16839: Shoo-In For News Of The Week…?

 

Adweek reported Designer Shoe Warehouse (DSW) named Crispin as its new White advertising agency.

 

Which begs the question: Crispin is still in business?

 

Admittedly missed the news of the firm’s rebranding, but it’s interesting—and unintentionally apropos—to see Porter and Bogusky dropped from the masthead in favor of a lesser-known dead founder.

 

Hell, the last memorable creative PR to come from the formerly Miami-based firm involved allegations of sexual predatory behavior from its Chief Creative Officer.

 

That Crispin is part of Stagwell—arguably the worst of the White holding companies—completes the critique.

 

The once-vaunted Adland powerhouse is now selling cheap shoes.

 

14887: Buh-Bye, Bogusky.

Advertising Age reported CP+B Chief Creative Engineer Alex Bogusky has left the station. Again. Hey, there are a bunch of White advertising agencies in MDC Partners probably seething with jealousy that Bogusky was allowed to bail out.

Alex Bogusky to Depart CPB—Again

Move comes nearly 18 months after the founder’s surprise return

By Ann-Christine Diaz

Less than 18 months after CPB announced that Alex Bogusky was returning to the agency, the co-founder will once again be leaving the building.

CPB Partner and Chairman Chuck Porter says Bogusky made the decision to depart, citing the desire to reprioritize and focus more on family. “We spent 80 hours talking about it over a month,” Porter says. “It wasn’t an easy decision because there were a lot of things he liked, but he thought it wasn’t really fair for the agency if he wanted to reorder his life and not step away.”

Bogusky, says Porter, will not leave immediately but will transition out over the next few months.

In August 2018, eight years after the storied creative departed the MDC agency, CPB surprised the industry by announcing that it was bringing Bogusky back as co-founder and giving him the newly minted title of chief creative engineer. But the homecoming didn’t turn out as many had anticipated.

Bogusky, one of the few larger-than-life creative directors left in the industry, was known for breaking new creative ground for clients like Mini and Burger King. (Famously, he instructed his staffers to think of the press release and the story a campaign would generate before the media itself—an approach that’s now become standard practice in the industry.)

Expectations ran high with his return, since Bogusky stepped back in just as the agency was in reset. Earlier that year, CPB closed its flagship Miami office and two month after Bogusky rejoined, the shop shuttered its Los Angeles outpost. The return, coming at a time when agencies have been struggling to reinvent themselves in the face of shifting client needs and increasing competition from consultants, was heralded as something of a second coming.

In an interview with Ad Age, Bogusky said he intended to remain close to the creative because “it’s the quickest way to have a positive impact,” he said, and “if I don’t jump in on the work and with the teams, I won’t have a real sense of how to improve the process.”

But since then, there has been a dearth of bold, game-changing ideas at the shop. The agency produced some entertaining work, but arguably nothing more notable than what it had been delivering already. There was a co-branded campaign for Hotels.com and Poo-pourri to steer couples through their “first poo with Boo,” while another for Fruit of the Loom saw the brand creating a limited-edition tee, with fan and NFL star Alvin Kamara. Since he signed on, the agency took on global creative duties for Scotch whisky brand Ballantines and also added fast casual chain Noodles & Co. and North American construction company Sunbelt Rentals.

Outside of the work, the agency’s moves in the months after Bogusky’s return seemed like jargony press release fodder. There was the shop’s rebranding from CP&B to CPB, along with the introduction of a “leaner” and more “agile” creative process the agency branded as Gut+ and “Crisp Jam,” a product offering dedicated to project-based work promising to “get to big ideas fast.” Bogusky seemed to spend much of his time on a podcast, “The Woodshed,” about “demystifying the creative process.”

There were also a number of head-scratching stunts. In October of 2018, the agency and Bogusky announced “The Quitty Awards,” declaring the shop was dropping out of the awards circuit and encouraging other agencies to do so too.

He also challenged “The Rock” Dwayne Johnson and VaynerMedia CEO Gary Vaynerchuk to wrestling matches.

Observers believed that Bogusky’s re-entry would be the kick in the pants both CPB and the industry needed. Former and current CPB staffers believed he would bring new energy to a flagging shop. Gut Agency founder Anselmo Ramos, who at David helped to steer Burger King through a creative renaissance that seemed to follow in the footsteps of CPB’s work, said on Twitter, “This is like Steve Jobs coming back to Apple advertising version.”

Yet others likened it to an act of desperation,” with one former MDC staffer saying “It’s like Michael Jordan going back to the Wizards,” analogizing the comeback to an aging athlete trying to recapture the glory, way past their prime.

Given the agency’s output since Bogusky’s arrival, the latter might seem to ring true. But Porter says his contributions have been internally palpable. “He reorganized the creative department into a different, more efficient and effective structure for our clients—what we call ‘houses,’” he says. “He worked with data and analytics people we know toward creating a new methodology for planning and testing creative development that makes it more reality-based and empirically-based. It’s made our planning and creative quicker, smarter and more data-driven.”

Though we haven’t seen that yet play out in the work, “It was a complex process and I think that the results of that process are coming,” Porter says.

CEO Erik Sollenberg says that Bogusky didn’t return to do what he had done previously. “Based on his experience in startup and tech, his role was to look at our process thinking, at data. What he has been doing is changing the perspective of how advertising can be done. The effect will be long-term rather than directly digging into the creative.”

As to whether or not 18 months was long enough for him to impact the agency, Sollenberg says, “of course it would have been different if he’d stayed longer, but I highly respect his decision to live his life in a different way.”

