16231: Sustaining Employment Through Sustainability.

 

Noticed this a tad tardily, but Adweek posted a CMO Moves episode starring “three sustainability trailblazers”—including Brad Jakeman. So, it looks like Jakeman has pivoted from DE&I defender to sustainability savior, mirroring the slick moves that Adland executed as a deliberate diversion from addressing racial and ethnic equality. Interestingly enough, Kendall Jenner is involved with 818 Tequila, a brand promoting a sustainability platform. Maybe Jakeman and Jenner will reunite…?

 

CMO Moves: The Future of Sustainable Shopping

 

How these green champions are steering their companies and clients toward climate-friendly policies that consumers will support

 

By Jenny Rooney

 

In this episode of CMO Moves, three sustainability trailblazers discuss their efforts with Adweek CXO Jenny Rooney to bring awareness to The Future Is Mainstream Green action plan.

 

The CMO Sustainability Accelerator (CSA) and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) created the report to highlight the work CMOs must do to drive sustainable practices in their businesses. CSA is a new industry-wide collaboration led by Adweek, ANA and Sustainable Brands, and powered by BCG that brings CMOs and sustainability leaders together to advance the growth agenda inside their organizations, supply chains and beyond.

 

Check out their bios below to learn more about them, and tune in to learn about key sustainability practices and best practices for leaders behind these initiatives.

 

More about our guests:

 

Lauren Taylor is a lead member of BCG’s marketing, sales and pricing, and consumer practices, and has led efforts on growth strategy as well as organization and turnaround. She is currently the global leader for customer-centric sustainability at BCG and is passionate about helping companies better understand market demand and the most important aspects of sustainability, the innovation needed to remove barriers, and how to influence customer behavior to drive sustainability while generating business value.

 

Brad Jakeman is a senior adviser at the Boston Consulting Group, one of the world’s leading management consultancies. At BCG he advises clients on all aspects of marketing, business restructuring, digital transformation and sustainability. In addition to his role at BCG, Jakeman is co-founder and managing partner of Rethink Food, which identifies, invests in and helps scale businesses that are digitally disrupting the legacy food system to make it more equitable and sustainable. Prior to co-founding Rethink Food, Jakeman spent almost 10 years as president of PepsiCo’s Global Beverage Group.

 

Jose “Pepe” Gorbea is the global head of brands, agencies and sustainability innovation at HP. Gorbea grew up in the suburbs of Mexico City, led the marketing agenda of multiple brands at Bimbo, Kraft Foods, Nestle and Mondelez across the globe, and is an alumnus of Google’s Marketing Academy. For him, bringing to life the voice of the consumer and their communities through the power of co-creation has helped him enable his clients to produce “better marketing,” from the likes of Hershey’s #HerShe and Nescafe’s “New Year’s Resolutions” to Dettol’s “Covid Warriors” and Smirnoff’s “Love Wins,” just to name a few.

 

Achieving Mainstream Green is key to a more sustainable economy. Read the new report on the CMO Sustainability Accelerator hub to learn more and take action.

 

15733: PepsiCo Launches Multicultural Business And Equity Development Organization.

 

Advertising Age reported PepsiCo launched a new business unit—the Multicultural Business and Equity Development Organization—designed to address internal and external inequality at the company. The special unit will be led by 34-year PepsiCo veteran Derek Lewis. Gee, seems like it would have been a perfect opportunity to call back Brad Jakeman and Kendall Jenner—and resurrect Aunt Jemima too.

 

PepsiCo Looks To Scale Equality Efforts Through New Business Unit

 

Derek Lewis is appointed president of newly established Multicultural Business and Equity Development Organization

 

By Jon Springer

 

PepsiCo today announced a new unit business unit dedicated to accelerating its efforts to address inequality inside and outside of the food and beverage company and appointed 34-year company veteran Derek Lewis as its president.

 

The new organization, known as the Multicultural Business and Equity Development Organization, will scale Pepsi’s ongoing efforts to create economic opportunity for underserved businesses and communities, and address inequalities for historically excluded people, the company stated. Pepsi announced a $570 million, five-year commitment in 2020 to increase Black and Hispanic representation in its ranks, and said it would leverage the company’s scale to influence suppliers and partners to do the same.

