13917: J.C. Penney Pulls Liles Simmons.

Advertising Age published a Bloomberg News report about J.C. Penney dumping Russell Simmons’ clothing line after allegations of sexual misconduct by the media mogul. According to a correction at the end of the story, the original piece ran with a photo of Kevin Liles versus Simmons. Oddly enough, it’s not the first time that Liles has been mistaken for Simmons. Hey, maybe the allegations against Simmons aren’t true and his accusers encountered someone else…

J.C. Penney Pulls Russell Simmons Apparel Line After Allegations

J.C. Penney pulled a Russell Simmons menswear line after the media mogul was accused by two women of sexual misconduct.

The department-store chain introduced the Simmons-created Argyleculture line in September 2016. The collection of sweaters, polos and blazers was part of the chain’s push to attract more young men to its stores. The products were being sold on J.C. Penney’s website and at about 80 of the chain’s 875 stores, according to a company spokeswoman.

“The company decided to discontinue selling Argyleculture in light of the recent allegations,” a spokeswoman says.

Simmons, co-founder of hip-hop record label Def Jam Recordings, said on Thursday that he would step down from his companies after a second woman—screenwriter Jenny Lumet—accused him of sexual misconduct, according to the Associated Press.

Simmons’ holdings include Rush Communications, yoga studio Tantris, energy drink Celsius and production company Def Pictures.

The brand’s products are still available on Amazon and eBay. Representatives for those companies didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

—Bloomberg News

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article included a Bloomberg photo that identified the subject as Russell Simmons. It was record executive Kevin Liles.

12883: JCPenney Shifts Again.

Adweek reported JCPenney hired mcgarrybowen to target middle-income shoppers—and the business was awarded without a formal review. The ragged retailer runs through mediocre White advertising agencies at a regular clip. Let’s hope the latest move doesn’t result in more Go Ligety garbage.

JCPenney Hires a New Agency to Help Grow the Brand With Middle-Income Shoppers

Mcgarrybowen already working on spring marketing

By Patrick Coffee

JCPenney, the once-dominant American retail chain that has taken steps to right itself after a series of missteps in recent years, has chosen a new creative agency to lead its revival. After two years with MDC Partners’ Doner Detroit, the account went to Dentsu’s mcgarrybowen without a formal review, and the agency will handle the business across its offices in New York and Chicago.

The client positions the change as a strategic move toward growth after a period in which its marketing efforts focused on overcoming recent challenges. A JCPenney spokesperson told Adweek, “After thoughtful consideration, JCPenney has decided to end its relationship with Doner as its advertising agency of record.”

The client went on to praise the MDC shop’s work, noting that “for the past two years, Doner has played an integral role in helping us reconnect with our customers as we stabilized our company. As we look to the future, we feel now is the appropriate time to make a change in agency as we build on the momentum of our resurgence and shift our marketing focus from stabilization to growing our business.”

JCPenney went with a trio of new agencies in October 2013, only six months after it had hired Young & Rubicam, picking Doner as its creative lead and naming the newly independent EVB and Omnicom’s Victors & Spoils to handle its digital and social media accounts, respectively. The client moves forward with a clean agency slate: Its digital and social media accounts will now be run by Narrative, the New York agency launched by Def Jam’s Russell Simmons in 2013.

Y&R was the shop in charge when JCPenney shifted its focus after moving away from its famous markdowns under then-CEO and Apple veteran Ron Johnson. The 2013 review followed the departure of Johnson, who was replaced by his predecessor Mike Ullman, and subsequent campaigns re-emphasized the chain’s roots as a provider of low prices on apparel and home goods.

The client spokesperson said, “We would like to express our deep gratitude to Doner for the incredible work they provided JCPenney during a crucial time for our company.” In an internal memo acquired by Adweek, Doner’s co-CEO David Demuth defended his agency’s work, citing “six quarters of same-store sales growth, reversing the nine consecutive quarters of sales decreases” since Doner took over the account. He added that the client also had “the top-rated campaign on the 2014 Oscars broadcast.”

The new business marks a needed win for mcgarrybowen, which ceded its lead creative status on the branding and strategy portions of the Verizon account to Wieden + Kennedy in 2014 and also lost the Chase business to New York’s Droga5 earlier this year. Tim Scott, the agency’s international CEO and president of its Chicago office, left in April to accept a new position as svp and chief marketer for butter brand Land O’ Lakes.

In response to the win, mcgarrybowen New York president and chief client officer Simon Pearce tells Adweek, “Collaborating with marketers to build iconic brands has been at the core of what we do at mcgarrybowen, since day one. JCPenney is a great American brand with a powerful heritage and an exciting future. We couldn’t be prouder to partner with JCPenney, as they continue to take their brand and business to the next level.”