For now, the agency isn’t looking to fill the position. Porter says Bogusky will still have an office at the shop where he’ll continue his personal projects and perhaps even do some consulting.

While parent company MDC has been making efforts to streamline and reorganize, Porter says that was not a factor in Bogusky’s decision to leave. “His relationship with MDC is really good, and when we began to talk to them about it, they encouraged him to stay to make this transition smooth.”

14532: Even Alex Bogusky’s Rejected Ideas Deserve Praise And Awards.

Advertising Age reported on the latest self-promotion from CPB+ Chief Creative Engineer Alex Bogusky, whose new brainstorm involves staging a show of rejected client work. Um, didn’t Bogusky ban award shows last year? And now he wants to spotlight non-winning work. Brilliant. Bogusky should do what most White advertising agencies do with pitch scraps—shamelessly recycle the shit for the next shootout.

Agency Brief: Introducing the Ditch

Alex Bogusky wants to revive rejected client work

Alex Bogusky wants to play Dr. Frankenstein.

The co-founder and chief creative engineer of Crispin Porter Bogusky suggested in a brief Twitter video this week (alongside Jen Hruska, co-head of Strategy at CPB) that the agency do a show with old rejected client work.

“We do all these pitches but then we don’t win them all,” Bogusky says. “We have all this neat work. Wouldn’t it be cool to do a show … about work that didn’t win the pitch.” They’d hold the show in CPB’s woodshed.

The thought got people talking.

Mike Duda, managing partner of Bullish, tweeted back that he thought it was a bad call. “Don’t do it,” he said. “Your rationale is celebrating great work. If you lose, you probably blew it in at least one other area.”

But many thought it was an intriguing idea. “LOVE this idea. PLEASE do a show about getting pitch slapped (losing a pitch or a pitch that didn’t pan out to a client partner)!” tweeted Laura Marczika. Another, social media agency founder Eric Zimmett, made a suggestion to “Call it “The Ditch,” work that didn’t win the pitch.”

Mike Diccicco, whose Philadelphia-based DDCworks was recently acquired by Pavone Marketing Group, said this is kind of a thing already: “In Philly we have Dead Work Awards for great stuff that never saw the light of day. Event recently held in cemetery.”

As long as they keep that shed door locked, everything should be fine.

14517: Striking Back And Striking Out With Alex Bogusky.

CPB+ Chief Creative Engineer Alex Bogusky created a video series to attack JUUL for its deceptive promotional tactics, and the latest installment is explained as follows:

After two videos calling bullshit on #JUUL’s marketing, Alex found out he fucked up. First instinct was to hide it but instead he’s outing himself and looking for advice from the community. Let’s turn this into something good.

Whatever. But why is Bogusky rocking a BBH t-shirt? Is he supporting the White advertising agency in its battles with SAG-AFTRA? Maybe Bogusky should donate his JUUL loot to the media artists union. Hey, MDC Partners could use the cash too.

14421: MDC Stands For Morale-Destroying Crooks.

Advertising Age reported MDC Partners approved six-figure “retention incentive” bonus awards for five honchos, contingent in part on the executives staying with the White holding company through any successful deal in 2019. Outgoing MDC CEO Scott Kauffman will not receive a special payment—but MDC CFO David Doft apparently talked his way toward a bonus.

Okay, the following comments are obvious—and have been noted by others—yet seem worth publicly airing.

First, given that Kauffman already deemed the company’s Q1 performance “unacceptable,” doling out big rewards to the key perpetrators performers is, well, unacceptable.

Second, the company’s history with financial shenanigans makes these exclusive bonuses a PR nightmare—at least to anyone purporting to hold character, ethics and integrity.

Third, it’s outrageous that White advertising agencies within the White holding company were denied the chance to buy themselves back and bail out. Some folks can’t pay to leave, and others are getting paid to stay. Is it any wonder that MDC is quite possibly the worst of the major holding companies?

Fourth, this scenario underscores the morale-sapping, corrupt nature of the advertising industry. Corporate leaders net bonuses that waaaaay exceed the annual salaries of the majority of MDC employees—many of whom will likely soon get laid off with minimal severance pay.

Fifth, it’s more than a little ironic that Alex Bogusky—who has routinely displayed disdain for corporate crookedness—agreed to return to the MDCesspool. Or is Bogusky just another part of the problem? Bogusky recently proclaimed, “All our wounds are self-inflicted.” How prophetic.

Finally, the scenario actually poses possibilities for diversity. While an acquisition/takeover would probably accelerate Kauffman’s departure—eliminating the man who declared, “I’m intolerant of intolerance”—the arrival of Accenture could spark change, as the professional services firm did rank at number 41 on Fortune’s “The Best Workplaces For Diversity” list for 2018.

MDC will pay six-figure incentive to five execs to stay on until it closes a deal

Payment pact covers sale of company or assets, direct investments and capital markets offering

By Megan Graham

The board of MDC Partners has approved a one-time “retention incentive” award for five senior executives of the company that is conditional on continued employment through the successful closing of a significant transaction in 2019, according to an SEC filing Friday evening.

MDC Partners said in September that it was exploring potential strategic alternatives that could include the sale of the agency holding company, whose portfolio includes 72andSunny, Anomaly, Assembly and Doner.

