17370: BHM 2026—Kellogg’s.

It might not be an official BHM 2026 tribute, but MediaPost reported Kellogg’s gave Tony the Tiger a hip-hop reboot.

 

The campaign underscores how White brands, White advertising agencies, and White critters love hip hop.

 

Cultural appropriation is Gr-r-reat!

 

Kellogg’s Gives Tony The Tiger Hip Hop Reboot

 

By Sarah Mahoney

 

In an effort to encourage kids to tap their inner tiger, Kellogg’s is rethinking a classic mascot — and his theme song. The new effort positions the big cat as one of the original “Day Ones,” a long-time friend to teens looking for a mood boost at the breakfast table.

 

Hip-hop artist J.I.D. reimagines Tony’s iconic 1990s jingle, “Hey Tony,” tying it to a limited-edition Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes release. To build cultural buzz, the brand is also introducing Tony the Tiger x J.I.D. “Day Ones” merchandise, along with a special “Day Ones” cereal box featuring J.I.D. on the packaging. A QR code takes people to a full-length version of the track on Spotify.

 

The drop includes a full-length version of the track, with original verses designed to echo Tony’s signature motivational energy — a reflection, the company says, of the confidence and optimism the brand hopes to inspire.

 

“Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes and Tony the Tiger have always stood for encouragement and belief,” said Laura Newman, vice president of brand marketing at WK Kellogg Co., in the release. “Hip-hop is a culture built on that same energy, so teaming up with J.I.D. was a natural connection for us to bring back ‘Hey Tony’ in a way that honors helping to bring out your greatness for a new generation.”

 

The packaging also includes a QR code linking to the track on Spotify. The song is set to debut next week at the brand’s “Day Ones” Bowl Game, a showcase featuring a marching-band-driven pep rally, including a performance by Stephenson High School’s “Sonic Sound” Marching Band from Stone Mountain, Georgia, J.I.D.’s alma mater. Four local teams will compete in a 7-on-7 football playoff for the title.

 

WK Kellogg Co., home to numerous breakfast cereal brands, was acquired last summer by the Ferrero Group for $3.1 billion. The Luxembourg-based company, best known for its extensive candy portfolio, described the acquisition as part of its growth strategy to expand across more consumption occasions “with renowned beloved brands and strong consumer relevance.” 

16894: Big Food, Big Tobacco, Big Trouble.

 

Advertising Age reported on a lawsuit charging big food companies emulate Big Tobacco; that is, packaged food corporations deliberately make addictive products promoted by marketing campaigns targeting children and minorities.

 

Not sure why the lawsuit is only attacking packaged food manufacturers versus also going after brands like Mickey D’s. After all, it could be argued McNuggets and McRibs are the equivalent of menthol cigarettes.

 

Lawsuit alleges major food makers knowingly used Big Tobacco tactics

 

The makers of Oreo, Pop-Tarts, Slim Jim and other products face a lawsuit over childhood disease

 

By Ally Marotti

 

Packaged food giants face a lawsuit alleging that they knowingly make addictive products that cause illnesses such as type 2 diabetes and target children with those products.

 

Food and beverage marketers named in the lawsuit include Coca-Cola Co., Conagra Brands, General Mills, Kellanova, Kraft Heinz, Mars, Mondelēz International, Nestlé USA, PepsiCo, Post Holdings and WK Kellogg Co.

 

Pennsylvania resident Bryce Martinez filed the lawsuit on Dec. 10 in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court. The lawsuit alleges that Martinez developed type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease when he was 16 because he frequently ate the companies’ products.

 

Martinez “is one of many casualties of defendants’ predatory profiteering,” the complaint says. “(He) is now suffering from these devastating diseases, and will continue to suffer for the rest of his life.”

 

The lawsuit comes as the spotlight is turning upon the ingredients in some of the country’s most popular packaged food brands. President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of health and human services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has broadly critiqued processed foods. He has vowed to remove them from school lunch programs and disallow them from being bought with food stamps.

 

Kennedy has specifically discussed the harms of high-fructose corn syrup and processed grains. If his nomination is approved, he will oversee a department that has partial oversight of Americans’ diet through the Food and Drug Administration.

 

The lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania earlier this month targets ultra-processed foods, which it says are “industrially produced edible substances that are imitations of food.” They contain little to no whole food, and have come to dominate the American diet since the 1980s, the lawsuit says. On average, children now derive two-thirds of their energy from ultra-processed foods.

 

The lawsuit points to the rise of type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease, which “had been largely confined to elderly alcoholics,” in children. It ties the increasing prevalence of such diseases to the 1980s, when tobacco companies bought major U.S. food companies. For example, tobacco company Philip Morris bought Kraft Foods in 1988.

