15099: Publicis Groupe Global Head Of Futures And Insights Is History And Out Of Sight.

Well, that was quick. Advertising Age reported Publicis Groupe “parted ways” with Global Head of Futures and Insights Tom Goodwin after his Twitter rant on COVID-19—the White holding company apparently removed him like a virus in the system. Unfortunately, the miraculous vaccine-like maneuver didn’t have similar removal effects for Kat Gordon and Colleen DeCourcy…

 

Publicis Says It Has Parted Ways With Tom Goodwin After His COVID-19 Comments On Twitter

 

By Lindsay Rittenhouse

 

Tom Goodwin, head of futures and insight for Publicis Groupe, is leaving the agency holding company after posting tweets criticizing “the total obsession with Covid deaths over all other deaths" as “entirely gruesome.”

 

A Publicis spokeswoman confirmed Goodwin’s exit in a statement.

 

“Since the beginning of this pandemic, Publicis Groupe has taken decisions and actions led by the principles of unity, empathy and humanity despite the collective hardships. These posts and exchanges by Tom Goodwin this week on social media do not meet the standard of conduct we expect of our company’s employees and were not aligned with our values. Publicis and Tom have parted ways,” she said.

 

Goodwin did not immediately return a request for comment.

 

“I find the total obsession with Covid deaths over all other deaths entirely gruesome. 7500 Americans die every day but only the ones with this precise new Virus matter,” Goodwin posted on Twitter on Sunday.

 

R/GA U.S. Chief Strategy Officer Tom Morton responded to Goodwin’s tweet, disagreeing with his take on the situation. Goodwin then fired off against Morton, prompting others to jump in.

 

Goodwin’s comments on Twitter on Sunday led to swift responses from others in the advertising and marketing industry who disagreed with his take on the situation. Agency executives Wieden + Kennedy Chief Creative Officer and Co-President Colleen DeCourcy and The 3% Movement Founder Kat Gordon quickly condemned his comments.

 

In subsequent tweets posted on Monday, Goodwin emphasized that he was “not a voice of Publicis,” instead noting “This thread is just me, not representative of a Publicis POV.”

 

It is often difficult to separate personal views from those of an employer in the fraught social media landscape. As tensions are heightened during lockdowns and economic uncertainty, many have stumbled. Last week, Nathan Young, 600 & Rising’s president and one of its founders, tweeted a criticism about the ADCOLOR awards. Young soon issued a statement clarifying his comments and 600 & Rising sent out a separate statement.

 

Agencies are also under pressure from clients to show they have zero tolerance for controversial remarks made by employees including Goodwin.

 

—With reporting by Adrianne Pasquarelli and Jessica Wohl

15098: COVIDiots And Twits On Parade In Adland.

Advertising Age reported on Publicis Groupe Global Head of Futures and Insights Tom Goodwin, who tweeted insights on COVID-19 that might impact his future with the White holding company. Goodwin’s gripes included, “I find the total obsession with Covid deaths over all other deaths entirely gruesome.” The remarks inspired gruesome outrage from pseudo thought leaders like Kat Gordon and Wieden + Kennedy Co-President Colleen DeCourcy, who condemned Goodwin as a ‘splainer and declared, “There are not enough days in life to care about Tom Goodwin.” Of course, DeCourcy found enough time to deliver follow-up quotes to an Ad Age scribe. At his website, Goodwin explains, “It’s my job to understand how the world is and isn't changing and advise our Clients and our Worldwide Agency network what it means and how to best change for the future.” Okey-doke. Based on the story, Goodwin appears to be a bona fide douchebag. Gordon and DeCourcy, on the other hand, established their world-class stupidity long ago. Somebody should put all of these fools on lockdown already.

 

Publicis Groupe Exec Sparks Twitter Backlash After Criticizing ‘The Total Obsession With Covid Deaths”

 

By Lindsay Rittenhouse

 

Tom Goodwin, the head of futures and insight for Publicis Groupe, ignited a heated Twitter debate on Sunday involving some well-known industry executives after he criticized “the total obsession with Covid deaths over all other deaths” as “entirely gruesome.”

 

Goodwin wrote in the tweet, “I find the total obsession with Covid deaths over all other deaths entirely gruesome. 7500 Americans die every day but only the ones with this precise new Virus matter. (& excess mortality is now near zero).”

