17321: MLK Day 2026 In Adland (Cont’d 2).

 

Upon reviewing social media posts, no Adland holding companies acknowledged MLK Day.

 

Some could argue most holding companies are not US enterprises, being headquartered in Japan, France, the UK, etc.; hence, since MLK Day is a US holiday, the foreign-based holding companies had no obligation to salute the event.

 

Not sure what excuses Omnicom or Stagwell might offer to explain the snub. IPG—recognized for leadership in diversity and inclusion—no longer exists, so the former White holding company is absolved of its performative do-gooder duties.

 

In the end, CES trumped MLK.

 

Hell, even ERGs were seemingly deprived of a delegating diversity opportunity.

 

For Adland, the dream continues to be deliberately diverted, delegated, deferred, diminished, dismissed, and denied.

16292: Juxtaposing Juneteenth & Adland.

 

The National CARES Mentoring Movement celebrates Juneteenth with the message depicted above, which arguably offers parallels to the historical DE&I struggles in Adland.

 

That is, word of the Emancipation Proclamation didn’t reach African Americans in Texas until two and a half years after its signing. To comparatively examine the advertising industry, Blacks have heard that equality awaits—yet still wait far too many years to experience fair opportunities in the field.

 

In Adland, justice is not only delayed—it’s deliberately delegated, deferred, diverted, dodged, and denied.

15602: Exposing The Toxic Weaponry That Defends Exclusivity.

 

The latest Digiday confessions series installment presented phrases that do not typically appear in open conversations about Adland’s cultural cluelessness: toxic positivity and weaponized incompetence in DE&I. The confessor defined the phrases as follows:

 

“It’s the culture where there are always praise parties. We say everything good that we’ve done. We can say we have this initiative and that initiative. But if we stop there, and we don’t say what else we need to be doing, or here’s where we’re falling flat, that’s where it’s toxic. When the narrative is constantly skewed positive, we forget to stop and recognize that some of it’s neutral and some of it’s negative. That’s where it’s toxic.

 

For people of color, especially when we raise our hands, saying we need XYZ, I’m laying out my expectations here and what could be changed. People stunt that and say, ‘Well, what do you want done?’ It’s okay to pose that question to people of color. But with toxic positivity comes weaponized incompetence, where it’s, ‘Oh, I’m white. I really don’t know what you want here and I’m doing what I can.’ Go hire a third-party source that’s going to hold you accountable. Go make sure you have an advisory board mixed with people of color, LGBTQIA status and abilities.”

 

While toxic positivity and weaponized incompetence sound contemporary, the phrases repeat how the advertising industry continues to deliberately delegate, divert, detain and deny diversity—in toxic and weaponized ways.

 

‘There are a lot of doors being closed’: Confessions of a PR professional of color on toxic positivity and weaponized incompetence in DE&I

 

By Kimeko McCoy

 

If 2020 was the year of accountability when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion, 2021 is the year of action — or at least it was supposed to be.

 

After the murder of George Floyd and following calls for racial justice, a number of companies across the industry moved to publish DE&I stats and statements of support and pledges of action. But according to a broad swath of agency execs and employees in previous Digiday reporting, understanding the progress of DE&I at agencies is more complicated than a numerical snapshot.

 

In this edition of our Confessions series, in which we exchange anonymity for honesty, a communications specialist of color talks about frustrations around stagnant diversity initiatives and a lack of intersectionality.

 

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

 

Why do you think the industry has yet to achieve true diversity, inclusion and equity?

 

My biggest thought, in terms of diversity and workplace culture, is that I am not an advocate of toxic positivity. That’s the one thing stunting companies. Everyone wants to say this company is so nice and everything’s good. But if you ever bring to light that things aren’t, now you’re the negative Nelly or that person of color who always has something to say. We’re always toeing the line between being candid and trying to hold companies accountable versus being the complainer.

 

What’s your definition of toxic positivity and how does it play into DE&I goals?

 

It’s the culture where there are always praise parties. We say everything good that we’ve done. We can say we have this initiative and that initiative. But if we stop there, and we don’t say what else we need to be doing, or here’s where we’re falling flat, that’s where it’s toxic. When the narrative is constantly skewed positive, we forget to stop and recognize that some of it’s neutral and some of it’s negative. That’s where it’s toxic.

 

For people of color, especially when we raise our hands, saying we need XYZ, I’m laying out my expectations here and what could be changed. People stunt that and say, “Well, what do you want done?” It’s okay to pose that question to people of color. But with toxic positivity comes weaponized incompetence, where it’s, “Oh, I’m white. I really don’t know what you want here and I’m doing what I can.” Go hire a third-party source that’s going to hold you accountable. Go make sure you have an advisory board mixed with people of color, LGBTQIA status and abilities.

 

Has any of this played out in your personal professional experience?

 

From the get go, I was a really big champion of diversity. I was helping the recruiting team get [diverse candidates] interested in talking to us. Given, we were understaffed, but they said we were too busy. We never revisited that. You told me you’re trying to network and get diverse candidates, but we couldn’t make time for that and we’re not circling back?