 

The tobacco companies then “used their cigarette playbook to fill our food environment with addictive substances that are aggressively marketed to children and minorities,” according to the lawsuit.

 

The lawsuit alleges that the companies that make ultra-processed foods are “well aware of the harms they are causing and (have) known it for decades. But they continue to inflict massive harm on society in a reckless pursuit of profits.”

 

Representatives from each company did not respond to a request for comment. The exception was Conagra: Its spokesperson declined to comment on pending litigation.

 

The Consumer Brands Association, a trade association that represents many of the country’s packaged food companies, said in a statement that such companies adhere to FDA standards and “deliver safe, affordable and convenient products that consumers depend on every day.”

 

“Americans deserve facts based on sound science in order to make the best choices for their health. There is currently no agreed upon scientific definition of ultra-processed foods,” Sarah Gallo, senior VP of Product Policy, said in a statement. “Attempting to classify foods as unhealthy simply because they are processed, or demonizing food by ignoring its full nutrient content, misleads consumers and exacerbates health disparities.”

 

At its heart, this lawsuit is a product liability case, said R. Mark McCareins, a clinical professor of business law at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

“The cost of doing business in the U.S., with our civil justice system, are suits like this,” he said. “The fact that somebody filed a lawsuit does not mean that … the companies did anything wrong, and they are more than free to defend themselves.”

 

In such cases, attorneys typically must prove causation—in this case, did the ultra-processed foods cause the diseases—and that the companies knew about the harm. Typically, expert testimony is vital.

16030: Tony The Tiger Presents A Breakfast Offer You Can’t Refuse…?

 

Here’s some background information about Tony the Tiger:

 

Tony began to be humanized in the 1970s; he was given an Italian-American nationality and consumers were briefly introduced to more of Tony’s family including Mama Tony, Mrs. Tony, and a daughter, Antoinette. Tony was a popular figure among the young Italian-American population and it showed in 1974, where he was deemed “Tiger of the Year” in an advertising theme taken from the Chinese Lunar Calendar. The advertising theme declared, “This is the Year of the Tiger and Tony is the Tiger of the Year.” Later that year, Tony graced the covers of Italian GQ and Panorama. In addition to Tony’s success, during this decade, son Tony Jr. was even given his own short-lived cereal in 1975, Frosted Rice. He would make a comeback in the 2000s by replacing his father as the official mascot.

 

Amazing that Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes advertising over the years has never exploited Tony’s heritage, integrating Mafia stereotypes or Fat Tony references. The brand has introduced Tony’s wife, son, daughter and mother—but no Godfather…?

16022: Losing One’s Lunch—And Breakfast—Over Leo Burnett’s “Win” Of Kashi Business.

 

AgencySpy posted that Kashi handed its business to Leo Burnett, awarding the White advertising agency with AOR status. The press release didn’t indicate a competitive pitch for the account, meaning it appears to be another example of Corporate Cultural Collusion, as Leo Burnett has a 73-year relationship with Kellogg’s, the parent company of Kashi. Hell, the deal was likely done over a breakfast meeting. Gr-r-reat!

 

Kashi Picks Leo Burnett Chicago as Creative AOR

 

By Kyle O’Brien

 

Leo Burnett Chicago has been named lead creative agency for Kellogg-owned natural cereal brand Kashi. The Publicis Groupe agency will develop a creative platform and experience plan to strengthen Kashi’s connection to natural and organic eating.

 

“We’re thrilled to partner with Leo Burnett to unlock the potential within Kashi,” said Sarah Reinecke, senior director of marketing at Kashi in a statement. “Leo Burnett brings a great understanding of our evolving target and is creating a plan that breaks through across channels to give Kashi the cultural relevance it needs to grow in the highly competitive Natural and Organics marketplace.”

 

Kashi and Leo Burnett will reinforce the brand’s position as the number one cereal brand and number three waffle brand in the natural and organic category. Leo Burnett will focus on retaining and recruiting health-conscious consumers, which includes crafting a new visual identity to build brand relevance and consistency across mediums, from in-store to online and inclusive marketing.

 

“Over the years, Kellogg’s and Leo Burnett have built so many iconic brands together. It’s a great story,” said Britt Nolan, Leo Burnett Chicago’s president and chief creative officer. “We couldn’t be more excited about the next chapter, where we show the world that Kashi isn’t just for the stereotypical granola crowd.”

 

New work will launch in early 2023.

 

The long-standing partnership between the agency and Kellogg’s dates back to 1949 when Leo Burnett was appointed as Kellogg’s creative partner. For 73 years, the agency has been tasked with managing, modernizing and reinvigorating majority of Kellogg’s ready-to-eat brands including Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops, Special K, Rice Krispies, Eggo, Cheez-It and Club Crackers, among others. The agency was also appointed as Kellogg’s global advertising agency in 2009.