 

Businesses across many industries have taken a deeper look at their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategies since social justice protests rocked the country following George Floyd’s murder in 2020.

 

PepsiCo’s new unit will operate across its beverage and convenient foods businesses, encouraging a “one-team” approach the company stated would enable the brand to drive sustained change and scale faster.

 

Lewis most recently served as president of PepsiCo Beverages North America’s South Division, and has played an integral role in the company’s broader diversity and community engagement agenda, the company stated. In his new role, Lewis will lead an organization tasked with ensuring end-to-end business inequalities are addressed. He will report to Kirk Tanner, PepsiCo Beverages North America CEO, and Steven Williams, PepsiCo Foods North America CEO.

 

PepsiCo outlined a variety of focus areas for the new organization including efforts to better communicate messages about its diversity and inclusion progress to consumers and business partners. It will also be charged with accelerating development in underserved communities and expanding several existing programs including the Black Restaurant Accelerator, which supports Black-owned foodservice businesses, and Juntos Crecemos, which supports Hispanic-run small businesses.

 

A new focus on equity will also rebrand the existing Pepsi Stronger Together community engagement platform with an eye on bringing it increased scale and awareness. Lewis helped to create that program, which includes a variety of grassroots programs, including student mentorship and support for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), according to the program's website.

 

The equity arm is also intended to elevate Pepsi’s reputation as an employer for a diverse workforce; support employee resource groups; and better support salespeople and delivery professionals in the field.

 

In addition to Pepsi Stronger Together, Lewis oversaw “She Got Now,” an internship program providing career opportunities for students at HBCUs.

 

Williams said in a statement said: “We take great pride in the strength of our teams, the power of our brands, and our ability to exceed consumer and retailer expectations. Incorporating and accelerating our equality agenda will now be a new area of strength as we create sustained change in the communities where we live and work.”

15254: Pepsi Served At—And Serving—Black Restaurants.

PepsiCo published a press release announcing a partnership with the National Urban League designed to help Black restaurants succeed. Is this some sort of amends for disrespecting Black Lives Matter with the infamous Pepsi-Kendall Jenner Commercial? Perhaps the program should include Jenner serving as a waitress at Black restaurants—along with Brad Jakeman handling dishwasher duties.

 

National Urban League Launches Black Restaurant Accelerator Program Powered by $10 Million Grant from PepsiCo Foundation

 

PURCHASE, N.Y., Oct. 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Urban League and PepsiCo joined forces to create the Black Restaurant Accelerator, which will boost approximately 500 Black-owned businesses over the next five years. The PepsiCo Foundation is providing a $10 million grant to fund the program, which will provide current and aspiring Black restaurateurs with access to capital, training, mentorship and other support services that are necessary for business success.

 

Black entrepreneurs have long faced systemic barriers to growth, including access to loans and capital, biased community perceptions and gentrification challenges. These hurdles have been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, as demonstrated by the 41% of Black-owned businesses that have shuttered since February 2020 compared to just 17% of white-owned businesses.* Through National Urban League Entrepreneurship Centers in 12 cities across the U.S., the Black Restaurant Accelerator will not only help address these barriers, but also take a long-term view by pairing participants with entrepreneurship advisors and PepsiCo employee volunteers to build an actionable plan for growth.

 

“This is a game changing program that will provide Black restaurateurs with access to business-building resources tailored to meet their specific needs,” said Marc H. Morial, President and CEO, National Urban League. “Our understanding of the local business environment and community paired with subject matter expertise from PepsiCo team members will give business owners a leg up as they look to grow.”

 

National Urban League will begin accepting applications for the program in the first quarter of 2021. Restaurateurs interested in receiving updates can go here. Learn more about Urban League Entrepreneurship Centers and other workforce development programs by visiting NUL.org.

 

“This is a key component of the broader investments we’re making to bolster Black-owned restaurants and small businesses, which has never been more critical,” said Jon Banner, executive vice president, PepsiCo Global Communications and president, PepsiCo Foundation. “We’re honored to build on the important work the National Urban League is doing to diminish the barriers that limit possibilities for Black-owned foodservice businesses and create economic mobility that propels individuals and communities.”

