chicago President Tony Weisman. Industry buffs know Weisman as a key player in the 2006 Walmart-Draftfcb-Julie Roehm debacle.

Happy New Year.

9636: JC Penney Likes Latinos.

2011-12-31T08:45:00.001-06:00

Advertising Age reported U.S. Latino shop Conill will retain the JC Penney account, while the retailer is splitting with White agency Saatchi & Saatchi. Um, isn’t it time to consider giving the entire account to Conill or another minority agency? It’s not like the White shops have managed to turn around the perpetually struggling store chain.

Amid Other Roster Changes, JC Penney Keeps U.S. Hispanic Shop Conill

Retailer Dropped Parent Saatchi & Saatchi but No Changes for $46M Latino Business

By Laurel Wentz

JC Penney is keeping its U.S. Hispanic agency Conill even as the retailer ends its five-year relationship with Saatchi & Saatchi and adds other agencies to its roster. Conill, 100% owned by Saatchi & Saatchi, was appointed to JC Penney’s $46 million U.S. Hispanic account last year in a move by the retailer to consolidate its business.

A JC Penney spokeswoman confirmed by email on Thursday that Conill will continue to be one of the company’s agency partners, in charge of handling its Hispanic business.

JC Penney is the 24th-largest advertiser in Hispanic media, according to the annual ranking in Ad Age’s Hispanic Fact Pack. In 2010, the company’s spending increased by 9% to $45.9 million, up from $42.1 million the previous year. Only two other retailers spent more on Hispanic media: Walmart Stores, ranked No. 15, spent $65.6 million through its longtime agency Lopez Negrete Communications, and Sears Holdings Corp. spent $53.9 million, and was No. 19, according to the Hispanic Fact Pack.

Until 2008, JC Penney’s U.S. Hispanic agency was Omnicom Group’s Dieste. After a March 2008 review, the business moved to the independent Vidal Partnership, and in September 2010 landed at Conill without a review.

Conill, named Ad Age’s Multicultural Agency of the Year in January 2011, is one of the top Hispanic agencies in a market where the savviest Hispanic shops are upping their game in the face of growing competition from general-market agencies as marketers spend more money to target multicultural consumers. The agency’s biggest clients include Procter & Gamble, Toyota and Sprint.

Conill’s moves include a focus on digital, which now accounts for 23% of all the agency’s revenue, up from 17% in 2010, and innovative use of media. And this year Conill set itself a three-year challenge to have 30% of its business come from work that goes beyond the Spanish language, as bilingual and English-speaking Hispanics become more challenging to reach, and lines between the Hispanic market and the general market increasingly blur. To that end, Conill recently hired Microsoft’s global media director, Brett Dennis, for the new role of chief media communications officer.

9635: More Meat On Moo & Oink Story.

2011-12-31T08:33:00.000-06:00

From The Austin Weekly News…

Minority firm buys Moo & Oink brand

Stores remain unsold but product to live on

By La Risa Lynch, Contributing Reporter

Moo & Oink, the shuttered retail meat company, will live on in name only as a minority owned company acquired the former store’s brand and other intellectual property for $530,000 during a public sale of the 30-year-old company last week.

Robert Beavers, chairman and CEO of Best Chicago Meat, purchased Moo & Oink’s iconic logo, name, website, catchy commercial jingle as well as the company’s recipes for several of its meat products. Best Chicago Meat, 4649 W. Armitage Ave., makes several well-known local meat products, including Jemm burger and sausage, Red Hot hotdogs and Scala’s, Italian meat and seasoning products.

“We are extremely proud to have Moo & Oink join our stable of brands,” Beavers said. “It’s a brand that is very well-known in the African-American community. Now it will be truly a minority owned.”

Beavers and his partner, Dave Van Kampen, were the highest bidders at the public auction held at 111 S. Wacker. The auction only attracted a few bidders. The opening bid started at $100,000. There were no bids to purchase Moo & Oink’s three city stores and its south suburban Hazel Crest location.

Beavers said competition from big box retailers made it prohibitive for them to purchase all the stores. He said many of the big boxes want to come into areas that are food deserts, an area where Moo & Oink was once the only shopping option. Food desert is a term that describes an area that lacks mainstream grocery stores.

Beavers said he has high hopes for the brand. The company wants to produce other products, such as barbeque sauce or seasoning that could carry the Moo & Oink brand. These products would be sold in retail stores.

The company also hopes to expand the brand’s reach outside of Chicago, targeting cities with high black population like Detroit, Birmingham, Memphis and Atlanta. Moo & Oink’s predecessors wanted to expand to those cities before its financial woes.

Van Kampen said the expansion into other markets is doable because of the Levy family’s efforts in growing the brand over the years. The Levy family operated Moo & Oink retail stores for years.

“I think they … (created) a great foundation and now we want to take it further … move it beyond this region,” said Van Kampen, president and COO of Best Chicago Meat.

An involuntary bankruptcy claim by Moo & Oink’s employee pension fund forced the company’s auction. The pension alleges Moo & Oink owes employees $3 million, a claim which the company denies.

The auction garnered $530,000 for the intellectual property and $68,000 for the furniture, store fixtures and equipment, including countertops, meat processing equipment and freezers.

The auction bought in a fraction of what is owed to First Midwest Bank, Moo & Oink’s largest creditor. Courtney Barr, an attorney for the bank, said the auction generated $598,000. The bank is owed $5.5 million.

Barr said the bank is “still in the hole for a significant amount.” She hopes the sale of Moo & Oink’s four real estate properties would make up the difference. The bank plans to use a real estate broker to put the properties up for sale in the spring.

Financing prevented another minority investor group from bidding in the auction. Attorney Exavier Pope, of The Pope Firm, which represented the group, said he was not surprised that another minority company bought Moo & Oink. He said his group stressed that Moo & Oink “needs to be African-American owned because it had African-American consumers.”

His group’s initial interest to purchase all the stores was to save jobs and preserve food shopping options in low-income communities. Pope said his group did not bid in the auction because they were unable to get their financing in on time. Pope said it was disheartening that no one attempted to save the business.

“That’s a travesty,” he said.

Several employees were on hand to watch the auction’s outcome. Ronald Raddle, 51, of West Englewood, hoped the company would be sold in tact to keep employees’ jobs.

Raddle, a Moo & Oink butcher for 18 years, said it has been hard finding work since grocery stores are carrying more packaged meats.

“I got to find something else,” he said. “I can sweep, wipe windows. I will do anything to put food for my family on the table.”

9634: Plastic Furniture On A Pedestal.

2011-12-30T23:32:00.000-06:00

Nilkamal creates India’s Most Trusted Plastic Chairs. Huh?

From Ads of the World.

9633: Big Mac In Black And White.

2011-12-30T23:08:00.003-06:00

This Mickey D’s Big Mac and Snack Wrap spot created by a Black ad agency inspired YouTube comments like “Flava in Ya Ear, Diabetes in Ya Body,” and “[G]reat way to get Black and Latino people to keep eating poison. They can jig to ‘flava in ya ear’ while stacking pounds.”

This Big Mac and Snack Wrap spot created by a White ad agency just inspires WTF.