 

Recently, Tony the Tiger made his Twitch debut.

 

Kashi launched a brand redesign and visual identity in 2016 with work from Jones Knowles Ritchie.

15707: Year Of Tony The Tiger.

 

Kellogg’s commemorates Chinese Lunar New Year—and Year of the Tiger—with Special Edition Frosted Flakes boxes…? For cultural appropriation, they’re gr-r-reat!

15526: Overreaction Of The Week.

 

A free book explaining who Jesse Owens was—in every box of Kellogg’s Chocolate Frosted Flakes…? Sorry, that’s not gr-r-reat!

14770: Kellogg’s Loves Farmers Down Under; Underrepresented Farmers Are Another Story.

This Kellogg’s campaign stresses the cereal maker’s appreciation and commitment for Aussie farmers. Wonder how much support Kellogg’s has shown to Black farmers. It’s safe to say the dedication is not Gr-r-reat!

13876: Kellogg’s Pop Quiz.

Oh, look! Kellogg Company is seeking a Graphic Design Associate Director. All applicants should be required to pass a Corn Pops Cultural Competence Test.

13875: Kellogg’s Corny Cluelessness.

USA TODAY reported Kellogg revised a Corn Pops package illustration deemed culturally clueless. The original image featured a shopping mall filled with Corn Pops characters, where the only brown critter was a janitor pushing a floor waxing machine. After being criticized on social media, the cereal maker quickly responded with an apology and promise that the illustration had been fixed. Or maybe Kellogg will introduce chocolate-flavored Custodian Pops. Gee, how could a company allegedly committed to diversity bungle so badly?

Kellogg’s to replace racially insensitive Corn Pops boxes following Twitter call out

By Mike Snider, USA TODAY

Kellogg’s will be redesigning Corn Pops cereal boxes after a complaint about racially insensitive art on the packaging.

The Battle Creek, Mich.-based cereal and snack maker said on Twitter Wednesday it will replace the cover drawing of cartoon characters shaped like corn kernels populating a shopping mall. The corn pop characters are shown shopping, playing in an arcade or frolicked in a fountain. One skateboards down an escalator.

What struck Saladin Ahmed was that a single brown corn pop was working as a janitor operating a floor waxer. Ahmed, current writer of Marvel Comics’ Black Bolt series and author of 2012 fantasy novel Throne of the Crescent Moon, took to Twitter on Tuesday to ask, “Why is literally the only brown corn pop on the whole cereal box the janitor? this is teaching kids racism.”

He added in a subsequent post: “yes its a tiny thing, but when you see your kid staring at this over breakfast and realize millions of other kids are doing the same…”

Kellogg’s responded to Ahmed on the social media network about five hours later that “Kellogg is committed to diversity & inclusion. We did not intend to offend—we apologize. The artwork is updated & will be in stores soon.”

Ahmed noted that he appreciated “the rapid response” from Kellogg’s.

In a statement to USA TODAY, spokesperson Kris Charles said Kellogg respects all people and is committed to diversity.

“We take feedback very seriously, and it was never our intention to offend anyone,” he said in a statement. “We apologize sincerely.”

He confirmed that the package artwork has been updated and will begin to appear on store shelves.

The Kellogg’s Corn Pops incident follows some other recent marketing snafus.

Earlier this month, Dove apologized for a three-second video posted on Facebook that many found racially insensitive. The clip showed a black woman removing a brown T-shirt to reveal a white woman underneath, who then with another T-shirt removal became an Asian woman. An image showing just the black woman and white woman spread virally on social media, causing additional outrage.

The initial clip “was intended to convey that Dove Body Wash is for every woman and be a celebration of diversity,” the company said in a statement.

In April, Shea Moisture apologized over an online video ad about its hair products being on sale at Target. The commercial featured white women, but the hair product company has long catered to women of color.

13488: Kellogg’s Fails Britain’s Diversity.

Campaign reported on a new campaign via a headline that read, “Kellogg’s hails Britain’s diversity by asking: How do you eat your cornies?” Created by Leo Burnett and DigitasLBi, the messages present the popular hypocritical twist on diversity from White advertising agencies. That is, shops that have deliberately defied diversity for decades in their own offices feel completely comfortable depicting a diverse variety of characters in advertising. Kellogg’s hails Britain’s diversity—and fails Britain’s diversity by partnering with exclusively White advertising agencies.

Kellogg’s hails Britain’s diversity by asking: How do you eat your cornies?

By Simon Gwynn

The brand returns to UK airwaves for the first time in five years with a campaign that aims to start a national debate.