 

He continued in a thread, “Still finding it totally baffling that someone who dies from Covid is more preventable & thus more tragic than someone who dies of delayed cancer diagnosis or delayed surgery because of the lockdown, which is just how life is. & 2019 Influenza B deaths are less tragic why?”

 

A Publicis Groupe spokesperson said only, “His views are not reflective of the company’s.”

 

His tweets sparked a Twitter firestorm, though. R/GA U.S. Chief Strategy Officer Tom Morton was quick to respond to Goodwin, stating in a tweet: “Because it’s a new disease with no vaccine and no cure and 150,000 Americans are dead. Please no more clickbait contrarianism. You’re better than this.”

 

According to the latest figures from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been 154,471 deaths in the U.S. related to coronavirus.

 

Goodwin then went off on Morton, who subsequently retweeted the Publicis exec’s response with the statement: “I guess this is the end of me and Tom Goodwin’s professional correspondence.” Several industry executives then jumped into the debate and to Morton’s defense, including Wieden + Kennedy Chief Creative Officer and Co-President Colleen DeCourcy, The 3% Movement Founder Kat Gordon and Stink Studios CEO-Partner Mark Pytlik.

 

Morton did not respond to a request for comment. Goodwin, though, told Ad Age that Morton blocked him on Twitter following the argument and that he would “welcome the chance to talk to him about any aspects of what he’s put, either in public or private.”

 

Goodwin had responded to Morton with a series of tweets including: “Apologies for caring about the thousands dying from suicide, delayed cancer treatment, delayed ‘elective’ surgery etc, its not fucking contrarianism, is basic morality. Get off your lofty perch & give a shit about the vulnerable— Your sourdough baking homeschooling works well for YOU.”

 

“Seriously Tom, your double income, working from home, moral high ground judgment makes me fucking sick,” Goodwin continued in his Twitter thread response which was retweeted by Morton. “Do you think I’m trying to jerk off to the S&P500 or do you think maybe I have a little more empathy &can see life in tatters in all directions, well beyond the Hudson valley.”

 

Goodwin concluded in his tweets against Morton, “By all means think I’m wrong, argue with the data, but never ever doubt my intentions and NEVER think this is simple.”

 

“I’m a big believer in conversations about vital topics and to learn from the debate,” Goodwin told Ad Age. “Changing your own opinions from conversation is better than maintaining it, it means you’ve learned something.”

 

“Rest assured I mean nothing personal. I, like many of us, am just painfully aware a lot of people are really really suffering right now,” Goodwin continued in an email. “We use lines like ‘we’re all in this together’, and I’m not totally sure we’re doing our gifts of empathy justice. The homeless around Penn Station grow ever more gaunt, drug addiction hotlines get overwhelmed, the elderly are feeling more isolated by the day, kids below the digital divides see their chance of changing generational wealth gaps evaporate. The value we bring to our clients comes from understanding the world and most from REALLY understanding people. It’s our job to see why people would vote for Trump when it seems illogical, to see why people don’t want to wear masks, to drink with Border agents, to do trends decks from Dollar General and from Hudson Yards.”

 

‘Not leadership’

 

DeCourcy, one of the execs who came to Morton’s defense, argued though that the way in which Goodwin responded to Morton was “not leadership.” 

 

“Everyone is entitled to their opinion and debate can be a productive tool,” she told Ad Age. “Tom Goodwin’s ego takes those things to ugly places.”

 

DeCourcy noted that she does not personally know Goodwin but called Morton “a kind and thoughtful member of the advertising community.”

 

Goodwin has never seemed to shy away from voicing his opinion publicly and often his tweets can be seen as incendiary. On July 30, for example, he commented on companies’ ineffective ability to “sell” via Zoom: “I don’t really care why you started the company, who you are, who backed you, just show me the thing. It’s not rocket science.”

 

Pytlik, in defense of Morton, had wrote in a tweet: “Ah yes, all that grandstanding and extreme whataboutery was merely the sign of *checks notes* a more empathetic man.”

 

DeCourcy wrote, “There are not enough days in life to care about Tom Goodwin.” Gordon wrote, of Goodwin, that she “dropped him recently when he parentsplained me and he has no kids,” to which DeCourcy responded: “He’s a ‘splainer.”

