14551: BHM 2019—Advertising Age Selects “Groundbreaking” Black Representation In Ads.

Advertising Age spotlighted “Five groundbreaking campaigns that moved the needle on black representation in ads”—presumably to honor Black History Month. Can’t help but wonder if the well-intentioned report displays unconscious revisionist history.

Spotlighting the Michael Jackson Pepsi campaign as groundbreaking for Black representation in advertising is true on certain levels, mostly in regards to crossover appeal and big-budget endorsements. Yet the article failed to mention the campaign was really initiated by the Jacksons, their managers and Entertainment Marketing & Communications International CEO Jay Coleman. Apparently, Coleman first proposed the deal to Coca-Cola. So it’s not like BBDO—Pepsi’s White advertising agency—originally hatched the inclusive innovation. Plus, the campaign is arguably not Pepsi’s most groundbreaking example of Black representation in advertising, as Edward Boyd produced pioneering campaigns that targeted and depicted Blacks about 30 years before the Jacksons arrived for the soft drink brand.

Spotlighting the Michael Jordan-Mars Blackmon Nike campaign—like the Michael Jackson Pepsi campaign—is questionable too. In this case, White advertising agency Wieden + Kennedy tapped “She’s Gotta Have It” and Academy Award Winner Spike Lee. Not sure, but didn’t Lee post the Nike campaign on the SpikeDDB website when first launching his agency?

Don’t mean to overreact, but the Pepsi and Nike campaigns are examples of White advertising agencies hijacking Black culture, which is hardly groundbreaking. And how Ad Age saluted the campaigns is not exactly the best way to celebrate Black History Month.

Spotlighting the “My Black Is Beautiful” campaign is a decent move, but the Ad Age presentation felt clumsy and culturally clueless. The trade journal wrote, “When Procter & Gamble began developing ‘My Black Is Beautiful’ in 2006, exactly what the campaign would do wasn’t fully thought out…” Really? The concept was thought out quite nicely. However, like most Black-focused initiatives, “My Black Is Beautiful” was financed by crumbs. To declare “the program was catapulted to new prominence in 2017 with the video ‘The Talk’ from BBDO” sounds insulting, especially when the White advertising agency likely enjoyed a budget and resources that Black advertising agencies never see. Plus, BBDO needed to “partner” with a Black consultant for the key insight (an insight that is common knowledge for nearly every Black family in America).

Perhaps someday Advertising Age will go beyond spotlighting groundbreaking Black representation in advertising to spotlighting groundbreaking Black representation in advertising agencies.

14385: ABC WTF.

This commercial for Trelegy hijacks the Jackson Five and their classic ABC tune. Anybody else think it’s inappropriate for a pharmaceutical company to use music from an artist who suffered an early death with lots of prescription drugs in his system?

12538: BHM 2015—Michael Jackson.

Celebrate Black HIStory with Michael Jackson…?

9949: Pepsi Salutes Michael Jackson.

From Advertising Age…

Pepsi Partners With Michael Jackson Estate for Commemorative Packaging

Limited-Edition Package Coincides With 25th Anniversary of ‘Bad’

By Natalie Zmuda

Pepsi is paying homage to the King of Pop one more time.

The brand is working with Michael Jackson’s estate to create a limited-edition package featuring the singer, according to an executive close to the company. The package coincides with the 25th Anniversary of the “Bad” album, which was released on Aug. 31, 1987.

The package will be a 16 oz. can available in convenience stores and grocery stores around Memorial Day, according to Beverage Digest. The can, said to have a blue background with an image of Mr. Jackson dancing, is expected to cost 99 cents. Pepsi declined to comment.

Pepsi sponsored the 1988 Bad World Tour. The tour spanned 16 months, with 123 concerts in 15 countries attended by 4.4 million fans. It was the largest-grossing tour in history and the one with the largest audience.

The brand’s relationship with Mr. Jackson dates to 1984 and the “New Generation” campaign. The singer’s hair caught fire during a commercial shoot that was part of that campaign. Mr. Jackson appeared in a number of ads for the brand over the years, performing versions of “Billie Jean” and “Bad,” among other songs.