The filing said that on Dec. 11, the Human Resources and Compensation Committee of MDC’s board of directors approved the awards for executives with the exception of outgoing CEO Scott Kauffman. Exec VP and chief financial officer David Doft and Exec VP and general counsel Mitchell Gendel will receive awards of $650,000. David Ross, Exec VP of strategy and corporate development, will receive an award of $500,000. The amounts are equal to the “applicable executive’s respective target annual bonus award for 2018.”

Payment of the awards is conditional on continued employment “through the successful closing of a significant transaction in 2019,” which would include a change in control of the company or the sale of assets, direct investment or “a capital markets offering with aggregate proceeds to the company from any such transaction equal to not less than $100 million,” the filing says.

“An executive will forfeit the 2018 Retention Award in the event that he or she resigns without good reason or is terminated for cause prior to a Payment Event,” the filing says.

MDC shares closed Friday at $2.90, down five cents for the day. MDC traded around $10 at the beginning of the year.

Representatives from MDC Partners did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In late November, MDC Partners shareholder FrontFour — which says it owns 5.1 percent of the holding company — in an SEC filing “stressed the importance of shareholder representation” on the board to better align its perspectives with that of MDC’s shareholders “particularly at this critical juncture.” FrontFour claims MDC’s board has rejected its requests.

MDC currently has a market cap—total value of its shares—of about $170 million.

Contributing: Bradley Johnson

14357: MDC Partners Net Loss For Words.

Adweek reported MDC Partners experienced a net loss of $18.2 million in the third quarter. However, the White holding company’s Chief Financial Officer, David Doft, offered an optimistic view:

“Our results are driven by the actions we are taking to optimize our cost structure and improve financial performance by selectively investing behind our world-class talent, while focusing on our strategic offering in high-priority growth areas. We continue to see strong demand for our agencies’ services in the marketplace.”

“We believe this, plus the expected incremental $29 million of savings in 2019 from already-actioned headcount reductions and real estate consolidation, will position MDC Partners for improved profitability next year and beyond.”

Gee, if this guy earned a nickel for every syllable of jargon he vomited, MDC Partners would be back in the black. For those needing a translator, “already-actioned headcount reductions and real estate consolidation” means the company will benefit from mass layoffs, office closings and packing more millennials into bunk-bed-style cubicles. Doft must be thrilled over CP+B Chief Creative Engineer Alex Bogusky eliminating awards and shuttering a redundant office. Hey, has former MDC Partners CEO Miles Nadal repaid his debt to the company? The crook owed $21 million, which would easily offset the 3Q loss.

Struggling MDC Partners Reports Net Loss for Third Quarter

Agencies reportedly exploring buybacks

By Erik Oster

Today, ad agency network MDC Partners reported a net loss of $18.2 million for the quarter ending on Sept. 30.

The $18.2 million net loss over the quarter compares to a net income of $14.1 million over the same period in 2017. MDC Partners attributed the net loss primarily to an asset impairment charge of $21 million. Diluted loss per share for the quarter was $0.32, compared to $0.24 over the third quarter in 2017.

Revenue for the quarter was flat compared to the same period last year at $375.8 million, which MDC Partners claimed was due to the ASC 606 accounting rule change. Excluding the impact of the change, MDC Partners said, revenue increased 2.2 percent to $384 million. Organic revenue was up 1.5 percent and net new business wins totaled $12.7 million.

Revenue for the first nine months of 2018 was $1.08 billion, compared to $1.11 billion for that period in 2017, which MDC Partners again attributed to the ASC 606 accounting rule change.

It claims the ASC 606 adjustment was attributable for reducing revenue 3.5 percent, or $39.2 million. MDC Partners reported organic revenue growth of 0.2 percent for the first nine months of the year.

In a statement, chief financial officer David Doft said that the company “delivered a strong quarter,” citing its organic revenue growth and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.

“Our results are driven by the actions we are taking to optimize our cost structure and improve financial performance by selectively investing behind our world-class talent, while focusing on our strategic offering in high-priority growth areas. We continue to see strong demand for our agencies’ services in the marketplace,” he added.

“We believe this, plus the expected incremental $29 million of savings in 2019 from already-actioned headcount reductions and real estate consolidation, will position MDC Partners for improved profitability next year and beyond.”

Last month, MDC Partners CEO Scott Kauffman announced he was stepping down as chairman and CEO, with the board of directors beginning a search for his successor. The network is also in the midst of a review to better determine its financial stability.

Sources close to the business claim multiple agencies have discussed the possibility of buying themselves back from their parent company, only to determine that the process may prove prohibitively expensive at this time.

An MDC Partners representative has yet to respond to a request for comment on the matter.

“Our ongoing strategic review process, led by LionTree Advisors and JPMorgan, and CEO search, led by SpencerStuart, are proceeding,” Doft said in a statement. “The Company will provide further updates on both the strategic review and CEO search process at the appropriate time.”

Kauffman’s announcement followed a difficult first half of the year. In an August earnings call, MDC Partners reported “poor” results and promised to reduce costs. That followed its stock falling 35 percent in the wake of a first-quarter earnings report that Kauffman characterized as “unacceptable.”

In July, CMO Bob Kantor and other corporate executives also left MDC Partners, which promoted Ryan Linder from within to the top marketing role earlier this month.

Patrick Coffee contributed reporting to this story.

14345: Pity Shitty Quitty.

Adweek reported CP+B announced it will quit submitting work for award shows.

Whoop-dee-damn-doo.

While the reasons behind the move are slightly different than those given by Publicis Groupe when it executed a one-year awards ban, the net sentiment is basically the same. Indeed, it’s a sentiment shared by WPP as it strong-armed the downsizing of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. In short, award shows aren’t worth the price of submission. Especially when holding companies are squeezing agencies, demanding greater fiscal responsibility and accountability—which is how the bean counters describe the imperative to be cheaper.