 

Seemingly in response to the debate he sparked, Goodwin tweeted out a series of posts on Monday stating, for example, “Not sure what the point of a voice is if you are not going to use it for what you believe to be right,” and affirming his views are his own and “not representative of a Publicis POV.” Goodwin was named head of futures and insight for Publicis Groupe in January after having served four years as executive VP and head of innovation for the holding company-owned Zenith Media.

15070: Is Wieden + Kennedy Two-Faced With Facebook…?

AgencySpy posted on the patronizing paradox of Wieden+Kennedy taking a bold stand on Black Lives Matter (depicted above) until its client, Facebook, landed on the wrong side of the matter. Then again, it’s not the first time the White advertising agency has done the cultural cluelessness cha-cha-cha. After all, co-founder Dan Wieden declared the industry was fucked up in terms of diversity in 2009—and he even collected an ADCOLOR® trophy. Yet nearly a decade later, current W+K Co-President Colleen DeCourcy felt compelled to challenge everyone in the shop to do the right thing better. Plus, there was the art director who claimed to be among only two Black women in the creative ranks at the 600-person company. Hell, it’s not even the first time W+K has been criticized for hypocrisy involving Black Lives Matter. It appears to be another classic case of talking the talk—and marching the march—without walking the walk. The official W+K statement expressed that publicly speaking about Facebook would be “unhelpful” and “unprofessional.” Okay, but doesn’t integrity integrate into the equality equation?

 

W+K Says It Would Be ‘Unprofessional’ to Weigh In on Industry Backlash Against Client Facebook

 

By David Griner

 

On June 17, Wieden + Kennedy released a statement not only in support of Black Lives Matter but also putting clients or potential clients on notice.

 

“If you do not support this sentiment as a client, we’ll gladly support you finding another agency,” W+K wrote in an animated post on Instagram.

 

The statement was bold, but the timing proved somewhat awkward. On the same day, six advocacy groups (including the NAACP and Anti-Defamation League) launched the #StopHateforProfit campaign urging advertisers to boycott Facebook—a major W+K client—in July.

 

That effort, aimed at getting Facebook to curb the spread of hate speech and misinformation on its platforms, has since snowballed into one of the industry’s largest boycotts ever.

 

Some of the world’s largest advertisers, including W+K clients Ford and Coca-Cola, have joined the effort, which comes after weeks of scrutiny over Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg‘s reluctance to fact-check political advertising or flag incendiary posts by President Donald Trump.

 

(For a relatively quick and easy refresher on how this boycott came together, you can check out Adweek’s newest bonus podcast episode with reporter Scott Nover, who’s been covering the story’s rapid development.)

 

Like most agencies, W+K has remained quiet on the boycott despite the movement’s clear traction with brands and equality advocates who normally find themselves marching alongside the outspoken agency.

 

But W+K isn’t like most agencies. It’s proudly independent (unlike the rest of the Facebook agency roster, including Accenture Interactive’s Droga5, Omnicom’s BBDO, Publicis’ Leo Burnett and WPP’s Ogilvy) and famously vocal on social issues—especially around race in America.

 

So, after saying it would drop clients who don’t support the “sentiment” of Black Lives Matter, will W+K stand by Facebook amid criticism of the network from much of the brand community and groups such as the NAACP?

 

Today, the agency sent Adweek an official statement, or rather an official statement declining to make a statement:

 

“There is no debate on the fact that Black Lives Matter to us. We felt it was important as an agency to make that statement public,” W+K agency leadership wrote. “That said, speaking publicly about the challenges our client faces right now is not only unhelpful; it’s unprofessional. Suffice it to say, the intense conversations taking place at Menlo Park are taking place at Wieden + Kennedy.”

 

So there you go. Doesn’t sound like we can expect a high-profile client breakup any time soon, despite the agency’s tough talk on Instagram.

14761: In The Divertsity Era, All White Advertising Agencies Look Alike.

AgencySpy posted an internal email from Wieden + Kennedy leaders (depicted below) boasting about the White advertising agency’s Mickey D’s win while slamming ex-AOR We Are Unlimited. This is the equivalent of a professional athlete executing an end zone dance after posterizing a Special Olympian. The barbs included, “But in the end, WAU forgot the power of creativity (or arguably didn’t have much to offer).” Stay classy, W+K.