Pepsi has a long association with music but has been emphasizing it in the past year. It poured $60 million into a sponsorship of “X Factor,” Simon Cowell’s music competition, and featured the show’s winner, Melanie Amaro, in a Super Bowl spot. The tagline for the ad, created by TBWA/Chiat/Day was “Where there’s Pepsi, there’s music.”

Earlier this week, Pepsi confirmed to Ad Age its relationship with singer Nicki Minaj, who is said to be appearing in a new global campaign for the brand.

9503: Jacko Manager Blames Pepsi Spot…?

The New York Daily News reported Michael Jackson’s personal manager now claims the late superstar’s drug problems began after the infamous Pepsi commercial shoot. Great. Another example of Blacks getting screwed by Madison Avenue.

Michael Jackson started taking pain meds after burning his head in a Pepsi commercial shoot, manager writes

Struggle with drugs began after fiery ad shoot went wrong

By Erin Durkin, New York Daily News

Michael Jackson’s long odyssey with pain medication began after he burned his head while shooting a Pepsi commercial more than 25 years ago, his personal manager writes in a new book.

Frank Cascio, a long-time family friend who went to work for Jackson as an assistant and then manager, writes in “My Friend Michael: An Ordinary Friendship with an Extraordinary Man” that the singer first took demerol after suffering burns during the commercial shoot in 1984.

He had been taking propofol as early as 1999, when a platform he was performing on collapsed, and also took it to treat the skin disease vitiligo, according to Cascio.

The Associated Press obtained an advance copy of the book, set to be released Nov. 15.

Jackson was drugged up before his 2001 anniversary concerts and started his first show an hour late.

“My naive belief that Michael wouldn’t let his medicine interfere with the show blew up in my face,” Cascio writes. “I can’t begin to describe my disappointment and panic at this moment.

“It had become clear to me that Michael’s drug use was escalating,” he writes, adding he paid doctors in cash to keep the pop star’s medical issues secret. “But in the end, physical and mental anguish prevailed, and Michael died in his endless quest to attain some inner peace.”

Jackson’s doctor Conrad Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter Monday for giving Jackson the surgery-strength anesthetic to combat the insomnia that gripped him in the midst of a comeback try.

With The Associated Press

9409: Courtroom Thriller.

Someone should hire this guy to appear at the Conrad Murray trial.

8780: Michael Jackson Is Back.

From Advertising Age…

Auto Marketer Mike Jackson Launches His Own Shop

Jackson & Partners to Focus on Retail Auto Advertising, Help With Reputation Management and Search

By Rupal Parekh

Longtime auto marketer Mike Jackson is returning to the agency side of the business, this time hanging his own shingle with shop Jackson & Partners, a joint venture with Las Vegas-based agency R&R Partners.

Mr. Jackson, the onetime marketing chief at General Motors, most recently served as senior VP-global sales and distribution at California-based electric-car and battery manufacturer Coda. Before that, he worked at digital agency Sarkissian Mason.

What’s unusual about the shop is who it’s targeting as clients and the type of work it plans to handle for them. Jackson & Partners will focus exclusively on retail auto advertising and helping the segment with reputation management, search advertising and strategy, and geo-targeted ads. Among his partners in the new business—which is a joint venture with R&R Partners—is veteran auto creative Gary Topolewski, who’s clocked a total of almost three decades working at the likes of Doner, Bozell, TBWA/Chiat/Day, D’Arcy and BBDO Detroit.

According to Mr. Jackson—the onetime marketing chief at General Motors—the idea for the shop came about while he was still in his prior post at Coda. Phil Motta, the chief development officer at R&R, pitched Messrs. Jackson and Topolewski in the idea and together they talked about the possibility of reinventing where auto retailers are reaching their customers.

“The dealers started off as some of the more inventive people in how they attract invention, but then it hasn’t evolved—it’s cliché and boilerplate,” Mr. Jackson said. “Unfortunately, it’s an afterthought for most brands, where they’ll say, ‘We’ve done most of the communications on a tier-one level, so let’s spend 10 minutes and do something on the retail level.’ There’s been an autopilot mentality about it but the opportunity we see is to increase effectiveness.”

According to Mr. Jackson, there’s also a big opportunity in terms of a wealth of ad dollars in the tier-three dealer vertical alone. “Even in the toughest of times in 2009, retail automotive dealers, their marketing measured spending was $5.5 billion,” he said.