Kellogg’s Corn Flakes is returning to TV tomorrow for the first time in five years in a campaign that celebrates the myriad bizarre ways in which people like to eat the cereal.

The $12.4 million campaign, developed by Kellogg’s in collaboration with agencies Leo Burnett and DigitasLBi, aims to create a national debate using the hashtag #myperfectbowl.

A series of TV ads features real people from around the UK talking about their preferred serves—which include niche styles such as topping them with peanut butter, apple juice or water.

The brand said that the campaign comes from the insight that while Corn Flakes is seen by a large number of consumers as a “much loved” product, there is little consensus on how they should be enjoyed.

Gareth Maguire, marketing director for Kellogg UK & Ireland, said: “Kellogg’s Corn Flakes is the iconic cereal brand; everyone has a perfect way to enjoy their Corn Flakes and that’s what we’re tapping into with this campaign.

“We’ve seen a change in what people eat for breakfast but cereal remains the number one choice in the UK. And we know from our research that Kellogg’s Corn Flakes are the nation’s most loved cereal brand. So with this campaign we hope to further strengthen this relationship between consumers and our brands.

“After a long break, it’s time for us to start talking about Corn Flakes again and there’s no better way of doing this than through the words of our loyal fans.”

Sales of Corn Flakes have fallen for each of the last four years and in the year to October 2016, they were down more than 10 percent in value to $58.7 million (Nielsen). UK sales of all breakfast cereals fell last year by $96.4 milion (5.5 percent) to $1.66 billion.

Corn Flakes is the UK’s sixth best selling cereal brand, after Weetabix, Quaker, and three other Kellogg’s brands—Crunchy Nut, Special K and Coco Pops.

12746: Special K Kookiness.

Advertising Age reported Leo Burnett lost Special K—which will probably lead to losing thousands of pounds in staff weight—and JWT picked up the business. Given the automatic shift from one White advertising agency to another White advertising agency via a seemingly exclusive account shootout, perhaps the brand should be renamed Special KKK.

Leo Burnett Loses Special K to JWT

U.S. Account Shift Comes Amid Brand Struggles, Big Food Woes

By E.J. Schultz

Kellogg Co. is moving creative duties for its struggling Special K brand to JWT and away from long-time agency Leo Burnett in the U.S., Ad Age has learned.

Leo Burnett, which has been Kellogg’s lead agency for some 65 years, will retain other parts of the business, including big breakfast brands such as Frosted Flakes and Pop-Tarts. The agency will also continue as Special K’s agency in Europe and Canada, according to an internal Leo Burnett memo obtained by Ad Age.

But in the U.S., the Special K loss is significant because it is has long been a priority for Kellogg. The brand consumed more than $120 million in measured media spending last year, according to Kantar Media. JWT also has a longstanding relationship with Kellogg, working with the company in some markets since the 1930s. The agency created work for Special K Red Berries in the early 2000s.

“We are incredibly proud of the contributions this agency has made to the success of Special K. In a little over a decade, we helped build the business from $412 million to almost $3 billion,” Rich Stoddart, CEO at Leo Burnett North America, stated in the internal memo. “I’m proud of the smart and strategic work the team developed to help the brand address its current business challenges. We put great work on the table, but in the end, Kellogg bought an idea from JWT that tested better.”

The memo noted that JWT, which currently works on Special K in Asia-Pacific, will also pick up the brand in Latin America.

A Kellogg spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment on Friday morning. A JWT spokeswoman declined to comment.

Special K has been stuck in a long-running sales slump, as it has struggled to adapt to the changing eating habits of Americans. Special K cereal sales in the U.S. fell 14.5% from 2013 to 2014 to $365.7 million, according to Euromonitor International. And the sales woes have leaked into other Special K branded products, including snack bars and cracker chips.

Kellogg has recently sought to repair the brand with a new strategy that moves away from marketing the brand as a diet food, as had long been the practice. Instead, the brand’s marketing is playing up nutrition benefits, including whole grain, fiber, folic acid and Vitamin D. Ads by Leo Burnett that launched in April used the tagline “Eat special. Feel special,” showing a woman leaping in slow-motion, while a print ad refers to the cereal as “nutritionally awesome.”

The account shift is further proof that the struggles of big brands across the food and beverage industries are starting to take an increased toll on agencies and marketers, putting long-term relationships at risk and causing upheaval in the C-Suite.

Just this week, Anheuser-Busch InBev made yet another agency change on Bud Light brand, moving it to Wieden & Kennedy and away from BBDO. The brand was once safely parked at DDB, but in recent years has cycled through multiple shops as sales sagged. The account move came on the same day that MillerCoors changed chief marketing officers, promoting David Kroll to replace Andy England, who had been at the helm since 2008.