A spokesperson for JCPenney, which made headlines this week by launching a menswear line created by Michael Strahan amid a renewed focus on middle-income shoppers, says, “Mcgarrybowen has a proven track record of building great, iconic U.S. brands and we are excited to have them on board. The agency has already begun working on our 2016 spring marketing plans.”

11726: Latest Shit From JCPenney.

Following a shitty performance in the marketplace and a shitty decision to hire shitty ad agencies, JCPenney shat out Go Ligety—featuring shitty parody lyrics and shitty acting that shows even shitty White agencies love hip hop.

11501: Make The Logo Plainer.

Advertising Age reported JCPenney is dumping its one-year-old logo in favor of an earlier design. There’s a sad pattern emerging here. From advertising agency shuffling to logo swapping, the retailer appears desperately determined to recapture the past. Unfortunately, the past is completely irrelevant in today’s retail environment. Hell, the past was barely tolerable in the past. “As we transition to a more iconic and recognizable design, the change will give our loyal customers a sure sign that we’re still the store they know and love,” gushed a JCPenney spokesperson. “The classic JCPenney logo is familiar, as it is the same logo displayed on most of our stores today, and reignites pride in JCPenney and symbolizes the company who has faithfully served communities across America for over 100 years.” Okay, but there are probably only about three loyal customers left to love the logo. And while JCPenney “has faithfully served communities across America for over 100 years,” the last decade or two have sucked from a sales standpoint. So what’s next? Hyping Plain Pockets Jeans again?

J.C. Penney Scuttles Logo Introduced by Former CEO

Return to Classic Look Latest Step In Unraveling Johnson’s Changes

By Natalie Zmuda

J.C. Penney is reverting to its classic logo, in a move to appeal to loyal—and likely lapsed—customers.

Under former CEO Ron Johnson the logo and company name was updated to simply jcp. That logo, introduced to much fanfare in early 2012, featured a square red frame, with “jcp” in a blue box in the top, left-hand corner—reminiscent of an American flag. The frame was used throughout J.C. Penney’s stores and marketing.

Scrapping the logo is just the latest attempt to roll back the former CEO’s initiatives. Since Mr. Johnson’s departure in April, the retailer has reintroduced popular brands like St. John’s Bay, layered in plenty of promotions and is now in the midst of dismantling Mr. Johnson’s vision for J.C. Penney’s home stores.

The moniker had been falling out of favor for months, however. An apology ad which ran in May ended with the retailer’s full name, something that had been missing from much of the company’s recent communications, including the prior campaign, “Yours Truly,” which launched during the Oscars. Under Mr. Johnson’s direction, the brand had even abandoned its Facebook page look in favor of the square version.

Kate Coultas, a spokeswoman for J.C. Penney, confirmed the retailer is phasing out “jcp” in communications, noting that the classic logo has reappeared in TV spots the last few weeks. That logo, a simple red font, which features the first three letters of the retailer’s name in uppercase, is now rolling out to various print and digital pieces, as well as the retailer’s credit card, she said.

“As we transition to a more iconic and recognizable design, the change will give our loyal customers a sure sign that we’re still the store they know and love,” Ms. Coultas said.

But even prior to Mr. Johnson’s arrival, current CEO Mike Ullman had introduced an update to the logo in early 2011. That version featured all lowercase letters, with “jcp” in a red box. At the time, the retailer called the logo the “most meaningful update to the company’s logo in 40 years.” It solicited ideas from the company’s employees, design agencies and two art schools—University of Cincinnati and Rhode Island School of Design. Ultimately the design it selected was created by a third-year graphic design student at the University of Cincinnati.

“Through recent consumer research, our customers overwhelmingly confirmed their preference for our classic J.C. Penney logo,” Ms. Coultas said. “The classic J.C. Penney logo is familiar, as it is the same logo displayed on most of our stores today, and reignites pride in J.C. Penney and symbolizes the company who has faithfully served communities across America for over 100 years.”

11500: Two Cents On JCPenney.