Although CP+B denies the action is tied to MDC Partners’ financial woes, Chief Creative Engineer Alex Bogusky has stressed the need for leanness and agility. Plus, he shuttered a redundant office and dumped ping-pong tables. No word if there are plans to melt down the trophies and baubles collected over the years and sell the remains to a scrap metal yard.

Besides, as the Publicis Groupe maneuver showed, banning entries doesn’t necessarily eliminate victories. At this point, the clients have grown addicted to awards too, and they’re willing to foot the bill—especially in scenarios that involve traveling to plush resorts and partying in fancy clubs.

The other reality to consider is that CP+B is no longer an award-winning shop. So giving up awards is not exactly a hardship or amazing feat. It’s interesting that Zimmerman Advertising was quick to declare that they have rejected award shows forever. Of course, Zimmerman has never produced award-caliber campaigns. Founder Jordan Zimmerman seems content to display his ripped abs and multi-million-dollar yacht.

But it all demonstrates how holding companies have orchestrated a commoditization of creativity. That is, just as Goodby Silverstein + Partners is equal to Fathom Communications, there’s not much contrast between places like CP+B and Zimmerman Advertising. In fact, Zimmerman has better abs than Bogusky. No contest.

Additionally, CP+B criticized “employing focus groups of middle-aged creative directors” to define what’s good and bad. Nice to know the agency hasn’t lost its cultural cluelessness in this time when ageism has emerged as a sore subject. And kudos to Bogusky for fabricating a PR stunt that allows him to avoid discussing sexual harassment while his agency is embroiled in a scandalous lawsuit.

If the entire industry completely eradicated awards, we might actually realize benefits. For starters, White women could stop protesting over being excluded from juries. Employment decisions wouldn’t be tied to a candidate’s trophy case, ultimately improving hiring practices. And egos would diminish, perhaps making Chief Creative Officers less offensive. Zimmerman, however, would still be an obnoxious narcissist.

14318: Bogusky On Balls.

Advertising Age reported on CP+B Chief Creative Engineer Alex Bogusky “appearing” at Advertising Week. In reference to the state of the industry, Bogusky said, “All our wounds are self-inflicted.” He also remarked, “Even a great day in advertising includes three swift kicks to the groin.” Hey, former CP+B CCO Ralph Watson would probably agree—and his alleged victims would likely be happy to deliver the blows. But Bogusky’s groin comment makes one wonder if he really is ready to return to Adland 2018. As White women, sexual harassment and divertsity grab so many headlines, Bogusky should be more careful with his genitalia gender-specific perspectives. In the advertising world, all the cultural cluelessness is self-inflicted too.

Alex Bogusky at Advertising Week: ‘All our wounds are self inflicted’

By Judann Pollack

Alex Bogusky’s coming out since returning to CP&B was typically atypical.

Bogusky appeared at an Advertising Week panel in the form of mannequin wearing a “Good enough sucks” t-shirt and with a TV for a head. The TV streamed video of Bogusky, who was named CP&B’s chief creative engineer in August after an eight-year absence.

“I left the building eight years ago and it was like going into a coma and waking up eight years later,” Bogusky said through the TV. “I walked out and walked into a completely different place.”

He appeared, so to speak, in a Q&A with CP&B President Danielle Aldrich, and introduced by co-founder Chuck Porter, who was frank about the impetus for bringing Bogusky back. (They did not explain why Bogusky didn’t take the stage in person.) Principal Chuck Porter said CP&B had become more conservative in the years since and lost the mojo that led it to be named Ad Age’s Agency of the Decade in 2008.

“We weren’t a leader anymore,” said Porter. He made an exception for Brazil, where a CP&B outpost is doing standout creative work. “It was so clear, they were doing what we used to do,” he said, “except in Portugese.”

Bogusky, he said, is charged with restoring “the DNA” that made it CP&B in the first place.

Bogusky said CP&B has taken on more of a New York agency culture, at the expense of the maverick feel it got in part from its nonconformist beginnings in Miami. (It is now headquartered in Boulder, Colorado.) “You can get homogenized if you don’t cook in your own juices.”

The agency industry has meanwhile become commoditized and squeezed, suffering incursions by consulting companies and the pressure to help agency holding companies impress investors every quarter. He later said the industry’s wounds “have been self-inflicted.”

“Even a great day in advertising includes three swift kicks to the groin,” Bogusky said.

CP&B’s earlier maker culture was what drew great talent to it, Bogusky said. Now, the people he wants are the type who join an agency less to be part of it than to change it, he said.

Bogusky also said he is frustrated by creatives who complain that budgets are too small: “I tell them with $150,000 in many parts of the country you can build a house.” Much of that is immaterial anyway, because with today’s realities, lavishly produced TV extravaganzas are less of a factor and the best work is often highly creative and less expensive to produce, he said.

Bogusky noted that in the eight years after he left CP&B, he had not kept up with award winners. But as he prepared to return, he looked at recent Cannes winners only to discover that he, as a consumer, had seen few to none of the decorated campaigns in his daily life. That proves that creatives should not be “focus groups” for one another and should remember they are writing for the consumer, not themselves, he said.

And then there was the ping pong table. Bogusky said that during his tenure, the agency used to laugh at shops with that played basketball or ping pong at work, because, he said, none of that was nearly as fun as creating advertising. So he was dismayed on his return to find a ping pong table stashed in a closet. Bogusky said he considered burning it, but is giving it away to avoid being wasteful.