 

Sometimes there are a lot of doors being closed because no one knows how to put those resources into place. So, we just give up and that’s not the answer either. One of the most difficult conversations is where you spin your wheels, you’ve given all these ideas to executives like, “We still need change. These numbers are still flat or this is still happening in the workplace.” And they’re like, “Well, what do you think we should do?” It’s good that those doors are open. But the tone that people use, the way they ask and how receptive they are to input definitely changes whether it’s really a welcome suggestion, or like, “Well, we asked you. Why didn’t you say anything?”

 

What do you think the industry response should be?

 

As a person of color, I need to put skin in the game and hold myself accountable for showing up and giving feedback when we’re being welcomed to give feedback. It falls on the agencies themselves [too] because it can’t just be on one small group of people, especially considering that we are the minority. If all companies care about is hitting those diversity numbers so that they can post about it on LinkedIn, you’re not really doing anyone service. It’s gonna take a lot of moving parts for holistic change to keep going.

15373: Black Girls Rules.

 

Advertising Age reported on a new guide—created by SeeHer and OWN—designed to school creative teams on how to depict Black women in advertising and avoid cultural cluelessness. Guess this means the average White advertising agency’s resident minorities—including janitorial maintenance and mailroom attendants—won’t be tapped to review multicultural work. The guide should be titled: Delegating Diversity Diva Digest. Or The Dawn Chambers Field Guide. Its publication also begs the question, “What the hell took so long?” After all, SeeHer has been around and for about five years. Perhaps SeeHer sees White women first…? Somebody better send a copy to Stan Richards pronto.

 

How Brands Should Think About Representation Of Black Women In Creative

 

OWN and SeeHer debut new guide to help frame authentic images and storylines

 

By Jeanine Poggi

 

Does your creative include a Black woman in a meaningful role? Are you depicting an intersectional view of Black female characters? Does the story engender a versatile view of beauty for Black women? These are the questions brands should be asking themselves as they develop campaigns to ensure accurate portrayals of Black women in their messaging, according to a new guide developed by SeeHer and OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network.

 

“Brands spend billions of dollars to influence thought and behavior, and imagine the power of those brands dedicating a portion of their spend to reflect Black stories and people,” says Sheereen Russell, group VP, ad sales, client partnerships and inclusive engagement, OWN. “It’s more than selling a product or service, it’s about creating a meaningful connection and imprint to shift the cultural narrative.”

 

As the ad world works to fix years of systemic racism, brands are looking to be more diverse in who they feature in their marketing campaigns and be more inclusive in their storytelling. As they do this, there are certainly questions and blind spots surfacing about the depiction of Black people in ads.

 

The guide is designed to provide creative teams questions and insights to help empower the creative community (advertisers and those in entertainment) to become more aware of potential blind spots and unconscious biases.

 

Other such questions include: Do the Black female characters have any positive and healthy relationships with key people in their lives? Does the story include at least two named Black female characters who have a conversation about something other than their race? Is there a range in body types, skin tones, hair textures and natural hairstyles among the Black female characters?

 

It also highlights questions to help avoid potential pitfalls: Is the primary Black female character a sidekick or best friend to a white protagonist, and accordingly lacks a storyline of her own? Does the incorporation of a social justice theme make Black female audience members feel burdened more than seen? Does the story overtly or subtly perpetuate colorism—prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone?

 

“Gone are the days of one size fits all,” says Esi Eggleston Bracey, exec VP and chief operating officer, North American beauty and personal care, Unilever. “What everyone wants in the world is to feel seen, they want products and brands to serve their needs, and choose brands and products with transparency, without being held to a narrow standard of ‘normal.’ Too much of us haven’t been seen.”

14712: Bashing Boring Bonobozo Divertorial Drivel.

Adweek published a droning divertorial—a new word for divertsity dreck from divertisement dimwits—typed by Bonobos CEO Micky Onvural. The CEO called for White men to jump on the White women’s bandwagon. Ironically, Onvural is responsible for an ad campaign that pissed off lots of men. Maybe her dull divertorial is an attempt to make amends. It’s more likely that she’s just another hypocritical huckster—which actually makes her very similar to the Mad Men she’s seeking to rally.

The Appetite for Gender Equality Is There. Now Men Need to Step Up as Allies

They need to join the fight in vocal, active ways

By Micky Onvural

My dad wouldn’t call himself a feminist. He married my mom at 36, and they had three children. My mum stayed home, and he worked as a merchant at the same company for almost 40 years. Now retired, he spends a lot of his free time on the golf course. Not exactly the portrait of hardened feminist, at least from the outside.

But, of course, appearances aren’t everything. And while there are thousands of ways to express feminism, the assumption that it’s strictly about protesting or campaigning is all too common. I believe that the small day-to-day actions and attitudes can, will and often do add up to having an even bigger impact on gender equality.

This was definitely my experience growing up and has formed my perspective around the quieter form of feminism that I seek to embrace.

From an early age, my father impressed upon my sister and me the importance of independence. He cheered us on during exams, celebrated when we were accepted to university and beamed with pride as we entered the workforce. There was nothing we couldn’t accomplish in his eyes, no limit to where we might go. And it was exactly the same for my brother. There was no distinction along gender lines. It all just was.

Now I find myself leading a menswear company as CEO after moving my kids and husband across the country. The saying that women marry somebody like their father, in my case, is laughably true. My father was my ally growing up, pushing me on toward the future, and in the present, my husband is my equal partner in everything we do. While we’re both building our careers, he flies cover for me on late meetings, business travel and acts as my sounding board at moments of self-doubt.