 

The Black Restaurant Accelerator program comes on the heels of recent PepsiCo efforts to advance Black-owned restaurants — enabled by strategic partnerships with industry, non-profit and grassroots organizations and advocates who share a passion for creating a more equitable industry — including:

 

·      Pathways to Black Franchise Ownership: PepsiCo is a founding sponsor of this long-term initiative to increase the number of Black-owned restaurant franchises in the U.S. in partnership with the Multicultural Foodservice and Hospitality Alliance (MFHA). Through curated training and mentoring administered through 4thMVMT, the program aims to create 100 Black-owned businesses by 2022.

 

·      Black Restaurant Week: Pepsi recently signed on as the first-ever national title sponsor of the Black culinary celebration. Together, Black Restaurant Week and Pepsi are celebrating Black culinary tastemakers through events in cities across the country designed to promote Black-owned restaurants to the broader community while stimulating the local economy.

 

·      Advisory Council: PepsiCo assembled a body of industry visionaries to provide perspective, serve as a sounding board and advise on solutions for the Black foodservice community. Council members include:

 

o   Restaurant owner and entrepreneur Marcus Davis

 

o   Award-winning writer and author Osayi Endolyn

 

o   Founder & Curator, The Iconoclast Dinner Experience (IDE) Dr. Lezli Levene Harvell

 

o   Celebrity chef, author, CEO & President of DWT Culinary Associates LLC Daniel Thomas

 

o   CEO of The Black upstart Kezia Williams

 

These efforts are part of the $400 million commitment PepsiCo made over the next five years to advance racial equality within the company, industry and the communities it serves. More information is available at PepsiCo.com/racial-equality-journey.

 

*University of California, Santa Cruz, 2020

15119: The Curious Consultancy Case Of Brad Jakeman.

 

 

 

Advertising Age reported on the latest move for Brad Jakeman, who joined Boston Consulting Group as a senior advisor. The trade journal speculated that Jakeman, “who is well-connected with some of the industry’s most influential CMOs, will be charged with tapping into those networks to get Boston Consulting Group more embedded with key decision makers.” Plus, Jakeman may be involved with “helping marketers bolster their in-house marketing teams, which by itself could prove to be a long-term threat to agencies, which have been contending with the so-called in-housing trend in recent years.” Okay, so Jakeman will be engaging in cronyism and leveraging his experience with the failed Creators League and the ultra-failed Pepsi commercial…? Plus, the pseudo diversity defender is now part of a global firm whose leadership does not appear to be very diverse. Perfect.

 

Boston Consulting Group Hires Ex-PepsiCo Exec Brad Jakeman As It Bolsters CMO Outreach

 

By E.J. Schultz

 

Boston Consulting Group has hired former PepsiCo executive Brad Jakeman as it moves to bolster outreach to chief marketing officers that are taking on broader roles inside large corporations.

 

Jakeman, who comes aboard as a senior advisor, left PepsiCo in late 2017 after seven years to start his own consultancy. He had served as president of the company’s Global Beverage Group, giving him purview over strategy, brand building, design, advertising, marketing and innovation for brands including Pepsi, Mtn Dew and Gatorade across more than 150 countries. Previously he held marketing roles at Activision Blizzard and Macy’s.

 

Jakeman, who is well-connected with some of the industry’s most influential CMOs, will be charged with tapping into those networks to get Boston Consulting Group more embedded with key decision makers. Jakeman will “strengthen our efforts toward building an actively-engaged CMO community, and ...further build out our external marketing strategies and approaches,” Boston Consulting Group Managing Director and Senior Partner Mark Abraham stated in an internal memo announcing the hire. He called Jakeman a “global operating executive with a marketer’s heart.”

 

CMOs have emerged as a key target for management consultancies in recent years as their roles have expanded to cover a lot more than traditional advertising. “Marketing is moving from this megaphone-to-everyone approach to a more targeted and personalized approach,” Jakeman said in an interview today. As a result, the “role of the CMO has never been more complex than it is right now. The CMO today is expected to be part chief innovator, part chief storyteller, part growth officer, part data specialist, part consumer advocate, part technocrat.”