Advertising Age reported more details on the JCPenney account reassignment to Doner, EVB and Victors & Spoils. MultiCultClassics originally commented that the trio of terrible shops looked like participants on AMC series The Pitch. Turns out the competition actually resembled the reality TV show, as the exclusive review lasted only three weeks. Three-month-old JCPenney SVP-Marketing Debra Berman booted six-month-old AOR Y&R after deciding the agency’s 2013 holiday marketing plan was not “sufficient to build the relationship we want to with our customers.” Merry Christmas, Y&R. Meanwhile, Omnicom’s EVB and Havas’ Victors & Spoils teamed up to win social and grassroots marketing assignments. In other words, pseudo thought leader John Winsor needed to bolster his mystical crowd of freelancers with a mediocre digital shop—and he ultimately got beat by Doner, a traditional advertising agency dinosaur. Of course, there was no mention of minority shops in the mix. Heaven forbid non-Whites might comprise a sizable portion of JCPenney’s audience. Berman and her new agencies recognize the challenge ahead demands staging a major turnaround. Seems as if everyone involved could use a total professional makeover.

11498: JCPenney Is Sorry Again.

Adweek reported JCPenney dumped its six-month-old AOR, Y&R, in favor of three stooges: Doner, EVB and Victors & Spoils. This looks like a lackluster lineup for AMC series The Pitch. Hell, these shops would struggle in a competition with Roberts + Roberts. JCPenney is a shitty client that’s been on a death spiral for decades. In May, the retailer openly apologized to customers for the dumb changes it had made. Wonder if JCPenney will ultimately issue a mea culpa for playing musical chairs with marketing partners.

JCPenney Switches Creative Agencies Yet Again

Trio of Doner, EVB, Victors & Spoils replaces Y&R

By Andrew McMains

That was fast. Six months after hiring Young & Rubicam to lead its creative efforts, JCPenney has replaced Y&R with a trio of agencies: Doner, EVB and Victors & Spoils.

The change came after a pitch and as the struggling retailer prepared for its crucial holiday shopping season. Indeed, the honeymoon for the new shops will be short, as the first campaign may break as early as next month.

JCP spent more than $435 million in media last year and about $170 million in the first half of 2013, according to Nielsen. Those figures don’t include online spending, however.

A JCP representative characterized Doner as lead creative agency on the brand. Omnicom Group’s EVB and Havas’ Victors & Spoils, meanwhile, will share responsibility for digital and social media marketing, the rep said.

Y&R entered the Penney fold in the spring while marketing guru Sergio Zyman was consulting at the retailer. The WPP Group shop’s initial ads sought to reassure core customers that JCP was still a place to find great bargains, despite a previous move to phase out big markdowns.

The previous business strategy flopped and triggered the exit of CEO Ron Johnson, a former Apple leader and architect of the radically new approach. Johnson’s predecessor, Mike Ullman, returned to the company in the top post.

The pitch that resulted in the hiring of Doner, EVB and Victor & Spoils was steered by Debra Berman, a former marketing leader at Kraft who joined JCP in August, as svp of marketing. Earlier in her career, Berman held strategic planning roles at agencies such as Y&R and DDB.

10829: Make The Logo Dignified.

The Los Angeles Times reported on the uproar caused by the University of California’s new logo. As even the online comments for the story indicate, everyone wants to be a design critic—not unlike when graphic updates happened for brands including Pepsi, the Gap, JC Penney, Tropicana and more.

Online protest rages over ‘ugly,’ ‘undignified’ new UC logo

Some students and alumni have started an online petition to drop the University of California’s new and simpler logo.

“The old logo is elegant. The new one looks like a logo from a bad online university,” one person wrote on a Facebook page devoted to the issue.

“I want to keep the dignity of the UC seal,” another wrote.

The new logo has a solid “U” containing a “C” resting at the bottom, in various colors. Foes contend it “does not represent the stature and honor of the University of California.”

They want the 10-campus system to use the traditional circular medallion that shows an open book, the motto “Let There Be Light” and the 1868 date of UC’s founding. Or find a dignified alternative.

UC system spokeswoman Dianne Klein said critics wrongly assume that UC is eliminating the traditional symbol. In fact, that will remain on all diplomas and official correspondence such as presidential letters, among other uses.

But she said the old logo does not reproduce well in small size on Internet pages and that UC wanted something more visually contemporary and versatile, especially for online efforts to seek donations and recruit applicants.

“Like anything with design and change, people have opinions,” Klein said. She added that alumni, students and parents were consulted about the new design, which was created by an in-house design team at no extra cost to the university.

10635: Slack Is Beautiful.

At Sociological Images, Professor Lisa Wade examines this 1970s JC Penney ad.

9834: WTF JCP.

Not sure why JC Penney thinks renaming itself jcp, redesigning its logo into the American flag and introducing fair and square prices will revive the brand. The pricing system essentially means there will be regular sales. And one would think they’d want to avoid the word “square” altogether, as it accurately describes the fashion items available at the retailer.

9832: BHM 2012—JCP.