It’s easy for me to sit here and write about how my feminist father, husband and even my boss have helped me get to where I am today, but I realize that this experience is unique. It’s too unique. Not all women are raised in this way; too few have the unbridled support of their partners, and so many don’t have the privilege of working in an environment that champions them. It takes men willing to stand up for women to accomplish true gender equality.

What began decades ago with the first steps of the women’s rights movement is still being shaped and fought for through movements like #TimesUp, through activism for women of color and transgender women, through efforts to close the pay gap and so much more. Strides have been made, of course, but there’s a long way to go.

A recent study by Promundo, a global organization that promotes gender justice and equality, showed that 60% of men think there should be more women in positions of leadership at work. When I marry that with the finding that men want to do more to help and women are asking for more help, it seems like the time to make meaningful change in the workplace is now. So, what’s the issue? Why aren’t more men jumping in to help drive change?

Of course, there is no easy answer to that. But from the many conversations I’ve had with men on this topic, it seems like there’s a split between a misunderstanding of how to help, fear of doing something wrong and, in some cases, obliviousness. When I hear these things in conversation, I offer concrete examples of how men can have a vocal, active role in the fight for gender equality. These are sometimes simple actions, like yielding the floor in a meeting, or more thoughtful ones, like challenging men to educate themselves about the challenges women face in their everyday lives. I’m heartened, though, that the appetite for change is there.

The conversation about allyship and equality is not just about the workplace and working women. It is just as important that women are being supported and lifted up in the home. In the same research conducted with Promundo, it was found that about half of women reported that they want more help from their partner with childcare and almost as many stated that they did a disproportionate amount of the housework. Here, I look to the example of my husband. I would say, for the most part, we are 50/50 on all things related to our children and to the home. It reminds me of my own upbringing and our bubble in which the playing field was always level. Obviously, that kind of environment matters to me, but it also sets an important example for my two young sons. This is the example we want them to be raised with.

And ultimately, that is where this all leads: to the next generation. To the work of creating a generation that doesn’t dream of equality but expects it. With boys, like my two young sons, believing that women are their equals in every way. And with girls, like my daughter, having the same access to opportunity as anyone else. Together, we can build that future through actions big and small, and we’ll all be better for it.

14627: Marc Pritchard Promotes #SeeHer—And Turns Blind Eye To True Diversity.

Adweek reported on the latest divertsity dung from P&G Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard, who encouraged his peers to “put pressure on” White advertising agencies to boost White female representation. According to Adweek, Pritchard also “said he had a ‘discussion’ with P&G’s agencies, which include Publicis and WPP’s Grey New York, about what they are going to do to increase the number of women and people of color on their teams.” Of course, Pritchard didn’t share specifics on how the shops responded, opting to hype #SeeHer instead. Prediction: White women will continue to get promoted and Pritchard will collect more ADCOLOR® trophies—and there will be zero significant progress for people of color. Plus, Pritchard will go on assigning cultural projects to White advertising agencies, ignoring minority firms.

Newly Appointed ANA #SeeHer Co-Chair, P&G’s Marc Pritchard, Sets Goals for Increasing Diversity by 2020

He’s encouraging marketers to put pressure on agencies to accomplish this

By Lindsay Rittenhouse

Procter & Gamble chief brand officer Marc Pritchard has raised the bar once again for the advertising industry at the Association of National Advertisers’ #SeeHer event in New York on Friday, setting new goals to increase diversity by 2020. Pritchard, along with AT&T chief brand officer Fiona Carter, were named #SeeHer’s new co-chairs of marketing for the 2019–2020 year earlier in the day.

The ANA initiative was founded three years ago to eliminate unconscious bias and increase diversity in programming, advertising, marketing and media. They succeed former #SeeHer marketing chair Stephen Quinn, the former Walmart chief marketing officer who retired at the end of 2018.

“We have a responsibility to make a difference,” Pritchard said to a room of client-side marketers, agency executives and media personnel. “So what can we do?”

He then laid out several initiatives #SeeHer would champion under his and Carter’s direction, which includes, firstly, encouraging every company and brand to promote the hashtag #SeeHer. Out of the 1,800 companies in the world, only 70 have committed to the #SeeHer movement. “If you haven’t joined already, ask yourself why,” Pritchard said.

Pritchard said #SeeHer will also be launching new iterations of its Gender Equality Measurement tool, which has now been used to evaluate more than 60,000 ads for unconscious gender bias in 14 countries. The new tools will now evaluate race, sexuality, ability and age and “will be as rigorous as the [measurement tool] is for gender.” He added that they will also expand to 25 countries.

He noted that out of the 60,000 ads evaluated, 71 percent fairly represented women and that he aims to get that to 100 percent by 2020.

Pritchard said #SeeHer has also partnered with Free the Bid, the initiative founded by director Alma Har’el, who was in the audience, to increase the number of female directors in advertising and film. Pritchard said only 7 percent of ads, 4 percent of Hollywood movies and 17 percent of TV shows are directed by women, which he called “unacceptable.”

Lastly, he encouraged every client-side marketer and agency to increase diversity within their own staffs.