That’s a significant sum, despite the fact that it’s dwindled from the estimated $9.5 billion size of the market in 2007.

“In the automotive business, it’s still about the dealer’s reputation in the marketplace and referral is still preeminent. And it’s not just word-of-mouth as it was for the past 30 years, it’s word-of-mouth on the internet,” Mr. Jackson said. Clients of Jackson & Partners will be encouraged to move messages away from price and trust to identify real relationships with consumers.

Mr. Topolewski concedes that dealers are “a big machine to turnaround.” But he said that’s also the attraction to the business from a creative standpoint. “There’s an opportunity here to do some positive things. [Dealer advertising] has been the butt of a lot of jokes but it’s time to get smart about it and have a knowledge of information about how people consume. The dealers are willing to try whatever they can to be relevant.”

8713: Jacko Junk.

Michael Jackson’s music videos are among the most creative and innovative in history. So why is this Kinect commercial fucking lame?

8384: F’ed Up.

Grading the news in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• The American Lung Association handed out report cards for efforts to curb tobacco use, and 40 states received an “F” for anti-smoking programs. “Most of our states are failing miserably when it comes to combating tobacco-caused disease,” said ALA President Charles D. Connor. “Despite collecting millions of dollars, and in some cases billions, in tobacco settlement dollars and excise taxes, most states are investing only pennies of those dollars to help smokers quit and keep kids from starting,” Big Tobacco executives and lobbyist are undoubtedly firing up cigars to celebrate.

• A business partner of Michael Jackson’s mother is facing a lawsuit for creating mom-approved memorabilia that Jacko’s estate deemed a “wholesale misappropriation” of the late artist’s intellectual property. “Protecting and preserving Michael’s assets are a core responsibility of the estate and we will do everything the law permits to enforce those rights,” said estate lawyer Howard Weitzman. Kinda wonder how many lawsuits the estate will inevitably file against Jacko’s own kin.

8308: Michael Jackson Autopsy Show Killed.

From The New York Post…

Michael Jackson autopsy television special pulled

A television show featuring the re-enactment of Michael Jackson’s autopsy has been “postponed indefinitely” by the Discovery Channel, it was announced Friday.

“Michael Jackson’s Autopsy: What Really Killed Michael Jackson,” had been slated to air in Europe and the UK later this month.

“Given the commencement of legal proceedings beginning next week, and at the request of Michael Jackson’s estate, the scheduled broadcast of the medical documentary related to Michael Jackson’s official autopsy has been postponed indefinitely,” a Discovery Channel representative said.

The executors of the late pop star’s estate said they were “very pleased” with the move. “We are hopeful that this show will never run in any market in the future,” co-executors John Branca and John McClain said.

They sent a letter to Discovery Channel last week demanding they cancel the show.

“Your decision to even schedule this program is in shockingly bad taste, insensitive to Michael’s family, and appears to be motivated solely by your blind desire to exploit Michael’s death, while cynically attempting to dupe the public into believing this show will have serious medical value,” the letter, obtained by Fox News Channel, read.

They said they were “especially outraged” when a “sickening” print advertisement promoting the show made light of Jackson’s death by showing the singer’s sequin gloved hand sticking out from a coroner’s gurney.

The incident comes as Jackson’s doctor Conrad Murray is set to argue in the manslaughter case against him that the King of Pop killed himself with a lethal dose of the powerful anesthetic Propofol, entertainment website TMZ reported.

The singer died on June 25, 2009 of a prescription drug overdose at the age of 50.

8144: Miscellaneous Mumbo Jumbo.

Miscellany in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• The first licensed clothing line commemorating the Jackson 5 will launch in February 2011. Look for plenty of clumsy tie-ins with Black History Month.

• General Motors is firing Mr. Goodwrench. Despite 37 years of serving as GM’s dealer service icon, the character will be eliminated February 1, 2011. Great, dump him on the first day of Black History Month.

• A conservative Muslim government minister in Indonesia sparked controversy for shaking hands with First Lady Michelle Obama. The official has historically flaunted his conservatism, saying he avoids contact with women not related to him. Now the man is claiming Michelle Obama forced him to shake her hand. Whatever. This scenario will no doubt completely confuse the group of Americans who believe President Obama is a Muslim.