 

But with that complexity comes more opportunities for management consultancies, which are increasingly competing with agencies. Firms like Accenture and Deloitte have sought new ins to the C-Suite by building out their creative service offerings—often via acquisitions—that are sometimes used as an entry to bigger projects.

 

Boston Consulting Group is part of the elite trio of management consultancies—along with McKinsey & Co. and Bain & Co.—that are considered the most-prestigious players in the consulting world. The three firms have deep strategic consulting practices that cover a range of business areas including marketing.

 

The three firms, collectively known as “MBB,” in some ways operate on a different plane from fast-growing major consultancies in the marketing space that have or had historic ties to accounting firms: Accenture Interactive (part of Accenture’s Accenture Digital); Deloitte Digital (part of Deloitte’s Deloitte Consulting); and PwC Digital Services (part of PricewaterhouseCoopers’ PwC Advisory).

 

Jakeman will join BCG’s Marketing, Sales, and Pricing (MSP) practice, whose offerings include consultation on data-driven marketing, personalization and customer experience, technology stacks, and organizational change, according to its website.

 

“I wouldn't say BCG is taking on agencies,” Jakeman says. “I imagine we will be working alongside a lot of agencies but will be doing things that are very different.” But that could include helping marketers bolster their in-house marketing teams, which by itself could prove to be a long-term threat to agencies, which have been contending with the so-called in-housing trend in recent years.

 

At PepsiCo, Jakeman led the creation of the marketer’s in-house content creation arm, called Creators League Studio, which sought to leverage the power of PepsiCo’s brands with branded and unbranded content, including scripted series, films and music recordings. It had many hits, including backing the 2018 film “Uncle Drew,” which was based on a character played by National Basketball Association star  Kyrie Irving who began appearing for Pepsi as “Uncle Drew” in a 2012 campaign that went viral.

 

But Creators League was also behind Pepsi’s widely mocked Kendall Jenner ad from 2017. In a candid conversation about the experience, Jakeman in an interview during an Ad Age event that year called the backlash “the most gut-wrenching experience of my career.”

 

As he joins Boston Consulting Group, Jakeman will continue serving as founder and managing partner of Rethink Food, described in his new employer’s internal announcement as “a social impact venture fund with the mission of providing accessibility to more nutritious food and beverages to more people by investing in innovative business models in agriculture, technology, processing and consumer packaged goods.”

 

Contributing: Bradley Johnson

14870: The Worst Ads Of The Decade Expose The Worst Hypocrisy Of The Ad Industry.

Business Insider presented “The worst ads of the decade,” calling out 15 advertisements that broke down as follows: 8 with race- and/or ethnicity-based cluelessness, 4 with sex- and/or gender-based cluelessness and 3 with general cluelessness. The results kinda underscore the outrageousness of White women crying discrimination in the advertising industry, especially considering that White women have been co-conspirators with White men in maintaining the underrepresentation of racial and ethnic minorities in the field—and in the campaigns.

And a special shout-out to Brad Jakeman for making the Business Insider list via the Pepsi-Kendall Jenner video. The “honor” is another example of the outrageous hypocrisy so prevalent in the industry.

14469: Not Showing Any Love For New Pepsi Campaign.

Adweek reported on the new global campaign for Pepsi—For The Love Of It—which is a blatant rip-off of concepts from Diet Coke, Mickey D’s and Pornhub. Wonder if Brad Jakeman, Senior Advisor and Consultant to PepsiCo, teamed up with Creators League to hatch the latest disaster.

14241: PepsiCo Production PR.

Advertising Age reported the infamous PepsiCo Creators League Studio lost another “leader,” as Kristin Patrick handed in her resignation. Patrick was originally hired by former PepsiCo wonk Brad Jakeman, and the dynamic duo were allegedly running the in-house enterprise. Of course, PepsiCo affirmed its commitment to the production department, despite earlier rumors that the company was brainstorming for ways to manage things, including partnering with one of its White advertising agencies. Hey, maybe PepsiCo should recruit Kylie Jenner—versus Kendall Jenner—as she’s clearly a more successful businessperson than the creators charged with overseeing operations to date.