“If you are client-side, ask your agencies where they stand,” Pritchard continued, “like we did just yesterday.” He said he had a “discussion” with P&G’s agencies, which include Publicis and WPP’s Grey New York, about what they are going to do to increase the number of women and people of color on their teams.

“These actions can and will make a difference,” Pritchard said.

As the top marketer of one of advertising’s biggest spenders (P&G has a budget of $7.1 billion), Pritchard has championed diversity and equality through the company’s brand messaging. Most recently, he stood by Gillette’s “The Best Men Can Be” campaign from AOR Grey New York, which raised awareness to toxic masculinity and faced a firestorm of backlash from some men who felt the campaign challenged what it means to be a man. Of note, the ad addressed such issues as cyberbullying, sexual harassment and misogyny.

“As the largest trade association with all the leading marketers, we were in the unique position to bring scale to the movement from the outset,” ANA CEO Bob Liodice said in a statement. “#SeeHer is good for business and good for society. With Marc’s and Fiona’s expertise and personal commitment, we will certainly reach, and likely exceed, our goal for 2020.”

Carter sits on the ANA and Women in Sports boards and was named chief brand officer of AT&T in 2015. An agency veteran, Carter was previously chief operating officer of advertising, branding and research for Omnicom and managing director for BBDO New York before that.

“Many marketers have their own gender equality programs,” Carter said in a statement, “but the full force of our industry dwarfs anything we can do individually. We are determined to make that clout count so that girls and women everywhere—be they mothers or chemists, artists or business owners—see themselves accurately reflected in the ads and programming that reach millions of people every day.”

According to ANA president and chief operating officer Christine Manna, Carter and Pritchard have been instrumental in the growth of the #SeeHer movement.

“Fiona and Marc have been with us every step of the way, educating their own organizations and serving as dynamic spokespeople for positive change,” Manna said in a statement. “This is simply formalizing roles they have been playing.”

14064: Omnibullshit From Omnicom.

Campaign chatted with Omnicom SVP Chief Diversity Officer Tiffany R. Warren at the Omniwomen UK Leadership Summit, a divertsity day where gender equality trumped general equality—as shown by the photo above. The White holding company revealed women comprise 48% of its UK senior management teams and boards, which is a whopping 60% higher than the industry average. Why is Omnicom willing to share its gender figures, but not its EEO-1 data? Event attendees received a card presenting the company’s “global workplace harassment policies” and a 24-hour hotline number to anonymously lodge grievances. “I support those who have been impacted by those incidents [of sexual harassment]. Everyone should have a voice,” declared Warren. “Everyone has a different #MeToo story, and we have to have room for all of those… People are taking notice [at Omnicom] at all levels.” Especially people who are White male perpetrators and/or predators. Warren said her CDO focus for 2018 is “intersectionality”—as opposed to integration or inclusion…? “Gender equality is having a moment, but not all people understand that there are still many marginalised groups that are underrepresented,” explained Warren. “It’s not enough to have diversity of thought, you must have diversity of people.” Um, if not all people realize the dearth of diversity at this point, what does that say about the effectiveness of Chief Diversity Officers? Does the Ebony Power 100 honoree even realize she’s among the less than 100 Black female executives in the industry?

Omnicom diversity chief: ‘This time is different’ in dealing with inequality

Tiffany Warren, the chief diversity officer for Omnicom Group, said she believes “this time is different” for dealing with sexual harassment and inequality within the advertising industry and pledged to support victims of harassment.

Warren spoke to Campaign at the fourth annual Omniwomen UK Leadership Summit, Omnicom’s conference and training day aimed at increasing the influence and number of female leaders across the network.

The holding company, which owns agencies such as Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO and TBWA, announced at the summit that its UK senior management teams and boards comprise an average of 48% women, which it says is 60% higher than the industry average of 30.2%. Omnicom’s figure has not changed since last year, but the 48% statistic represents a 20% rise at the company within the last three years.

Omnicom addressed the issue of sexual harassment by giving Omniwomen attendees a card that outlines the company’s global workplace harassment policies. The card lists the number for a 24-hour hotline that employees can use to make anonymous complaints.

“I support those who have been impacted by those incidents. Everyone should have a voice,” Warren told Campaign. “Everyone has a different #MeToo story, and we have to have room for all of those… People are taking notice [at Omnicom] at all levels.”

Asked whether women at Omnicom would be legally protected if they spoke up about incidents of harassment despite having signed NDAs, Warren said it was not her place to answer that. Reports of harassment go through the HR and legal departments, she explained.

Omnicom said at the summit that its gender pay gap report would be revealed within the next few weeks. WPP released its report last week.

Warren could not say what employees could expect from Omnicom’s figures. However she said the ad industry needs to recognise that the systems it has in place “aren’t working anymore.”

Her focus as chief diversity officer this year will be on intersectionality, she said.

“Gender equality is having a moment, but not all people understand that there are still many marginalised groups that are underrepresented,” she said. “It’s not enough to have diversity of thought, you must have diversity of people.”

14063: Who’s The Boss Lady?

