10312: Dumping Draftfcb Diversity Defender…?

George Parker at AdScam claims that Draftfcb CEO and President Laurence Boschetto is about to lose his job. MultiCultClassics had predicted the man would not be around long enough to realize his Draftfcb dream “that by 2014 we will be an organization that no longer uses the term ‘diversity and inclusion.’” If Parker’s rumor is true, who will continue the charge to create the Multicultural Mecca on Madison Avenue? Boschetto’s online bio includes, “In and out of the workplace he has become a passionate supporter of diversity initiatives designed to provide equality and acceptance for all.” The “passionate supporter” part likely means he’s delegating diversity to Chief Diversity Officers and token HR executives. Although he did win an Advocate Award presented by GLAAD at the 2011 ADCOLOR® Awards. Fortunately, IPG Chairman and CEO Michael Roth has made diversity and inclusion a personal priority—so rest assured the 2014 deadline will be met. Set your calendars now.

Hey, if the organization truly is committed to progress, Boschetto should be replaced with a minority executive.

8995: Anonymous Amusement.

Advertising Age published a story on “Internet Commentators” allegedly blasting industry players with anonymous negativity and nastiness. Ironically, the trade journal already covered the topic last April via anonymous columnist Creative X. And MultiCultClassics weighed in on the phenomenon way back in 2007.

The situation is nothing new. Yet the commentary from the offended continues to reveal agency leaders’ ignorance about the Internet and our industry. Here are some unedited comments in response to the Ad Age piece:

• Madison Avenue still doesn’t get the Internet. Otherwise, they’d realize that trolls are not unique to our industry. Additionally, it goes beyond ad blogs and even the World Wide Web. The global issue involves a coarsening of the culture as exemplified by the rise of tabloids, reality TV, FOX News and amateur critics.

• Madison Avenue has always been driven by anonymity. That is, adpeople do not sign their names to campaigns, as we are fabricating voices and messages for our clients. This is cool, except when clients take the heat for bungled, insensitive and offensive bullshit often rooted in agencies’ cultural cluelessness. Why don’t agencies step forward and identify themselves in these scenarios? Um, because they are cowards.

• Madison Avenue has always been fueled by gossip and backstabbing. Stroll through any BDA and you’ll see endless examples of politics, corruption, scheming, discrimination, adultery, sexual misconduct and more—usually in pursuit of increased billings or personal gain. There’s a reason why adpeople routinely rate alongside used car salesman and assorted social fiends on trustworthiness and credibility surveys.

• Madison Avenue honchos who call for banning anonymous comments are assholes. The guys staunchly defending the First Amendment rights of Big Tobacco, pharmaceutical companies, fast feeders targeting kids with junk food and other questionable advertisers now want to shut down name-callers on blogs? Please.

• Advertising Age monitors threads, deleting naughty naysayers and spam. Adweek has abandoned its scrutiny. Agency Spy has abandoned its humanity. On the flip side, George Parker, Jim Edwards and Lewis Lazare openly deliver stinging criticism. Hell, AdFreak and AdRants don’t hesitate to zing idiots. So the notion that anonymity is the problem doesn’t hold up.

• Crispin Porter + Bogusky prohibits staffers from engaging in dialogue on sites? Wish they would stop the troops from littering the Web with culturally clueless crapola too. Just a thought.

• Advertising Age suggested the “best remedy may be to ignore them.” Perhaps. But the victims of vitriol might also check the mirror to honestly examine the true inspiration for the complaints.

6433: Culturally Clueless FAQs—Number 2.

Question: Given the tanking economy and widespread advertising agency layoffs, isn’t this the absolute worst possible time imaginable to wage a diversity war?

Answer: Oh, there are worse timings one could imagine. Like during a supernova, or at the moment of Armageddon. Try to keep matters in perspective. As noted on numerous posts, the battle first erupted in the 1930s. Madison Avenue has seen lots of catastrophic occurrences over that period. We shouldn’t let the probability of a total economic collapse prevent progress.

Besides, it’s actually easier to ignore the issues in good times. When jobs are plentiful and the corporate coffers overflow, advertising executives feel less obligated to make diversity a priority. But when your shop is teetering on financial ruin, well, the prospect of Cyrus Mehri seizing gobs of cash certainly grabs your attention.

Other considerations loom large too. The ad business is experiencing seismic shifts right now. The old ways are being abandoned. The old hierarchies are being redrafted. The old business models are being shattered. The grizzled cynics proclaim, “The ad biz as we know it is OVER.” The seasoned veterans are in the process of Reinventing Advertising. Everyone foresees a brand new day. Even the culturally clueless aren’t completely clueless.

So while Madison Avenue is undergoing an extreme makeover, why not fight to ensure diversity becomes a part of the foundation? This could be the absolute best possible time imaginable.

Change has come to America. But it took a detour around Madison Avenue. While citizens have adopted phrases like “post-racial,” the advertising industry operates in a pre-Civil Rights time warp. Whenever the topics of diversity and inclusion appear, ad executives consistently display stunning ignorance. MultiCultClassics has sought to address the issues in the past. However, the matters have evolved along with society, despite Madison Avenue’s retarded development. As a public service, this blog will answer a series of Frequently Asked Questions to enlighten the asses… er, masses.