PepsiCo affirms commitment to its in-house studio after the exec running it resigns

By E.J. Schultz

Another high-ranking marketing executive is leaving PepsiCo. Kristin Patrick, whose duties have included overseeing the company’s in-house content studio, will depart on Friday. It was her decision to leave, according to a person familiar with the matter. PepsiCo announced her resignation today in an internal memo obtained by Ad Age.

Patrick was hired in 2013 by Brad Jakeman, the high-profile president of PepsiCo’s global beverage group who left the company late last year. Together they oversaw the Creators League Studio, which PepsiCo has used to make branded and unbranded content, including scripted series, films and music recordings. The unit was behind 2017’s widely mocked Kendall Jenner ad. But Creators League also backed successful efforts, including “Uncle Drew,” a movie based on a viral Pepsi ad that hit theaters earlier this summer as result of a collaboration with Lionsgate’s Summit Entertainment and Temple Hill. Creators League has also been involved in plenty of ad campaigns, including Pepsi’s 2018 Super Bowl ad starring Cindy Crawford and other celebs.

In a statement to Ad Age confirming Patrick’s departure, PepsiCo said that “we remain committed to and will continue to operate PepsiCo’s Creators League Studios.”

Patrick was originally hired as senior VP-global CMO for the Pepsi brand. She later took on the title of senior VP of global brand development, giving her oversight of PepsiCo’s licensing and content businesses. She was also involved on long-term brand positioning and developing relationships with the entertainment industry. Patrick shared Jakeman’s vision of using the Creators League to leverage PepsiCo’s brands and assets to make deep connections with Hollywood. Patrick, who is based in Los Angeles, came to PepsiCo from Playboy Enterprises where she was CMO.

Earlier this year, PepsiCo reached out to external partners about taking some oversight or even investing in the studio, Ad Age reported. But those efforts seem to have cooled off lately.

In the internal memo announcing Patrick’s departure, Eugene Willemsen, PepsiCo’s executive VP for global categories and franchise management, cited the “important role [the studio] it plays in our organization.” He said the studio has been involved in 250 brand projects around the world.

“Since its inception, the studio has earned 15 awards, saved PepsiCo more than $15 million in production and marketing costs, and created work that has made appearances at the Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival and SXSW, among many others, with its brand-inspired content,” Willemsen said.

The studio will now be led by Lou Arbetter, who most recently served as its general manager, Willemsen stated.

Willemsen said in the memo that Patrick made a “significant impact on our organization.” He credited her for “helping to scrub our partner network and elevate our licensing business with global retail partnerships such as Zara, H&M, Colette and others.”

Other high-ranking marketing executive who have left PepsiCo recently include Morgan Flatley, the former CMO for Gatorade and Propel, who left in April of 2017 to become U.S. CMO for McDonald’s. Carla Hassan, formerly PepsiCo’s senior VP for brand management for the global beverage group, departed PepsiCo in January of 2017 to join Toys R Us as CMO.

14135: PepsiCo Is Bush League.

Advertising Age reported PepsiCo is apparently brainstorming ways to finance and oversee the Creators League, its in-house studio specifically designed to generate content. Gee, maybe Brad Jakeman—senior advisor and consultant to PepsiCo—is working on the initiative, as he originally launched the enterprise. According to Ad Age, PepsiCo has contacted production houses and advertising agencies to co-run the Creators League or serve as investors. Seems like the perfect opportunity for Omnicom to handle. Although wouldn’t any arrangement between PepsiCo and an advertising agency and/or production house lead to conflicts of interest—as well as unfair bidding for outside vendors? Of course, it would also mean minority advertising agencies and production companies can look forward to receiving even fewer crumbs for executing projects. Hell, Kendall Jenner will get a chance to direct a PepsiCo video before a minority.

PepsiCo eyes outside investors for its Creators League

By E.J. Schultz

PepsiCo is looking for outside help for its internal agency, the Creators League. The food and beverage giant in recent months has been reaching out to external partners about taking some oversight, or even investing in, the in-house content creations studio, according to people familiar with the matter.