Adweek reported on Mara Lecocq, a freelance creative director currently in New York City, who is creating an interactive divertsity database called “Where Are The Boss Ladies?”—an attempt to list every ad woman in a top role. The title is reminiscent of “Where Are All The Black People?”-turned-“Here Are All The Black People.” So it’s only a matter of time before “Where Are The Boss Ladies?” becomes a gala event or award show. Lecocq claimed, “I’ve always been super passionate about bringing diversity to male-dominated industries…” Okey-doke. Wonder how she’ll react if her list confirms the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s findings that there are less than 100 Black women in leadership roles in the entire U.S. advertising industry. The image from the Adweek article (depicted below) shows “Boss Women of Color”—which is bound to be a short list. Will that galvanize Lecocq and her sisters into revolutionary advocacy and action for women of color? Don’t bet on it.

This Creative Director Intends to Find Out ‘Where Are the Boss Ladies?’

Mara Lecocq’s database aims to compile a full list of current ad women

By Lindsay Rittenhouse

Where are the boss ladies?

Mara Lecocq, a freelance creative director and self-described “detective,” isn’t just posing that question to the advertising industry—she’s setting out to answer it herself.

“I’ve always been super passionate about bringing diversity to male-dominated industries, but I’m also a practical person,” Lecocq explained. “So when I heard things over and over again like ‘we can’t find any women,’ I decided to find a solution.”

About two weeks ago, Lecocq created a simple spreadsheet listing 15 ad women she knew in top roles, calling on others in the industry to contribute more names. The sheet has since evolved into an interactive database called “Where Are The Boss Ladies?” that receives an average of 15 submissions per day. As of today, the site showcases about 500 female leaders in the industry and six categories that allow recruiters to search for “bosses by role,” “boss women of color,” “bosses by city” and “bosses by agency,” while professionals seeking jobs can discover agencies and organizations championing diversity.

Under the “diversity agenda” category, people will find the agencies with the most-balanced leadership, those that offer parental leave, and those that don’t promote the workaholic culture many have come to associate with the ad industry.

Lecocq—who has held stints at agencies including DDB Canada and AKQA in her 13-year career and most recently worked as a freelancer at 72andSunny’s creative offshoot Sundae—said she’s never had a female boss. The excuse she hears most often is that agency leaders can’t find them, but with “Where Are All The Boss Ladies?” she hopes no one will be able to use that line anymore.

According to a 2017 LinkedIn study, only 33 percent of chief creative officers are women.

While she described her past male bosses as “awesome,” Lecocq said she longed to see women—including older women—in the same top roles.

“A woman with gray hair is fucking awesome,” she added. “I can’t stand ageism. It’s so unfair that women are dropping out of their careers in their early 40s just because they don’t feel supported.”

Lecocq said she has often questioned the obsessive work ethic most of her male bosses have possessed. She never envisioned herself becoming a CCO or ECD, she said, adding that she hasn’t worked in advertising since parting with Sundae last month. Instead, she kept busy managing “Where Are All The Boss Ladies?” as well as writing a series of children’s books called Secret Code, which empower girls of every race and background to pursue their dreams.

Luckily, Lecocq has some help. After she launched the initial spreadsheet, Christina Jones, a freelance creative manager, expressed her interest in the project and went on to transform the sheet into an interactive database.

Since Jones joined, French artist Malika Favre and Irish creative director and designer Lucia Orlandi have also come aboard.

Lecocq has since received several inquiries from other professionals, including CEOs, in other industries who want to build similar websites for spaces including finance, tech and social services.

Along with creating separate pages on “Where Are All The Boss Ladies?” for those industries, Lecocq is planning to experiment with her campaign; several video series are in the works, including one called “Feminist Dude Boss” that features “guys who are doing cool stuff for the cause.”

Lecocq is not the first ad woman to push this initiative. Last year, Lina Franzon, a copywriter at TBWA Stockholm, and Johanna Johansson, art director at Volt in Stockholm, launched a similar database in Sweden entitled Kreatörskvinnor, with plans to take their efforts globally by 2018. The two raised funds from multiple agencies including 72andSunny Amsterdam, but the worldwide site does not yet appear to have made its debut.

Franzon and Johansson did not return a request for comment for this story. 72andSunny did not know the status of the site but confirmed that the agency had donated to the project.

14055: 13 Years A Slave.

MultiCultClassics celebrates 13 years of witnessing the advertising industry deliberately delegate, divert, detain and deny diversity.

Thanks for stopping by.

14048: Declaring Divertsity.

Adweek reported The Martin Agency presented its new executive committee, adding more White women to the group. How appropriate that the White advertising agency waited until Women’s History Month—and after Black History Month—to announce the divertsity revolution. “I’m proud of this news,” gushed CEO Kristen Cavallo. “But we’re not done. Not by a long shot. We’re not diverse enough. We see it. We’re on it.” Um, anyone who views the fresh committee (pictured above) can see it. And given that the late Mike Hughes already admitted, “We’ve done a pretty poor job on diversity as an industry and we’ve got to do better,” Cavallo’s comment about being “on it” is complete bullshit. At this point, Cavallo displays less believability than Joe Isuzu and less integrity than Joe Alexander.

The Martin Agency Doubles Number of Women on Its Executive Committee as President Departs

Beth Rilee-Kelley spent 35 years with the agency

By Lindsay Rittenhouse

Today The Martin Agency unveiled a new, more inclusive executive committee with twice as many female representatives as before. Four out of the nine members on the committee are women, and the agency also boasts a 50/50 male-to-female officer ratio.