But whether Bogusky, sometimes hailed as a creative savior, is making an impact inside or outside of the agency is yet to be seen. The theater where CP&B was presenting was under three quarters full. And one marketing consultant, when asked whether the return of Bogusky would give the industry a jolt, said, “A lot of young creatives don’t even know who he is.”

14306: Bogusky Baloney.

Advertising Age published a lengthy interview with CP+B Chief Creative Engineer Alex Bogusky—via email with no follow-up opportunities—who declared, “I don’t have any interest in a reunion tour … the second time around will be very different.” Not surprisingly, Bogusky’s careful communication completely avoided the industry’s current political and social climates. That is, he dodged diversity and divertsity, despite the fact that his CP+B predecessor is embroiled in legal actions involving alleged sexual harassment and wrongful termination tied to social media. And it could be argued that MDC Partners is struggling due to greed and corruption at the company’s core. Bogusky has routinely displayed disdain for the kind of corporate irresponsibility executed at the upper echelons of MDC Partners, so it will be interesting to see how he connects with Scott Kauffman’s replacement. As for diversity/divertsity, Bogusky has routinely displayed cultural cluelessness in these areas. Does Bogusky realize the second time around will be very different, due in large part to the industry being very different—at least in terms of baloney and bullshit? Stay tuned.

14245: Chief Divertsity Engineer…?

While sharing on his experience as a tech startup consultant, CP+B Chief Creative Engineer Alex Bogusky stated, “This is a decisive moment for the future of the advertising industry. The needs of brands have changed, and it’s high time to reexamine the best creative approach to meet those needs. I think advertising agencies can benefit from the lean and agile practices that have revolutionized so many other industries.” It should be fun to see if Bogusky has evolved at all in the area of diversity and inclusion after 8 years away from the advertising industry. Wanting to emulate the ultra-exclusive tech industry is not a good sign. CP+B was never progressive or culturally competent with racial and ethnic minority representation. In fact, the shop under Bogusky was known for its frat-boy persona. And in this time of divertsity, the Chief Creative Engineer is returning while CP+B is embroiled in a sexual harassment scandal emanating from the creative department. Hey, Ralph Watson could benefit from the scenario if MDC Partners and CP+B opt to give him a wad of loot to go away. Considering the PR woes at places like The Martin Agency, can Bogusky avoid addressing divertsity and diversity? This is a decisive moment for the future of the advertising industry indeed.

14244: CP+Back.

The White advertising trade press reported on the return of Alex Bogusky to Crispin Porter + Bogusky as Chief Creative Engineer—a fitting title, given the White advertising agency and its parent White holding company are troubled trains that have run off the tracks in recent times.

MDC Partners is reeling financially, dumping top executives and potentially unloading business units. CP+B is saying farewell to Global CCO Linus Karlsson and fuck you to former CCO Ralph Watson. Hey, Bogusky’s comeback allows CP+B to tell Watson he was fired to make room for the reappearing prodigal son versus sexual harassment allegations exposed by Diet Madison Avenue. Plus, the place won’t have to redesign the company masthead, providing cost savings that MDC Partners will surely appreciate.

“The CP+B brand has always been all about redefining advertising, and the opportunity to remake what it means to be a top-tier creative agency is too compelling to pass up,” Bogusky declared in a statement. “The timing is right.” Hey, the MDC Partners-CP+B empire is out of time and terribly wrong.

CP+B Co-Founder Alex Bogusky Will Return to Advertising After 8 Years

He was Adweek’s ‘Creative Director of the Decade’ in 2009

By Patrick Coffee

Alex Bogusky, the co-founder and executive creative director of Crispin Porter + Bogusky, is returning to the agency world eight years after swearing off advertising altogether, according to two parties with direct knowledge of the matter.

UPDATE: After this story first ran, a CP+B spokesperson confirmed that Bogusky will take on the title of chief creative engineer at the agency where he spent more than 20 years. Parent company MDC Partners may announce the news during its quarterly earnings call today.

“This is a decisive moment for the future of the advertising industry. The needs of brands have changed, and it’s high time to reexamine the best creative approach to meet those needs,” said Bogusky in a statement. Noting that he spent much of his time away from the industry advising tech startups, he added, “I think advertising agencies can benefit from the lean and agile practices that have revolutionized so many other industries.”

Fellow co-founder Chuck Porter described him as “the most original and innovative thinker I know.”

“The last time Alex was here, we reinvented what it meant to be an ad agency, and I don’t think there’s ever been a time when the industry needs that more than right now,” he said.

The celebrated creative worked on some of the ad industry’s best-known campaigns from 1989 to his exit in 2010, including Burger King’s “Subservient Chicken” and the anti-smoking “Truth Campaign.” Adweek named him “Creative Director of the Decade” in 2009, but the following year, he resigned from CP+B and swore off advertising altogether.

At the time, MDC Partners issued a statement indicating Bogusky had left “in order to focus his time and energy on pursuing a number of initiatives and issues apart from advertising and marketing that he feels strongly about.”

From his home base in Boulder, Colo., he went on to launch “brand impact agency” Fearless Unlimited as well as an “early stage venture capital firm” called Batshit Crazy Ventures. The former creative and designer additionally wrote or co-wrote two books: The 9-Inch Diet was an anti-fast food manifesto, while Baked In concerned marketing by “[taking] brands back to their foundations.”