Meanwhile, the merger of Kraft Foods Group and Heinz, which finalized Thursday, led to the departure of several Kraft executives. Adland—including agencies—will surely be watching closely as the newly constituted Kraft Heinz company charts its course.

12511: Cereal Killer.

The New York Post reported breakfast cereal sales are declining, as Americans are choosing smarter and healthier morning meals. Wow, it’s shocking that Gracie, Raphaëlle and the World’s Most Hated Dad can’t turn things around.

Americans eating less cereal for breakfast

By Post Staff Report

More and more Americans are giving cereal the cold shoulder at breakfast — and that is leaving shareholders of Kellogg and General Mills a little soggy.

Kellogg, whose cereal line-up includes the Special K, Corn Flakes and Kashi brands, reported this week that sales of its morning meals unit slid 7.7 percent in the fourth quarter — after a 4.7 percent drop in the third quarter.

Soaked in this bad news, the shares are as soggy as day old Corn Flakes and are down 2.7 percent over the last six months.

At General Mills, whose breakfast cupboard includes Wheaties, Cheerios and Lucky Charms, revenue from its cereal unit is down 7 percent in the six months ended Nov. 23. Investors in the Battle Creek, Mich., company are a little hungry after General Mills’ shares have fallen 1 percent in the last six months.

Both companies were caught flat-footed as Americans breakfast habits have evolved toward simple, more natural food selections — like Greek yogurt. Also, weight watchers, which for years focused on eating a low-fat breakfast cereal like Special K instead of toast, eggs and bacon, are now looking for foods that make them feel good.

Inside the two cereal makers, executives have finally acknowledged this change — but they appear ill-equipped to do anything about it.

Kellogg told its investors that it “continued to see weakness in Special K as it faces headwinds from evolving consumer trends regarding weight management.

It will try to change the “positioning of the brand from a focus on dieting to weight wellness,” it said in a regulatory filing.

As part of this plan, Kellogg will “stress the role that Special K plays in a healthy lifestyle.”

“We plan to reinvent all aspects of the brand in 2015, including innovation, packaging, advertising, and consumer promotions,” it said in the filing. “Each of these will highlight Special K’s position as part of a weight wellness program. New packaging and advertising will highlight the simplicity and goodness of the food, new consumer promotions will help consumers meet their goals, and innovation will directly appeal to consumer trends through Special K Protein, Special K Gluten Free, Special K Granola, and additional hot cereal offerings.”

Still, Kellogg on Thursday reduced its 2015 revenue forecast to a gain of 1 percent to 3 percent — down from an earlier forecast of 3 percent to 4 percent growth.

11636: Shhhhit From Special K.

Special K produced this lame video that comes off as a poor woman’s Dove Real Beauty concept, examining how women “fat talk” about their figures. Um, if women are indeed obsessed about their bodies—and incidentally, there are different cultural attitudes about body image not being acknowledged by the Special K video—it’s mostly fueled by advertisers like Special K and Dove. After all, these brands have historically depicted female models reflecting ideal White beauty standards. Plus, The video feels forced and staged, with “real” women that resemble advertising agency account executives.

11549: Sugar Frosted Firings.

Advertising Age reported Kellogg is dumping 7 percent of its global workforce as part of a cost-cutting initiative known as “Project K.” In this case, K could stand for Knockout, Kick-to-the-curb, Kill or Keystone. Or maybe Project Keebler, as the effort will lead to a smaller, elfish enterprise.

Kellogg to Cut 7% of Global Workforce in Cost-Saving Plan

About 2,000 Jobs on Chopping Block

Kellogg Co. the maker of Corn Flakes and Rice Krispies, will cut 7% of its global workforce, or about 2,000 jobs, as part of a four-year cost-saving plan amid a persistent slowdown in breakfast items and snacks.

The program, known as “Project K,” will result in pretax charges of $1.2 billion to $1.4 billion, the Battle Creek, Michigan-based company said today in a statement. Kellogg had about 31,000 employees as of Dec. 29, according to regulatory filings.

Kellogg and competitors such as JM Smucker Co., Kraft Foods Group and ConAgra have struggled to get U.S. families to stock up their shopping carts as unemployment and economic uncertainty make them too cautious to spend more. With store promotions failing to spur sales growth, Kellogg has resorted to cost-cutting to boost profitability.

“It’s not worth discounting if you’re not driving volume,” Brian Yarbrough, an analyst for Edward Jones & Co. in St. Louis said today. “So you’ve got to retrench, you’ve got to look for cost savings, you’ve got to look for ways to be more productive, whether it’s through the supply chain or manufacturing.”

Mr. Yarbrough, who recommends buying Kellogg, said barely improving employment and uncertainty over the U.S. economy have conspired to restrain shoppers. The challenge for manufacturers is figuring out how to get them shopping again, he said.