A spokesperson also confirmed that president and 35-year veteran Beth Rilee-Kelley has left the agency but declined to elaborate.

“Gender discrimination isn’t an HR issue. It’s a cultural issue,” said CEO Kristen Cavallo in a statement. “And the fastest way to change a culture is to level the playing field in leadership.”

Cavallo became the agency’s first female CEO in December, just two weeks after longtime CCO Joe Alexander departed amid reports of sexual harassment allegations made against him.

At the time, Cavallo said, “obviously, there is a need for a new direction,” and promised to increase diversity and improve culture at the creative shop best known for its Geico ads.

“I’m proud of this news,” Cavallo noted today, “but we’re not done. Not by a long shot. We’re not diverse enough. We see it. We’re on it.”

Chief among the promotions announced today is the elevation of Carmina Drummond, previously senior vice president and managing director of Agency Operations. Drummond will now assume the new role of chief culture officer, responsible for leading diversity and inclusion, learning and development and employee satisfaction initiatives.

Drummond joins the executive committee as its fourth female leader alongside Cavallo, CCO Karen Costello (who replaced Alexander in January) and CFO Janet White. The other five executives sitting on the nine-member committee are men.

The Martin Agency also announced the promotion of managing director Chris Mumford to the role of president. His main focus in the role will be to coordinate IPG integrated service offerings for clients, like Geico, accessing disciplines across the agency network.

Specifics regarding the departure of Rilee-Kelley, who ran the agency’s human resources department before being promoted, are unclear at this time.

Additionally, Steve Humble was elevated to COO from managing director of integrated content production and development, and Jerry Hoak was promoted to executive creative director and managing director.

Chief strategy officer Michael Chapman and CMO Chris Shumaker fill out the committee.

In early December, the week after The Martin Agency parted ways with Alexander, Adweek published a story featuring testimony from 11 individuals who previously worked directly with the ousted CCO. They summarized a pattern of alleged misbehavior, spanning nearly two decades and also shed light on a monetary settlement reached with a former employee who accused Alexander of sexual harassment in 2013.

14044: Divertsity Diet.

Advertising Age reported on Diet Madison Avenue, an anonymous Instagram account attacking men in advertising who allegedly engage in sexual harassment. It appears to be another example of the power of divertsity, showing how the gender equality movement in adland has gone from revolutionary to radical. The White women’s bandwagon is now a stealth bomber. Why, even Ad Age relaxed its journalistic standards—which used to oppose anonymity from sources—by “interviewing” Diet Madison Avenue creators and accepting anonymous comments from industry executives. Plus, while advertising citizens vehemently protested entities like the original AgencySpy, the critiques for Diet Madison Avenue are posed more as concerns versus complaints. The always self-promotional Kat Gordon declared, “One of two things is happening. Either Diet Madison Avenue knows who the offenders are before agencies do, suggesting a culture-of-fear problem, or agencies know before Diet Madison Avenue and do nothing.” Such black-and-white thinking displays ignorance about sexual harassment and discrimination. After all, the JWT lawsuit starring Gustavo Martinez and Erin Johnson proves it ain’t easy to prove bad behavior has occurred. Playing judge, jury and executioner via social media can be fun and entertaining, but knowing it’s coming from advertising wonks that probably have plenty of skeletons in their own culturally-clueless closets is disturbing.

Inside ‘Diet Madison Avenue’: The Anonymous Instagrammers Who Get Nasty in the Fight Against Alleged Predators

By Lindsay Stein

“Next up…”

With those words, the anonymous Instagram account that’s been taking deadly aim at prominent men in the ad industry announces its next intended target. Since January, the account, “Diet Madison Avenue,” has been naming and shaming industry execs it says have engaged in sexual harassment. In the past month, it’s become a twisted parlor game within the industry: Who’s next?

Well, we know who was last: Droga5 chief creative officer Ted Royer, who was let go Thursday, and who was one of three executives named in the account who became the subjects of internal investigations within those agencies, and have since left their jobs.

The others: Martin Agency Chief Creative Officer Joe Alexander and former Wieden & Kennedy London chief strategy officer Paul Colman.

Diet Madison Avenue’s tactics can come off as threatening and crude: It uses graphic language (calling some people “pricks”) and even addressed the wife of one target directly. But the people behind the site, who communicated with Ad Age via Instagram Messenger to keep their anonymity, point out the page is private. And they have posted several times in Stories that it’s not a gossip page—it researches everything it publishes with multiple sources, they say. They also say they collaborate with lawyers, PhD students and professors.

As for the tone of the account, “advertising is snarky and not always palatable” and “plenty of snark and cursing goes on at work,” the people behind it said by Messenger. “We understand that some support us and some don’t. We have always understood that we are one small spoke in a larger wheel of this broader movement.”

The account isn’t afraid to get rough: It called Alexander an “asshole”; it has tweeted at senior leaders asking why they are hiring and promoting sexual predators; it wrote “GTFO” when Colman was let go and tacked on hashtags including #fired #serialpredator. It address agencies by name with “we’re watching you”; it posts emails by victims detailing alleged harassment with names blanked out.

The group is run by a “collective” of 17 men and women who all have various day jobs in advertising, with additional assistance from 42 people on content creation, copy-writing design strategy and website and community management, according to the account. It now has 7,500 followers and counting, they say.