In recent years, Bogusky has also been an investor in companies like Lyft.

“The CP+B brand has always been all about redefining advertising, and the opportunity to remake what it means to be a top-tier creative agency is too compelling to pass up,” his statement read. “The timing is right.”

Several members of MDC Partners’ corporate leadership team, including global CMO Bob Kantor, were let go last week ahead of the earnings call.

Spokespeople for the network did not respond to a request for additional comment, nor did Bogusky himself.

12567: Is Alex Bogusky Fearless?

Advertising Age reported Alex Bogusky is launching a new White advertising agency—Fearless—with a socially-conscious angle. It’s not the first time the former Crispin Porter + Bogusky honcho has dabbled in such do-gooder pursuits. Yet will Bogusky ever consider focusing his advocate spirit towards addressing the dearth of diversity in his own industry? In the end, change will only occur when Whites become thoroughly involved in the process. To tackle the issue, leaders like Bogusky don’t need cultural competence; rather, they need complete fearlessness.

Bogusky’s Back—This Time With a Socially Conscious Agency

By Maureen Morrison

Alex Bogusky is teaming with Fusion, the cable-TV joint venture between Walt Disney Co. and Univision, to start a “social impact” agency called Fearless. Former CP&B execs Dagny Scott and Leslie Freeman are also joining.

The shop will focus on helping “socially-minded corporations, foundations and non-profits develop 360 degree campaigns while providing the added value of a built-in millennial audience through Fusion’s television, social and digital platforms,” according to a press release.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Mr. Bogusky has used the word “fearless” before:

Bogusky has used the name Fearless in other ventures and said the name has generated a strong reaction to it in the past.

Since Mr. Bogusky left his namesake agency CP&B in 2010, he’s been involved in a number of projects. He also renounced advertising at one point. Last year, Mr. Bogusky launched startup accelerator Boomtown in the hopes of identifying and supporting new internet, mobile and software firms that operate primarily in the media, marketing and ad tech industries.

11390: Bogusky’s Bullshit About Jobs.

Alex Bogusky continues his metamorphosis from adman to social and political activist with the Million American Jobs Project. The YouTube posting states the following:

Economics isn’t all that complicated. We can create a million new American jobs this year by simply looking for the Made In America label. If each of us takes a tiny fraction of the money we’re already spending and buys US-made goods, we’ll create [an] economic tidal wave. Watch the video, and then share it with at least two people. Boom, you just helped make a million new jobs.

Not convinced Bogusky is qualified to declare “economics isn’t all that complicated.” His plan to create American jobs requires eliminating overseas jobs, which could hurt U.S. companies that outsource labor. Other potential negative results include higher prices and lower consumer interest. And let’s not forget the already-underpaid foreign workers, who will likely be thrown into poverty upon losing their jobs. To top it off, Bogusky seems half-hearted himself with the proposition; that is, he’s only suggesting increasing your American-made purchases by 5 percent—so you can keep your Nikes and Apple products. Heaven forbid multimillionaire Bogusky might find the courage and commitment to emulate John and Maggie Anderson, who sought to jump-start the economy in 2009 by exclusively supporting Black-owned businesses for an entire year.

Additionally, how will the new positions be distributed? Based on Bogusky’s cluelessness regarding the dearth of diversity in the advertising industry, don’t expect any non-Whites to benefit from the Million American Jobs Project. Sadly, Bogusky has never realized diversity isn’t all that complicated.

10875: White Men To Watch In 2013.

Advertising Age presented “Who to Watch in Adland in 2013”—and it shows exactly who’s in charge on Madison Avenue.

10608: Wondering About Alex Bogusky.

Alex Bogusky’s latest advertising effort—“The Real Bears”—takes on soft drink manufacturers in fairly stereotypical fashion. That is, iconic advertising imagery is twisted against FDA-style factoids baring the dangers of consuming sugary beverages. It’s the kind of propaganda one might expect from Adbusters or any consumer watchdog group blessed with a decent production budget.

Criticism of the concept or execution aside, haters are already lining up to brand Bogusky a hypocrite for biting the hands that used to feed him. Not too sure the complaints are valid. First, Bogusky has always used his craft for causes. The man was instrumental in launching the truth campaign to slap Big Tobacco. He also authored The 9-inch “Diet”; plus, Baked In certainly hinted at his revolutionary bent. Joining the Made Movement is another indicator of his political nature. No, there’s nothing schizophrenic about his recent actions. Indeed, it could potentially be argued that Bogusky was never comfortable collaborating with corporate advertisers, and ultimately opted for a divorce. He’s not the first person in history to undergo a philosophical reengineering.

What remains to be seen is if Bogusky will ever use his radical skills to address the dearth of diversity still common in the advertising industry. Going up against his former employers is one thing. Does Bogusky have the courage, conviction and cultural competence to confront his former coworkers and peers?

10418: MGP Beats W+K, GS&P, TBWA, O&M, Etc.

Wanted to add a quick comment on the news involving the Marcus Graham Project and its Locomotus initiative.

According to the Advertising Age story, Lincoln Stephens and his associates have managed to help 38 alumni land agency positions over five years. In any other industry, such a total might seem miniscule—or even pathetic. But for Madison Avenue, it’s nothing short of phenomenal.