The truth is, W+K and WAU actually are very equal rivals in one key area. Both White advertising agencies are divertsity and divertisement deceivers. Indeed, the shitholes are run by White women—Colleen Decourcy and Wendy Clark—who talk the talk and walk away. These fools are only interested in promoting White women—especially themselves.

Decourcy and Clark are soul sisters in the Divertsity Era, perfectly representing the new racism exclusivity of the field.

14653: TIME’S UP/Advertising Delegates Divertsity To An Executive Director.

Adweek reported TIME’S UP/Advertising named its first Executive Director, tapping ADCOLOR® and Omnicom alumnus Christena J. Pyle for the position. Wieden + Kennedy Co-President Colleen DeCourcy, not surprisingly, made a few stupid comments including claiming Pyle is independent and “won’t be tethered by agency politics or exceptions to the rule”—presumably meaning she’ll be able to operate outside the “power matrices.” DeCourcy also contended, “The check is not paid by any of our companies, and that’s what it will take to do anything that’s truly disruptive.” Um, can an ADCOLOR® and Omnicom offspring ever be considered truly independent? The White advertising agencies, incidentally, are absolutely signing checks and signing up members for organizations like TIME’S UP/Advertising. Is DeCourcy saying agency politics and power matrices are to blame for the sexual harassment in adland? Hey, her White advertising agency is hardly free of fuck-ups. Ditto her clients. At least DeCourcy’s ignorance gives Pyle a clear sense for the culturally-clueless clowns that come with the circus.

Time’s Up Advertising Names First Executive Director

Adcolor, Omnicom veteran Christena J. Pyle starts in new role June 10

By T.L. Stanley

Just past its one-year mark, Time’s Up Advertising has named its first executive director, Christena J. Pyle, a veteran of Adcolor and Omnicom who says she feels like she’s been prepping for the newly created role for more than a dozen years.

Pyle, who recently served as director of Adcolor and director of diversity and inclusion at Omnicom, starts at the organization on June 10 as “a natural next step that makes so much sense” in her career, she said, taking up the mantle of pushing for safe, fair and dignified workplaces in the ad business.

The group, part of the umbrella Time’s Up movement that started in Hollywood, addresses workplace discrimination, harassment, abuse and entrenched male-dominated culture with the backing of 200 agencies. Its first formal hire is intended to capitalize on the current climate where pay equity and female representation are top-of-mind issues.

“Ramping up right now is critical,” Pyle said. “We have this window, especially coming to an election year, to inspire as much change as possible.”

Colleen DeCourcy, Wieden + Kennedy’s co-president and Time’s Up Advertising steering committee member, said Pyle’s independent status means she “won’t be tethered by agency politics or exceptions to the rule” and can work outside the existing “power matrices.”

“The check is not paid by any of our companies,” DeCourcy said, “and that’s what it will take to do anything that’s truly disruptive.”

Time’s Up Advertising, for its next chapter, needed “a designated staff to make sure we’re holding ourselves accountable, tracking impact and maintaining the focus on our north star,” said Rebecca Goldman, interim CEO, Time’s Up. “We don’t want small change; we want big bold change. And we’re willing to invest in great people.”

Building infrastructure is happening across the organization, Goldman said. Time’s Up launched a healthcare-centric group this spring to tackle inequities and misconduct in the country’s largest employment sector.

And the group is inching closer to naming a permanent CEO, though Goldman said she won’t be taking the role and couldn’t speculate on when that appointment will be made. She did say the movement overall will have “meaningful, innovative news” within the next several months.

Pyle, who was part of Adweek’s 2018 Young Influentials list, was Adcolor’s first intern. There, she honed skills that will translate directly to her new gig, according to Tiffany R. Warren, Adcolor founder-president, Omnicom’s svp-chief diversity officer and Time’s Up Advertising steering committee member.

“The key was finding someone who could move from building interest and building a coalition to making it actionable,” Warren said. “We need to have an individual with the strength of character and the physical strength to fight these systemic issues. She’s the right person.”

DeCourcy said having a formal full-time leader makes for a “sharper spear” and a “Trojan horse” for the movement.

It matters that Pyle is a woman of color, DeCourcy said, “who understands all the complications of what it means to be underrepresented.” She also noted Pyle’s intimate knowledge of the ad industry and her “relentless, optimistic, positive, unyielding point of view on how the business can get better.”