‘Difficult Decisions’

“We are making the difficult decisions necessary to address structural cost-saving opportunities which will enable us to increase investment in our core markets and in opportunities for future growth,” Chief Executive Officer John Bryant said in the statement.

The issue is hitting Kellogg particularly hard at the breakfast table. Sales growth for morning foods have slowed amid increased competition from growing options such as Greek yogurt and oatmeal bars. Net sales were little changed in the third quarter, hurt also by snacks, Kellogg also reported today.

More than 90% of U.S. households buy cereal, according to General Mills data. Yet, the category’s unit volume has declined for three years, General Mills has said. It and Kellogg have said they will focus more on innovation to bring new products to market that are healthier and interesting.

Emerging Markets

The cost-cutting plan involves increasing growth in emerging markets, consolidating facilities and a global emphasis on regional brands, according to the statement.

The program’s non-cash costs are expected to be $275 million to $325 million. Cash savings are projected to be $425 million to $475 million in 2018, Kellogg said.

North American net sales fell 1.3% to $2.4 billion in the quarter, while the U.S. snacks business declined by 2.5%. Latin America net sales rose 3.4% while European sales advanced 6.4%.

Kellogg also said full-year adjusted earnings per share will be at the lower end of its $3.75 to $3.84 forecast. Sales growth for the year will be 4% to 5%, it said, after previously projecting 5%.

~ Bloomberg News ~

11410: All Black Kids Dance Alike.

What’s so pathetic about this Eggo commercial featuring a dancing, bespectacled Black kid? It was created by Leo Burnett, the same agency responsible for this Mickey D’s commercial featuring a dancing, bespectacled Black kid. BTW, where the hell is Dad in the Eggo spot?

10718: ANA Multicultural Conference Notes.

The Big Tent published “Key Takeaways From the ANA Multicultural Conference” by Walton-Isaacson Chief Hispanic Marketing Strategist Rochelle Newman-Carrasco. The piece presented a few highlights warranting commentary:

• Florida Marlins Director of Multicultural Marketing Juan Martinez is “one of only a handful of multicultural marketers in baseball.” Newman-Carrasco noted the oddity, as baseball features diverse players appealing to diverse audiences. Major League Baseball does boast the standard Diverse Business Partners program. Ironically, the Cleveland Indians also show public support for diversity, including a video starring Cleveland Indians Owner and Chairman Diversity Oversight Committee Larry Dolan hyping the organization’s commitment. Um, you might want to consider finally dumping your racist mascot, Mr. Dolan.

• President and CEO of Ram Truck Brand and CEO of Chrysler de Mexico Fred Diaz is allegedly a staunch defender of diversity. According to Newman-Carrasco, “Diaz denounced ‘tolerating’ diversity, as opposed to embracing it. He is unequivocally proud of his Latino heritage and his bilingualism, a leadership quality that many Hispanics who have gone before him have had to sublimate as they climbed the corporate ladder.” Okay, but will Diaz take an approach like State Farm VP of Marketing Pam El and continue to conspire with White advertising agencies where exclusivity reigns—or will he demand change from his partners?

• President of Kellogg’s North America Bob Davidson “spoke about going to great lengths to spend time with Latino consumers and retailers and experience first-hand what it is to live in their homes, walk in their shoes, shop in their stores and eat in their kitchens. He has made cultural immersion mandatory for his brand managers as well.” Davidson declared, “If you’re not humble, you can’t learn.” Okay, but will Davidson take an approach like State Farm VP of Marketing Pam El and continue to conspire with White advertising agencies where exclusivity reigns—or will he demand change from his partners, including making cultural immersion mandatory for agencies too?

• Newman-Carrasco remarked, “Asian marketing is still getting short shrift in the multicultural marketing arena and at conferences like these.” Um, multicultural marketing gets the short shrift in the marketing arena. So does “getting short shrift in the multicultural marketing arena” essentially translate to receiving the leftover crumb (singular versus plural form deliberate here)?

• Newman-Carrasco also remarked, “Pepper Miller was a standout on the subject of marketing to black consumers.” No surprise. However, did anyone connected with a Black advertising agency or client have anything interesting to share? Seems like little progress is happening in the area of marketing to Blacks—as well as hiring Blacks.

10709: Leo Burnett Bullshett.

Adweek reported on the latest mess causing potential mayhem at Leo Burnett and Arc. A renegade group of employees defected en masse and allegedly threaten to pull a multimillion-dollar Kellogg’s CRM project, prompting the agencies to file a lawsuit. Gee, remember when Leo Burnett wouldn’t want to admit to producing CRM work? For the agency to be sent reeling over the resignations of eight employees shows the place is neither qualified nor equipped to handle such endeavors. Perhaps this represents what founder Leo Burnett referenced in his famous “When to take my name off the door” speech.