It has also generated a great deal of conflicting emotions in the industry, with many critical of its tactics but appreciative of its mission. If nothing else, it has everybody talking.

Many of those outside of Diet Madison Avenue interviewed for this story asked not to be identified for one of two reasons: They don’t want their words to be taken out of context, or they fear retaliation from the group, which regularly updates its Instagram stories and names not only alleged sexual harassers but people they believe to be complicit, such as HR professionals and other agency executives.

“It’s hard to ignore, but it’s also been hard to embrace,” says one female agency executive of the site. “It’s true that Diet Madison Avenue is creating important dialog around putting an end to sexual harassment and inequality in the workplace. But unfortunately many of us have felt that its tone doesn’t match the sobriety of this topic.”

The group says it gets its information from women who have been harassed in the industry and that the stories it publishes have been “diligently” vetted. They told Ad Age that they make sure to “corroborate and verify the stories of individuals coming forward.”

And they argue that they must operate covertly to protect informants: “Many of them have shared their story with us because we are anonymous and they are trusting us, and we are safeguarding them and their story.”

Attackers anonymous

It’s that anonymity that some feel is doing more harm than good, keeping the accused from confronting their accusers. And then there are those who say their biggest fear is seeing the name of a colleague, friend, boss or mentor pop up in one of the posts for alleged inappropriate behavior.

One agency CEO told Ad Age that the “mere existence of Diet Madison Avenue speaks to the very real issue of sexual harassment. But anonymous attacks with unknown evidence can yield stray bullets that hit innocent people. And once an accusation is launched, no matter what a court may or may not find, it’s game over for that person’s reputation.”

“One of two things is happening,” says Kat Gordon, CEO of The 3% Movement, which aims to bring more diversity to the creativity ranks. “Either Diet Madison Avenue knows who the offenders are before agencies do, suggesting a culture-of-fear problem, or agencies know before Diet Madison Avenue and do nothing.”

All of the agencies the organization has surveyed in its benchmarking survey, says Gordon, had zero-tolerance sexual harassment policies. Clearly, safe reporting and clear consequences are lacking in the industry, she says, and the bigger culture problem needs to be fixed.

“It’s getting people to talk and I think that’s great,” a consultant who wished to remain anonymous tells Ad Age. “They’ve obviously put a lot of pressure on the industry. I don’t think the situation at Droga would’ve happened without them.”

Badger & Winters Chief Creative Officer Madonna Badger, who launched the #WomenNotObjects initiative in 2016, says she believes Diet Madison Avenue is harnessing the power of social media to create change.

“Transparency and candor are crucial pillars of a free and equal world, so no one who is innocent has anything to fear,” she says. “The people who are harassing women and men must be called out in a public forum. Otherwise, how will this behavior end?”

However, Badger does question the lack of transparency on Diet Madison Avenue: “They provide no link to their process. I would like to know their standards.”

Another industry leader who, asking without irony to also remain anonymous, says “the kitschy branding, heavy reliance on anonymous sources, and of course its medium of choice, Instagram Stories, makes this effort feel a lot more In Touch than Washington Post. [There’s] an integrity and a code of ethics lacking that people need in the news now more than ever.”

Another female agency leader called Diet Madison Avenue a “slippery slope,” saying just because someone’s name turns up on the list doesn’t automatically mean they’re guilty. “There’s the risk of witch-hunting,” she says.

Diet Madison Avenue resists that narrative, saying it doesn’t see itself as any different than anonymous advertising networking app Fishbowl, or Twitter or YouTube, where people write comments without using their names.

“When we push against that status quo, we recognize that the status quo will push back,” they said, adding that the industry should make it so that the need for Diet Madison Avenue is irrelevant.

“Create better industry standards, get every agency to sign on to it, put money into it and enforce it.”

Jesse Brody, a partner at Manatt, Phelps and Phillips in the advertising, marketing and media practice, tells Ad Age that it’s not easy for someone to sue for defamation, libel or slander, especially if he or she is a limited-issue public figure such as a known name in advertising. However, Brody says a defamation suit could still be filed against the account if the facts turn out not to be true.

Representatives from Instagram were not immediately available for comment about whether the account is breaking any of its rules.

In the meantime, the account runs on. One female agency exec who has been leery of the site says she doesn’t think anyone wants the account to be shut down, and says she knows people are rooting for it to find its way.

“That just might mean hitting reset, focusing and being even more clear about its methods and intentions,” she says.

Controversy aside, says the group, “disagree with us, be annoyed with us, but talk to each other. … The awareness it’s bringing to this issue is the most important [part].”

14035: Analyzing Phenomenal Women.

Harvard Business Review published a report titled, “Beating the Odds”—an analysis of women of color who reached corporate levels including chair, CEO or C-level executive. The report opened with the following:

Any list of top CEOs reveals a startling lack of diversity. Among the leaders of Fortune 500 companies, for example, just 32 are women; with the recent departure of Ken Chenault from American Express, just three are African-American; and not one is an African-American woman. What’s going on?

Hey, take a look at the advertising industry, where there are less than 100 Black women in executive roles.