There’s no BHM in JCP, as the month of February is devoid of any Black Historical references. Although Valentine’s Day seems to make a nod towards the rise of interracial relationships in America. And a Black History Month search of JCP.com resulted in 8672 products, mostly black-colored kids clothing.

9721: Just Say Noooooooooooooooo!

Was this annoying JCPenney commercial produced by ex-AOR Saatchi & Saatchi before the retailer and agency broke up, or is it the work of a new partnership? Regardless of the creator, the spot—like most of JCPenney’s merchandise—totally sucks.

9636: JC Penney Likes Latinos.

Advertising Age reported U.S. Latino shop Conill will retain the JC Penney account, while the retailer is splitting with White agency Saatchi & Saatchi. Um, isn’t it time to consider giving the entire account to Conill or another minority agency? It’s not like the White shops have managed to turn around the perpetually struggling store chain.

Amid Other Roster Changes, JC Penney Keeps U.S. Hispanic Shop Conill

Retailer Dropped Parent Saatchi & Saatchi but No Changes for $46M Latino Business

By Laurel Wentz

JC Penney is keeping its U.S. Hispanic agency Conill even as the retailer ends its five-year relationship with Saatchi & Saatchi and adds other agencies to its roster. Conill, 100% owned by Saatchi & Saatchi, was appointed to JC Penney’s $46 million U.S. Hispanic account last year in a move by the retailer to consolidate its business.

A JC Penney spokeswoman confirmed by email on Thursday that Conill will continue to be one of the company’s agency partners, in charge of handling its Hispanic business.

JC Penney is the 24th-largest advertiser in Hispanic media, according to the annual ranking in Ad Age’s Hispanic Fact Pack. In 2010, the company’s spending increased by 9% to $45.9 million, up from $42.1 million the previous year. Only two other retailers spent more on Hispanic media: Walmart Stores, ranked No. 15, spent $65.6 million through its longtime agency Lopez Negrete Communications, and Sears Holdings Corp. spent $53.9 million, and was No. 19, according to the Hispanic Fact Pack.

Until 2008, JC Penney’s U.S. Hispanic agency was Omnicom Group’s Dieste. After a March 2008 review, the business moved to the independent Vidal Partnership, and in September 2010 landed at Conill without a review.

Conill, named Ad Age’s Multicultural Agency of the Year in January 2011, is one of the top Hispanic agencies in a market where the savviest Hispanic shops are upping their game in the face of growing competition from general-market agencies as marketers spend more money to target multicultural consumers. The agency’s biggest clients include Procter & Gamble, Toyota and Sprint.

Conill’s moves include a focus on digital, which now accounts for 23% of all the agency’s revenue, up from 17% in 2010, and innovative use of media. And this year Conill set itself a three-year challenge to have 30% of its business come from work that goes beyond the Spanish language, as bilingual and English-speaking Hispanics become more challenging to reach, and lines between the Hispanic market and the general market increasingly blur. To that end, Conill recently hired Microsoft’s global media director, Brett Dennis, for the new role of chief media communications officer.

9244: JCPenney Is Not Very Smart.

AdFreak reported JCPenney is catching heat for selling a t-shirt that read, “I’m too pretty to do homework so my brother has to do it for me.” Online protests prompted the retailer to pull the item from store shelves and its website—while coughing up the standard apologies. As if JCPenney needed more evidence to prove its irrelevance to teens. Executives at JCPenney need to do their homework on cultural competence.

8398: Beefy Bullshit.

Grinding out the news in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Taco Bell is facing a lawsuit that charges its “ground beef” should really be called “taco meat filling,” as the stuff doesn’t meet the USDA standard to receive a “ground beef” label. Latinos might also argue Taco Bell does not deserve the term “taco,” as its menu items do not meet the standards of anyone familiar with authentic Mexican-style cuisine. Additionally, the fast feeder’s advertising should be renamed “contrived shit.”

• Mickey D’s announced it may raise the prices of menu items this year, citing the rising costs of food. Based on USDA standards, can the stuff offered by the fast feeder be called food?

• Homeless-man-turned-celebrity-voiceover Ted Williams has left a drug rehab facility after less than two weeks. Maybe he landed a commercial gig for Taco Bell or Mickey D’s.

• J.C. Penney is cutting back, dumping its catalog and outlet businesses, as well as closing stores. No big surprise—even Ted Williams wouldn’t buy clothes at JCP.

8370: JCP OMG U SUCK.

Note to JCP Teen: If you hope to appear credible to teens, stop creating messages that feel like the work of old hacks. Just a thought.

6465: Monkeys And CEOs. Is There A Difference?