• Former BP Chief Tony Hayward admitted during a recent interview that the oil company was unprepared for the Deepwater Horizon disaster and the media frenzy it generated. Gee, thanks, Tony. Although the majority of people on Earth could have told you that around, oh, April 20, 2010.

• Sources indicate the initial findings of President Obama’s independent commission into what caused the Deepwater Horizon disaster will support many of the conclusions BP made in its own internal investigation. Hey, somebody make sure Tony Hayward gets copies of both reports.

8129: Slurpee Summits And Assorted Stupidity.

Slurping through the news in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• President Obama’s remark that he might hold a “Slurpee Summit” with the new Republican leadership has 7-Eleven in hyper-drive to make it happen. The Slurpee maker contacted the White House, created new ads and is even considering repositioning the drink as something that “brings people together.” Um, does anyone think Obama might have been hoping the drink would induce brain freeze on the new GOP wonks?

• Cirque du Soleil is launching a Michael Jackson tribute tour. And you thought 7-Eleven was being overly opportunistic with the potential Slurpee Summit.

• Lil Wayne was released from prison today. It’s unlikely he dashed to 7-Eleven for a Slurpee.

• Mario’s mother has dropped the assault charges against her recording artist son. Hey, maybe the two should hold a Slurpee Summit. Or a Slappy Summit.

8065: Michael Jackson Auditorium Displayed Again.

From The Los Angeles Times…

Michael Jackson’s name gleams again at Hollywood school

For seven years, the letters proclaiming Michael Jackson Auditorium at Gardner Street Elementary were covered, placed at the behest of parents shortly after the pop singer’s arrest in 2003. Now, a year after his death, the sign is back.

By Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times

For seven years, the gleaming silver letters that once proclaimed Michael Jackson Auditorium at Gardner Street Elementary School in Hollywood were hidden behind white plywood boards.

The boards had been placed there at the behest of parents shortly after the pop singer was arrested on suspicion of child molestation in 2003. Since his death last year, fans had rallied for the restoration of the sign, which they saw as a symbol of Jackson’s legacy.

Now, Jackson’s name gleams again.

Los Angeles Unified School District Supt. Ramon C. Cortines ordered the boards stripped away Friday “in recognition of Michael Jackson’s musical legacy and contribution to modern culture.”

A school district spokesman said the decision was made in large part because Jackson had been acquitted of criminal charges in the molestation case.

On Friday night, a Facebook page calling for the restoration of the sign was overflowing with joyous comments.

“I could cry!!” one person wrote. “I wish he were here to see this!!”

On the page, devotees from places as far away as Japan and Sri Lanka posted photos of themselves holding handmade posters calling for the boards to be stripped away.

Fans had planned to show up at a school board meeting Tuesday to demand that the sign be revealed.

Jackson was briefly enrolled at Gardner Street Elementary. In 1969, he and his family moved to Los Angeles from Gary, Ind., so that Jackson and his brothers could make a record with Motown.

Jackson was an 11-year-old sixth-grader at the school when the Jackson 5 released their debut album, a smash hit that foreshadowed Jackson’s record-breaking solo career.

The Gardner auditorium was dedicated to Jackson in 1989. He attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony, where the school’s choir sang “We Are the World,” a tune Jackson co-wrote.

An illustration of Jackson’s face was posted in the auditorium in 1989, and a picture depicting the singer surrounded by children was hung in the main office. The auditorium drawing was removed several years ago because it kept falling down, schools officials said. The picture in the office was removed to make room for an intercom system, officials said.

7817: Comical Entertainment.

Sunday Funnies in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• A fight broke out at Comic-Con International in San Diego, with a conventioneer allegedly attacking another man with a pen. Perhaps the moron thought he was Bullseye. And it’s a wonder none of the superhero wannabes came to the rescue.

• The late Michael Jackson allegedly enjoyed watching Nazi documentaries, with a video collection including Nazis—Of Pure Blood, Oasis of the Zombies and Hitler’s Children. Puts a whole new spin on the uniform-style outfits Jacko always wore.