Options include forming a partnership that could include a significant financial investment from the outside. Organizations that PepsiCo has targeted include ad agencies and production companies, according to people familiar with the matter. It’s unclear whether PepsiCo is eyeing an outright sale of the studio, or looking to partner in some other way.

PepsiCo declined to comment.

The Creators League was thrust in the spotlight a year ago for its role in creating Pepsi’s infamous Kendall Jenner ad, which came under a torrent of criticism and was pulled. But the studio was also behind a range of successful projects including a short documentary film called “The Rugby Boys of Memphis” that had subtle Gatorade branding and was shown at the Tribeca Film Festival.

The Creators League was launched in 2016 by Brad Jakeman, who had been the president for PepsiCo’s global beverage group before departing the company late last year. Today the studio is led on a day-to-day basis by Kristin Patrick, PepsiCo’s senior VP of global brand development, who partnered with Jakeman on the launch.

With Jakeman at the helm, PepsiCo sought to build the Creators League into a powerhouse for branded and unbranded content—including scripted series, films and music recordings—that used the power of PepsiCo’s brands and assets to make deep connections with Hollywood. For instance, Creator’s League was instrumental in turning Pepsi’s viral “Uncle Drew” into a full-length movie slated for release June 29. The film, created in partnership with Lionsgate’s Summit Entertainment and Temple Hill Entertainment, features NBA star Kyrie Irving, who plays Uncle Drew in the ads.

The Creator’s League is also credited with brand Pepsi’s Super Bowl ad, which included Cindy Crawford and vintage footage of other previous A-list Pepsi endorsers such as Michael Jackson and Britney Spears.

The search for outside help comes as other marketers are pouring more resources behind their in-house agencies in response to the need for more content created at breakneck speeds to fill the digital pipeline. For instance, Chobani and Spotify have invested more in-house talent, while SoulCycle just recruited its own creative director. Last year, 98 percent of internal creative teams said they will grow or stay the same size, up from 85 percent in 2016, according to the annual “In-House Creative Services Industry Report,” compiled by Cella, The Boss Group and InSource.

14116: Starbucks Store Bias.

The New York Times reported Starbucks will shut 8,000 stores as employees undergo racial-bias training after an incident involving the arrest of two Black men in Philadelphia that sparked nationwide outrage. Look for Brad Jakeman to whine that it’s another case of the “vocal minority” injuring a brand that has done so much for racial harmony over the years. Regardless, the scenario does demonstrate the power of the public to ignite change by threatening to boycott, adversely affecting a brand’s image and bottom line. Unfortunately, rallying the public to demand the end of exclusivity on Madison Avenue has never succeeded. For starters, people tend to be unaware of White advertising agencies’ existence at all. And even attempting to target the advertisers who employ and partner with such shops would likely fail to persuade the brands to mandate equality. Besides, the White advertising agencies would defend themselves by presenting the patronizing smokescreens and heat shields—inner-city internships, minority mentoring, tax-deductible donations to ADCOLOR® and The 3% Movement, etc.—designed to create the illusion of inclusion. Hell, the culturally clueless hucksters would probably advise Starbucks to launch a limited edition Coffy coffee to quiet the protests.

14086: Heineken Hooey.

Advertising Age wondered, “How did this happen? Behind Heineken Light’s ‘lighter is better’ ad mistake.” Does anyone really need to ask the question? As MultiCultClassics noted, Heineken has executed questionable moves in the past, involving the actual work and the ways the work has been assigned. And its White advertising agencies have even worse records of cultural cluelessness. When ignorant brands partner with ignorant agencies, the ignorance is magnified. Of course, idiots like Brad Jakeman will blame “vocal minorities” such as Chance the Rapper. Meanwhile, the responsible advertising agency is the “non-vocal majority” that dodges accountability. Advertising Age opined the scenario showed “the inherent danger when brands try to import work into the U.S. from abroad.” Okay, but it appears that the responsible advertising agency is part of a global network—and these holding companies sell themselves to clients as being most qualified to handle global messages. Chance the Rapper originally stated, “I think some companies are purposely putting out [noticeably] racist ads so they can get more views.” Sadly, some companies are putting out racist ads because they—and their “global” advertising agencies—have limited views of the world.