Sorry statements in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• The New York Post published a bizarre acknowledgment that its infamous monkey cartoon could be offensive. The paper wrote:

That Cartoon

Wednesday's Page Six cartoon—caricaturing Monday’s police shooting of a chimpanzee in Connecticut—has created considerable controversy.

It shows two police officers standing over the chimp’s body: “They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill,” one officer says.

It was meant to mock an ineptly written federal stimulus bill.

Period.

But it has been taken as something else—as a depiction of President Obama, as a thinly veiled expression of racism.

This most certainly was not its intent; to those who were offended by the image, we apologize.

However, there are some in the media and in public life who have had differences with The Post in the past—and they see the incident as an opportunity for payback.

To them, no apology is due.

Sometimes a cartoon is just a cartoon—even as the opportunists seek to make it something else.

Um, sometimes a cartoon is just a cartoon—and sometimes culturally clueless racism is just culturally clueless racism.

• Lowe’s reported 4Q profits dropped 60 percent. The company’s CEO said, “The economic pressures on consumers intensified in the fourth quarter, resulting in a further decline in consumer confidence and dramatic reductions in consumer spending. As a result, our comparable store sales for the quarter remained weak and fell at the low end of our expectations.” At this point, it seems like all CEOs are reading from the same cue card.

• J.C. Penney reported 4Q profits dropped 51 percent. “Throughout the year, we took steps to significantly reduce our inventories and operating expenses in order to withstand the impact of the economic conditions,’ said the company’s chairman and chief executive. “At the same time, we stepped up the style we offer and focused on effectively communicating the newness, excitement and value in our merchandise.” Stepped up the style for J.C. Penney means they probably hired another washed-up 1970s celebrity to design a line of cheap apparel.

• Even Walmart reported 4Q profit losses, which fell 7.4 percent for the retailer. At least the CEO didn’t claim the place stepped up the style.

6274: Pure Gold Or Pure Bullshit?

Check out the detail in this JCPenney ad. Given the state of the economy—as well as the true spirit of the holiday season—it seems pretty insensitive to declare, “Only Gold Demands Worship.”

6154: From The Fire Wires.

Handing out pink slips in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Citigroup will dump up to 50,000 workers globally. The sun is setting on about 6,000 employees at Sun Microsystems. The U.S. Postal Service lost $2.8 billion in the last fiscal year. Sears will close seven more underperforming stores. J.C. Penney reported 3Q profits dropped 52 percent. Meanwhile, Wal-Mart announced 3Q profits rose 10 percent. Look for new store greeters to boast résumés featuring skills in financial services, computer technology, mail delivery and retail.

5480: No Noose Is Good Noose.

Hanging out with a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• New York has officially outlawed displaying nooses as threats, as Governor David Paterson signed a new law on Thursday. “It is sad that in these modern times there remains a need to address the problem of individuals who use nooses as a means of threat and intimidation,” stated Paterson. “But it is a reality, and if we ignore it we would be derelict in our duty.” Start spreading the noose.

• JC Penney saw its 1Q profits drop 50 percent. “It is obviously a very difficult time for all U.S. consumers,” said the retailer’s chairman and chief executive. “They’re facing uncertainty in their financial well-being.” Plus, they think JC Penney sucks.

• The jury is complete for the R. Kelly child-pornography trial, with the final group comprised of 8 men and 4 women—of which 8 are White and 4 are Black. Kelly’s lawyers argued about the numbers, charging the prosecutors with deliberately removing Black jurors. The prosecutors shot back that Kelly’s lawyers had nixed potential White jurors. Latinos, Asian Americans and Native Americans will probably hold a protest soon.

5152: Coffee. Pot.

Grinding out the news in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Starbucks drained 600 jobs from its workforce of over 170,000. “We realize that we are operating in an intensely challenging environment, one in which our customers and (employees) have extremely high expectations of Starbucks,” wrote honcho Howrad Schultz in an email. “And we have to step up to the challenge of being strategic as well as nimble as our business evolves. Unfortunately, we have not been organized in a manner that allowed us to have a laser focus on the customer.” As if these job cuts will reduce customers’ wait in line for an over-priced latte.

• JC Penney reported a nearly 10 percent drop in profits for 4Q 2007, although officials blamed it on the poor economy. The retailer probably argues JC Penney can still clothe a family of four for less than a cup of latte at Starbucks.

• Snoop Dogg was busted for smoking marijuana again. “He did not get arrested. He received a ticket for possession of marijuana,” said Dogg’s lawyer. “We are contesting the ticket.” What is this lawyer smoking?