Leo Burnett Has Its Own ‘Saatchi 17’ Problem

Staffers set up new shop with hope of Kellogg’s business

By Noreen O’Leary

Call them the “Burnett 8.”

In a situation reminiscent to the “Saatchi 17,” a group of agency General Mills’ staffers who walked out in 2005 with the expectation of working for their cereal client elsewhere, last Friday eight Leo Burnett staffers with Kellogg’s experience left to start their own agency. In a court injunction filed against them by Burnett, the Chicago agency alleges the renegade group are in line for a multimillion-dollar Kellogg’s CRM project which they worked on at Burnett and its marketing services arm, Arc—and that’s not okay, since their departure would essentially force the client’s hand.

Burnett and Arc have sued former employees Amanda Ashley, Nate Buechler, Allison Chaplain, Jeremiah Dy-Johnson, Kristy Gibbs, Lisa Hamming, David Rasho and Matthew Johnson in Cook County Court. In the complaint, the agency said that on late Friday, November 2, seven of the 11 active employees working on the agency’s Kellogg’s CRM project, along with one other staffer involved with another Burnett, Arc CRM project, were resigning, effective immediately. The Publicis Groupe shop said that three of the eight told Burnett they were starting their own business.

According to Courthouse News Service, Burnett alleges in the complaint: “The timing of the resignations was intentionally designed to maximize the defecting employees’ ability to persuade Kellogg’s that they were the only people capable of completing the CRM project. Additionally, the defecting employees know the time deadlines under which Burnett-Arc is operating on the Kellogg’s project and in leaving when they did, it is apparent they assumed Burnett-Arc would not be able to meet the client’s deadlines and that, as a result, the client would have ‘no choice’ but to hire defendants as the replacement for Burnett-Arc.”

Burnett admitted it will be tough to meet its Kellogg’s project deadlines after losing those employees.

“Defendants know that, too, and it is obvious that they factored that into the timing of their resignations, as they know Kellogg’s will not endure a delay of up to six months or more for Burnett-Arc to try to fill these suddenly open positions,” the complaint said.

Furthermore, “The harm to Burnett-Arc of these abrupt defections goes beyond the potential loss of this particular project for Kellogg’s…The Kellogg’s CRM project is a showcase project that would have enabled Burnett-Arc to leverage what the company learned from the project to create similar optimization projects for other clients. If the defecting employees are permitted to continue working on and finish the project, they then will try to claim the project as their own in efforts to showcase it to other potential clients, this depriving Burnett-Arc of the value of its investment in the project.”

The defendants could not be reached for comment. In a statement, the agency said about the litigation:

“Leo Burnett is being aggressive in its handling of this situation, protecting our client, our investment, our people and our intellectual property. We will not comment further on pending litigation or personnel matters.”

As for the Saatchi 17, the General Mills business never materialized at the upstart agency founded by Mike Burns, who had been the client’s worldwide account director at Saatchi and worked on the account for 25 years. After Burns walked out of Saatchi with loyal colleagues, Interpublic backed his new shop, oneseven, but pulled the plug after two years.

10684: Multicultural Marketing Mumblings.

Advertising Age reported on extra happenings from the ANA Multicultural Marketing and Diversity Conference. Can’t help but think this annual event must feel like some sort of Alcoholics Anonymous convention, with people admitting to their character defects and relapses in behavior. Kellogg apparently fell off the wagon with its multicultural marketing. “In 2009, we’d gone from supporting nine brands to one,” confessed Kellogg North America President Brad Davidson. “And 1% of our marketing budget went to Hispanic.” As a result, the food maker got beat like a piñata by competitors. Plus, Kellogg’s attempts to repurpose advertising from other markets didn’t fare too well. Now Davidson claims to have experienced enlightenment and is committed to doing the right thing. Of course, he probably allocated just a few additional pesos to the renewed effort. Meanwhile, Ram Truck Brand’s President-CEO Fred Diaz announced things are muy bueno with his multicultural marketing. However, the man is working with The Richards Group and its minority wing, Richards Lerma. Not sure how successful a company can be conspiring with those wonderful folks who gave you talking vaginas. Diaz said Ram truck sales jumped 12% in 2011 among Blacks and women. Did the marketing budgets for the groups see equal raises? According to Diaz, while Chrysler enjoys a 10.2% share of the car market, the automaker only owns 8.8% of the Hispanic car market. Diaz declared, “The goal is for share to be equal to or higher than the general market.” Um, try making sure the multicultural marketing budget is equal to or higher than the general market. Otherwise, you’ll just look like a stumbling, stammering drunk.