Think about it. Has Dan Wieden directly hired 38 non-Whites in his entire career? Has Jeff Goodby met 38 non-Whites? It’s a safe bet that Alex Bogusky can’t personally match Stephens’ feat. Sir John Hegarty could count his receptionists and janitors and probably still not rival the accomplishments of the Marcus Graham Project. Ditto Donny Deutsch, Luke Sullivan, Lee Clow, John Seifert, Mike Hughes, Rick Boyko, Laurence Boschetto, Bob Scarpelli, Howard Draft, Sir Martin Sorrell, Michael Roth, John Wren and Maurice Levy. Hell, can a single Chief Diversity Officer individually boast results like those of Stephens?

Congratulations to Lincoln Stephens and his teammates at the Marcus Graham Project. You guys outdid the best our industry has to offer—and ultimately put them all to shame.

8643: Adweek Writes Its Own Obituary…?

People have criticized Alex Bogusky for arguing that the trade press is comprised of clueless hacks who lean toward sensationalism. But the man has a point. Adweek provides more evidence to support Bogusky with its piece on Elizabeth Taylor. See below for a new level of ignorance and insensitivity from a publication that makes Agency Spy look like a Pulitzer Prize winner. Perhaps this story actually signals the death of Adweek.

Elizabeth Taylor’s Bad Timing

Weekly mags’ issues already closed; star’s death unlikely to get much print coverage

By Lucia Moses

Film legend Elizabeth Taylor sold many a magazine during her seven-decade career, but she made it difficult for them to capitalize on her death.

While some of the weeklies threw up the obligatory photo slide shows, obits and commentaries on their Web sites, Taylor died too late in the week to get substantial coverage in print, much less the kind of cover treatments that would normally be done about the death of a star of her magnitude. Most of the magazines send their issues to the printer Monday or Tuesday.

Time and TV Guide, which have yet to close their print issues this week, will still be able to include stories. Reps for People and Entertainment Weekly said their plans were still up in the air.

Of course, there could be another reason for the dearth of weekly print coverage planned so far. The celeb rags are chasing younger readers, so the 79-year-old Taylor’s death, as one weekly’s rep put it, is not “something that would warrant a special edition conversation.” Taylor’s July 2010 cover of Vanity Fair, whose readers skew older, sold just 361,485 print copies, below the magazine’s 396,167 average for the period.

8435: C’MON WHITE MAN! Episode 2.

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

AdFreak examined the evolving venture from former CP+B honcho Alex Bogusky. According to reporter Brian Morrissey, Common is an effort to “spark a consumer revolution,” and it’s “nothing less than a roadmap for reinventing capitalism.” Bogusky’s brainstorm is committed to “rapidly prototyping many progressive businesses that unleash creativity to solve social problems.” In a roughly hour-long presentation that can be viewed online, Bogusky and his cohorts projected slides trumpeting beliefs like, “Creative people must play a part in inventing the new capitalism,” and “From competitive advantage to collaborative advantage.” Plus, they unveiled the Common mission statement: “Design a capitalism that spreads love and prosperity to all stakeholders.” Another slide read, “Common purpose, common goals, common means, and common values. A common brand to encompass products, businesses, and ideas of the common community.” The final image spotlighted the Common logo and identified the group as “The New Industrialists.”

What. Ever.

Forget the potential copyright infringement lawsuit that may be filed by recording artist-actor Common.

It’s too early to predict what this pipe dream will potentially produce. But at first blush, the community leaders appear to be predominately White—which is so common of the industry that spawned the enterprise. Additionally, it’s a safe bet that the initial list of “social problems” to be solved does not include diversity on Madison Avenue. This is probably just as well, given that whenever the most creative people in our business collaborate to tackle the rampant exclusivity, the progressive answer always involves inventing a minority youth outreach program. And based on past events, Bogusky is incapable of moving beyond the clichés to deliver transformative thinking in this area.

It’s a shame. Bogusky seems to have undergone a spiritual rebirth, suddenly rejecting the injustices he’s witnessed and even co-authored over the years. Yet will he denounce the greatest crime in the history of Madison Avenue, or continue to ignore the White elephant in the room?

Right now, The New Industrialists bear an uncanny resemblance to The Old Segregationists.

C’MON WHITE MAN!

8161: Delayed WTF 10—Squeezing Old White Guys.

Over the past few months, MultiCultClassics has been occupied with real work. As a result, a handful of events occurred without the expected blog commentary. This limited series—Delayed WTF—seeks to make belated amends for the absence of malice.

Chris Rock once identified the most racist people: Old Black Men.

In the advertising industry, it’s easy to identify the most culturally clueless people: Old White Guys.

Whenever some adman admits (usually in a self-deprecating tone), “Hey, I’m just an Old White Guy,” rest assured he’s about to follow through with culturally clueless commentary of the highest order.

This phenomenon was demonstrated when Luke Sullivan recently spoke on “The Drum”—podcast of The Marcus Graham Project.

Sullivan, of course, is the author of “Hey Whipple, Squeeze This: A Guide to Creating Great Advertising,” and he’s also a Creative Director at GSD&M in Austin, Texas. Anyway, the conversation was rolling along quite nicely, with Sullivan plugging his book and offering personal perspectives on various industry-related topics. But around 45 minutes into the broadcast, things took a clumsy turn.

MultiCultClassics can’t recall the exact details, and our busy schedule and general laziness prohibit typing a transcript. At one point, the interviewer brought up Millennials and minority consumers, and he asked Sullivan how GSD&M creates messages targeting such audiences when the agency might not be familiar with specific cultural nuances.