Pyle, having done the arduous and sometimes lonely work of diversity and inclusions, said she’s spending time fortifying herself before she starts, “sleeping longer, working out, drinking green tea.”

She’s heading into a group that has hit some bumps along the way in the early going. DDB Worldwide CEO Wendy Clark stepped down from the steering committee after admitting that her agency had tapped former Droga5 CCO Ted Royer to help on its Volkswagen pitch after he’d been terminated from his agency amid an investigation into undisclosed accusations.

Women of color also said they didn’t feel heard during last year’s series of public meetings, which initially excluded freelancers and former ad execs who may’ve been forced out of their jobs because of harassment or discrimination. Time’s Up Advertising’s leaders apologized for the missteps and opened the forums to more women.

“This moment is too important to lose,” Goldman said, acknowledging past mistakes. “We’re coming together to fight for all women.”

10904: C’MON WHITE MAN! Episode 28.

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

Okay, let’s review the evidence. Colleen DeCourcy publishes a fuzzy confession about the inequities women experience in advertising. Roughly six months later, she takes a top-level position with Wieden + Kennedy. Yep, White women face insurmountable obstacles on Madison Avenue. Hell, DeCourcy even managed to successfully land in this male-dominated blog series.

C’MON WHITE MAN!

10555: Val DiFebo Is A White Woman.

Okay, the following post is admittedly a tad sloppy—yet it was inspired by recent commentary and observations.

Business Insider spotlighted Deutsch NY CEO Val DiFebo, clarifying a quote the adwoman made in a 2009 New York Magazine article. DiFebo now insists the statement in question—“I don’t think of myself as a woman”—should have read: “I don’t think of myself as a woman, but a businessperson that is a woman.” One has to wonder if DiFebo didn’t mean to say, “I don’t think of myself as a women, but as a businessman that is a woman.” After all, other high-level female advertising executives have shown that succeeding in the field often demands becoming “acceptable” by White adman standards:

• Socialistic CEO Colleen DeCourcy confessed to being “one of the boys” throughout her career.

• Former Leo Burnett Chief Creative Officer Cheryl Berman stated in a 2009 Wall Street Journal story, “I guess you could say I was Peggy Olson in the 70’s, when I walked into an agency called Leo Burnett. When I walked out 30 years later, I guess you could say I was Don Draper.”

• Former BBH Chair Cindy Gallop encouraged adwomen to “Be the bitch. … It’ll get you more places and more of what you want than receding invisibly into the background in a charmingly feminine way will.” Plus, Gallop constantly flaunts her fascination for younger men and pornography.

• Why, even DiFebo ultimately displays the gender-morphing phenomenon. It’s no secret that Deutsch has historically been a boy’s club—and a wild one to boot. Founder Donny Deutsch is notorious for his womanizing, as well as his penchant for dropping F-bombs. The Business Insider story made a reference to a bright orange sign attached to the white board in DiFebo’s office that reads, “Tell it to me fucking straight.”

It could also be argued that White women have an easier time meeting such assimilation requirements. Diversity experts and market researchers clearly recognize the differences between professional women across racial and ethnic groups—especially the varied attitudes and behaviors regarding work. White women probably greatly outnumber non-White women on Madison Avenue for a reason—and it may be rooted in their ability to relate with White men, transforming themselves and gaining acceptance.

In the end, DiFebo likely succeeds because she is a businessperson that is a White woman.

::::

Why Deutsch’s Val DiFebo Said ‘I Don’t Think of Myself As A Woman’

By Samantha Felix

Deutsch NY CEO Val DiFebo wants to set the record straight: She does, in fact, think of herself as a woman.

The truncated quote that has haunted DiFebo — it comes up in Google searches — was originally published by New York Magazine in 2010 as: “I don’t think of myself as a woman.”

But she told Business Insider that it should have read: “I don’t think of myself as a woman, but a businessperson that is a woman.”

While sitting with us, DiFebo remarked that ever since the article ran, anytime she meets with someone new, the first thing out of their mouth is, “So, I heard you don’t think of yourself as a woman?”

DiFebo has been with Deutsch since 1992, playing a key role in shaping the growth of its New York office. Her up-beat personality reflects the culture and energy of the office.

But DiFebo is no softy. The bright orange sign plastered to the white board behind her desk says it all: “Val DiFebo; CEO, Deutsch, New York; Tell it to me f--king straight.”