Ram Truck, Kellogg Presidents Outline Hispanic Strategies at ANA

While Kellogg Rebuilds, Ram Uses Bilingual Ads and Shares U.S. Leader With Mexico

By Laurel Wentz

Two very different leaders of very different brands—the president of Kellogg North America and the president-CEO of Chrysler Group’s Ram Truck Brand—took the stage to describe their struggles and successes with multicultural marketing. Kellogg is making its way back after losing its way in multicultural marketing for a while and Ram is pursuing bilingual advertising and finding synergies with Mexico.

In an unusual dual role, Ram Truck Brand’s President-CEO Fred Diaz is also president-CEO of Chrysler de Mexico. He and Kellogg’s Brad Davidson spoke at the ANA’s annual multicultural marketing conference in Miami.

Mr. Diaz works with Richards Group in the U.S. and uses that agency’s U.S. Hispanic unit Richards Lerma for U.S. Hispanic work.

“Now that I have responsibility in Mexico, Richards Lerma also has a team in Mexico,” Mr. Diaz said. “Now we’re busting down that wall.”

Elsewhere at the company, Mr. Diaz said Chrysler is developing spots for Asian-American consumers in the U.S. based on a highly successful campaign airing in China.

Tip of the iceberg

Currently, Ram is producing Spanish and English-language commercials starring Latin music star Juanes. Both versions of each spot end with the Spanish-language tagline “A todo. Con Todo.” (“For everything. With Everything.”)

“That’s just the tip of the iceberg for what we’re about to do,” Mr. Diaz said. “We’ll follow up with digital, print, radio and social media. We’ll also look at extensions to other groups such as African-Americans—Ram truck sales were up 12% last year to African-Americans—and women.”

Mr. Diaz pointed out that Hispanic consumers are more likely to use online video—64% compared with 56% of general-market consumers—and have the highest adoption rate for smartphones—66% of Hispanic consumers, much higher than the 49% of non-Hispanics who use smartphones.

“By the end of November, all Chrysler’s mobile sites will also be available in Spanish,” he said.

Right now, Chrysler has a 10.2% share of the car market, but only 8.8% of the Hispanic car market, he said. “The goal is for share to be equal to or higher than the general market.”

Mr. Diaz said that in his 23 years at Chrysler, including a stint as director of advertising for the Dodge brand, when budgets got tight, multicultural marketing is the first thing to go. “I will not allow that to happen,” he said emphatically. “We find other things to cut.”

Kellogg gets crushed

Kellogg’s president is taking a very different journey through Hispanic marketing.

“In 2009, we’d gone from supporting nine brands to one,” Mr. Davidson said. “And 1% of our marketing budget went to Hispanic.”

Competitors, meanwhile, were crushing Kellogg in the Hispanic market, he said. When he complained to Leo Burnett, whose Hispanic shop Lapiz is Kellogg’s longtime Latino agency, he said he was told, “We pushed you Kellogg and you didn’t listen.”

To catch up, Kellogg developed more culturally relevant Hispanic advertising (after importing spots from Mexico didn’t work too well). The company also tapped into its Hispanic resource group Ola, even showing its members Kellogg and competitors’ commercials. In one employee’s critique, “one Latin mom said the mother (in the commercial) is holding the baby wrong,” Mr. Davidson said. He also spent time with Hispanic and African-American consumers in their homes.

Kellogg studied retail, and went to the Mexican American Grocers Association conference. “We were too Midwest conservative,” he said. “Their point-of-sale was more compelling, spicier.”

It was clear Kellogg’s Hispanic ads were getting better when the person who runs the company’s Answerline asked for more resources after being besieged by Hispanic moms.

Mr. Davidson’s advice for marketers still lagging in the Hispanic market: “If you’re just beginning, hurry up. Because your competitors are doing it. If you’re not there, you can’t say a year from now, we didn’t see this coming.”

10319: All White Agencies Don’t Work Alike.

Wanted to briefly elaborate on the previous post detailing how holding companies have diminished the industry overall. The networks and agencies often win pitches—and exclude minority shops from participating—by boasting global capabilities. Adpeople love to lie gush about the wondrous ways they can integrate with international partners. But it’s all bullshit. Offices in the U.S. have no idea what happens from state to state—and they’re completely clueless over what’s going on overseas. Need proof? Check out this Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut commercial from London, which bears no resemblance whatsoever to the lame U.S. campaign—except that both executions suck.

BTW, what’s with the overacting Black dude in the U.S. version?

8999: I Have A Similar Dream.

This Chevrolet commercial for the MLK Memorial looks just like this Kellogg’s commercial—and at least Kellogg’s served breakfast.