The HBR report presented this conclusion:

When African-American women are underrepresented in an organization’s senior leadership roles despite robust academic credentials and work experience, their struggles often suggest a broader problem: a workplace that fails to offer every employee equal access to opportunities for growth. Much of the narrative about women and African-Americans in corporate life focuses on derailment, plateauing, and off-ramping—and that’s doubly true for African-African women. As the women we interviewed demonstrate, that narrative need not be the rule. However, it takes extraordinary ability, perseverance, and support to transcend it. The insights gleaned in our study are important not just for African-Americans and women; they’re essential for any manager who recognizes what research has shown over and over again—that an organization’s diversity is its strength.

In adland, Black women must exhibit super-duper-extraordinary ability, perseverance and support to overcome the divertsity and exclusivity—unless they’re willing to settle for a Chief Diversity Officer position.

14025: BG BS.

Advertising Age published White advertising agency news items, including the following blurb:

Dialing up diversity

Independent marketing and communications agency Brownstein Group has begun a program called “BG20 x 2020,” designed to make sure 20 percent of its agency staff comes from underrepresented backgrounds by 2020. The Philadelphia-based shop, which says it already has a pretty significant number of women and LGBTQ community members on staff, plans on expanding recruitment efforts to schools and universities with historically higher percentages of people of color. Brownstein Group is also starting a “BG Gives Back” effort focused on purpose-driven initiatives.

It’s not the first time that Brownstein Group has been spotlighted and examined for its alleged commitment to diversity. Why, the place was offering expanded school visits and scholarships to minorities in 2006. A decade later—after securing “a pretty significant number of women and LGBTQ community members” in the office—the White advertising agency is now focusing on people of color. At this rate, “BG20 x 3020” is a more realistic program title.

14023: Clark’s Cultural Claptrap.

Adweek reported Wendy Clark was promoted to DDB Global President and CEO. Clark declared, “We believe that creativity is the most powerful force in business to achieve growth, but we’re never confused that the end goal is growth.” The comment accurately applies to We Are Unlimited, where there are signs of growth, with creativity trailing at a distant second place. Of course, Clark took advantage of the PR opportunity to emphasize the imperative for divertsity by announcing, “I want to use this position to create more opportunity for more women.” Yes, MultiCultClassics predicted this from the start of Clark’s arrival. She also stated, “Diverse teams and inclusive teams are higher performing. This isn’t the nice-to-do thing—this is the right thing to do for business outcomes, for attracting and retaining talent, for achieving our goals internally.” Gee, it will be great when Clark decides to actually do something—versus spewing patronizing rhetoric while perpetuating the status quo. Thanks to Clark, DDB stands for Deceptive Divertsity Bullshit.

DDB Promotes Wendy Clark to Global CEO, Making Her the First Woman to Lead an Omnicom Network

Chuck Brymer moves into chairman role

By Erik Oster

Omnicom has promoted Wendy Clark to the role of DDB global president and CEO. Clark, who formerly served as North American CEO, reports directly to Omnicom CEO John Wren and succeeds Chuck Brymer, who will move into the chairman role.

“After 12 terrific years as the head of DDB, I am excited to hand the baton to Wendy,” Brymer said in a statement. “She is passionate about our business and clients and has proven to be an inspiring leader for our company.”

Clark becomes the first woman to serve in a global chief executive role at an Omnicom creative network.

That makes me a little emotional, to be quite honest,” said Clark, who told Adweek she is well aware of the significance of the move and noted the outpouring of support she has received from women both inside and outside the Omnicom network. “It’s not lost on me that I’m carrying a lot of people with me. It’s never about the impact that one person can make. It has to be about creating a wake around me that’s way bigger than just my success, and I will have every intention of doing that.”

Clark added that she understands “the responsibility that sits with me, as other women in both my network and Omnicom and the industry are watching me.”

“I want to use this position to create more opportunity for more women,” she said.

Clark joined Omnicom as DDB North America president and CEO at the beginning of 2016, following two years as president of sparkling brands and strategic marketing at Coca-Cola North America. Later that year, she played a key role in winning the global McDonald’s review and launching the dedicated agency We Are Unlimited in Chicago.

Clark said DDB has also recruited top industry talent and expanded relationships with existing clients since her arrival two years ago. For example, longtime DDB client State Farm recently moved to consolidate the majority of its business with Omnicom.

In summarizing DDB’s cultural progress, Clark cited unconscious-bias training and initiatives like Talent Has No Gender and the LGBTQ-focused Pride in Talent, explaining that when employees “work in a culture that they feel celebrates exactly who they are, we believe they then have the opportunity to do the best work of their lives.”

Omnicom and DDB don’t have immediate plans to name a successor in the DDB North America leadership position, with Clark instead focusing on her expanded global role. She said Omnicom and DDB will “announce other structural changes at a later date.”

Moving forward, Clark said she plans to apply the “DDB Flex” model across global offices to better serve clients.

“We believe that creativity is the most powerful force in business to achieve growth, but we’re never confused that the end goal is growth,” she said, adding that the network offers “bespoke and customized solutions” for clients that are “backed by the assurance and insurance of the scale of DDB.”

Clark also intends to prioritize expanding DDB’s diversity and inclusion initiatives globally.

“Diverse teams and inclusive teams are higher performing,” she said. “This isn’t the nice-to-do thing—this is the right thing to do for business outcomes, for attracting and retaining talent, for achieving our goals internally.”