Sullivan initially claimed that the agency would hire specialists to join a project and deliver insights and relevant concepts. Then Sullivan remarked that he really didn’t subscribe to the notion of bringing in consultants to tell him if something would or wouldn’t resonate with minorities—which he added might be perceived as an “incendiary” viewpoint. Later, Sullivan copped the standard “A Big Idea Is A Big Idea” position; that is, big ideas have universal appeal. Plus, he appeared to imply that he didn’t believe in separating agencies by discipline or culture. Sullivan also segued to inclusive hiring, stating that the GSD&M staff reflects America pretty well. And he boasted that his agency supports supplier diversity to ensure “a bunch of Old White Guys” don’t give all the jobs to other “Old White Guys.” Throughout the awkward ramblings, Sullivan sprinkled in additional “Hey, I’m just an Old White Guy” references.

Sullivan’s words were not “incendiary” in the slightest; rather, they were sadly indicative of the ignorance plaguing too many iconic figures in our industry. To be clear, Sullivan is no Dan Wieden. And he’s no Alex Bogusky, as Bogusky opened the Pandora’s Box by making diversity the focus of an online show and inviting Black guests to examine the matter. However, Sullivan must definitely be categorized as an Old White Guy—along with Wieden, Bogusky, Mike Hughes, John Siefert, Rick Boyko, Tim Arnold and countless others. He certainly displays the common symptoms and cultural cluelessness for Old White Guy classification.

Blog visitors might now be asking, so what’s the problem?

Well, the problem is that our industry—with its legendary dearth of diversity—will have great difficulty making progress while Old White Guys are in control.

Chris Rock recognized why Old Black Men are the most racist people, as the comedian explained that a lifetime of discriminatory conditioning led to the anger and bias. In contrast, Old White Guys seem oblivious to their own cultural cluelessness and its root causes.

Let’s take Sullivan, for example. The man said he’s been in the ad game for 31 years, employed by The Martin Agency, Fallon McElligott and GSD&M. Mike Hughes of The Martin Agency confessed, “We’ve done a pretty poor job on diversity as an industry and we’ve got to do better.” Fallon McElligott is headquartered in Minnesota—‘nuff said. GSD&M is responsible for Popeyes Chicken advertising—‘nuff said again. In short, Sullivan has spent his entire career in exclusive environments. He’s used to being in exclusive environments. Hell, he’s probably proud to have been in exclusive environments. Old White Guys enjoy the privileges of exclusive environments—consciously or unconsciously—including the money, awards and business fame. As a result, Old White Guys don’t see diversity as something demanding attention. Deep down, they think fighting for inclusive workplaces is an unnecessary pile of politically-correct poppycock—an outrageous shakedown conducted by Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.

Old White Guys conclude the true troubles reside with minorities. By golly, colored people simply aren’t aware of the advertising industry and the wondrous opportunities on Madison Avenue. Hence, Old White Guys opt for launching inner-city youth outreach programs and/or delegating diversity to the resident non-White person. Yet no action plans are devised to revamp the existing exclusive environments and the hiring practices that preserve the exclusivity. Mid- and senior-level minority executives are ignored or deemed extinct when searching for candidates. And heaven forbid Old White Guys might submit to education or rehabilitation in order to gain enlightenment.

Arrogance and ignorance prohibit Old White Guys from advancing beyond the cultural Cro-Magnon stage on the evolutionary chart. Indeed, they’ll probably take offense when reading this post. After all, Old White Guy is the new N-Word; that is, it’s OK for Old White Guys to use the term, but it’s an obscene slur when non-Old White Guys use it.

Sullivan updated his book to cover new media and DRTV. Plus, he mentioned inserting fresh case studies to keep the content from feeling outdated. But don’t expect future versions to include sections on multicultural marketing or diversity.

During the broadcast, Sullivan declared, “The world’s changing. You have to change with it or die.” Regarding diversity on Madison Avenue, it seems as if change won’t occur until Old White Guys die.

8142: Delayed WTF 7—Bogusky’s Baked In.

Over the past few months, MultiCultClassics has been occupied with real work. As a result, a handful of events occurred without the expected blog commentary. This limited series—Delayed WTF—seeks to make belated amends for the absence of malice.

Finally got around to reading Baked In by Alex Bogusky and John Winsor. Overall, the book delivers innovative thinking in a progressive style—including interactive components like a wikiblog and Twitter feed. The authors provide visionary perspectives with plenty of case studies and recipes for breakthrough results. Baked In could be the best cookbook for contemporary advertising and marketing since Luke Sullivan’s Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This.

Bogusky clearly knows how to ignite creativity at every point in the journey, refusing to settle for the expected or accept the contrived and clichéd. The book challenges us all—agency wonks and clients alike—to reinvent our current conventions. In fact, study Baked In closely and it’s not surprising that Bogusky ultimately experienced an alleged spiritual rebirth as a consumer crusader.

Yet it’s somewhat disappointing that Bogusky appeared unable to tap his cutting-edge skills when confronted with the advertising industry’s diversity dilemma. On his Fearless Q+A show, Bogusky offered zero new ideas, regurgitating the same old solutions that have failed for over 80 years. He didn’t consider the implications of cultural trends. He couldn’t hatch fresh designs for change. There were no declarations of knocking down walls and jumping silos. Bogusky never mentioned a single tactic listed in Baked In that might be incorporated to address the dearth of diversity in our ranks.

Perhaps now that Bogusky plans to stage societal revolutions, he should lend a hand to the industry that made him a star. Let him develop serious strategies and executions for the biggest challenge in Madison Avenue’s history. Surely Bogusky can reach beyond his initial suggestions which seemed so, well, half-baked.