7463: Coda Hires Michael Jackson (No, Not Jacko).

From Advertising Age…

Electric Carmaker Coda Taps Former GM Marketer Jackson
Will Handle Global Sales and Distribution

By Kunur Patel

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) – All-electric car company Coda Automotive has hired General Motors veteran Michael A. Jackson to build a sales model for the electric sedan expected to hit U.S. roads later this year.

Mr. Jackson, who was onetime GM marketing chief, will serve as senior VP-global sales and distribution for the Santa Monica, Calif.-based electric car and battery manufacturer. In August, Coda named Kerri Martin, who had been a marketing executive at BMW’s Mini and Volkswagen, as its first chief marketing officer.

Since leaving GM, Mr. Jackson has served as partner at New York interactive agency Sarkissian Mason and CEO of Speedshape, a computer-generated imagery agency.

Kevin Czinger, president-CEO, Coda Automotive, in a statement said the company was looking for an executive with the “right mix of business acumen, innovative thinking and willingness to take a fresh look at the automotive sales model.”

As GM’s marketing czar from 2006 to 2007, Mr. Jackson was responsible for canning Leo Burnett, Cadillac’s longtime agency, and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco on Saturn.

Mr. Jackson joined GM in 2000 as executive director-sales and marketing support in Detroit. He later moved to California in 2002 to head the automaker’s western region. He has also held sales and marketing positions at Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Coors Brewing.

A Coda spokeswoman said Mr. Jackson is not yet authorized to speak on behalf of the company. He officially starts next week.

7324: King Of Pop Art.

From The New York Post…

King of Pop’s creepy portraits revealed

By Ginger Adams Otis

Thank heaven for little boys.

In a 1999 painting he commissioned, Michael Jackson strikes the same pose as Michelangelo’s statue of David with rippling abs, bulging pecs and smooth, marble-white skin—surrounded by a bevy of male cherubs.

The work, by artist David Nordahl, is just one of hundreds of private portraits the Gloved One ordered up over the years that depict him in an idealized light. They were revealed last week in a book about Jackson’s life.

In the larger-than-life canvases, Jackson emerges as King Arthur, a superhero, even an angel—all drawn to his specifications.

“He thought it was great with a little ‘tongue-in-cheek’ flavor,” said Nordahl of the oil-on-canvas work “Michael.”

The artist painted hundreds of works for Jackson and reportedly earned $150,000 for the larger canvases. Jackson spent millions building up his private collection.

Nordahl made Jackson a Peter Pan-like figure in “The Storyteller” and added his sister Janet to the lower-left foreground in the shape of a fairy.

The paintings can be seen in “Michael Jackson Opus: The Ultimate Celebration of an Icon,” a 250-page tome published this week by Kraken Opus.

7271: Ringing Registers.

Running the total news in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• The New York Post reported 50 Cent won his lawsuit against Taco Bell for using his name in a promotion without permission. It’s safe to say the artist will receive considerably more than 50 cents.

• A City Council committee in Los Angeles will discuss the $3.2 million spent for the Michael Jackson memorial, with some officials calling for a reimbursement from the event organizer. Too bad Taco Bell didn’t mention Jacko in a taco promotion.

• An unidentified Russian billionaire has allegedly purchased a Mercedes-Benz owned by Adolf Hitler for up to $15 million. He should have held out for a Black Friday deal.

7266: Dopey News.

Monday Morning MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Taylor Swift won more AMA trophies than Michael Jackson? Where the hell is Kanye West when you need him?

• The Los Angeles Times reported on medical marijuana distributors including Kind For Cures, which runs out of a former KFC restaurant. If this place hands out free samples, the promotion would easily outperform the Grilled Chicken giveaways.

7260: Sunday Comics.

Weekend wrap-up with a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Michael Jackson’s iconic glove worn when the artist presented his trademark moonwalk sold at an auction on Saturday for $350,000. Which is roughly $350,000 more than folks would bid for any item belonging to Jackie, Tito, Jermaine or Marlon.

• Sportscaster Marv Albert denied getting into a fistfight with 50 Cent during an appearance at Jimmy Kimmel Live. Albert insisted, “I couldn’t even tell you what the guy looked like or what the security guard looked like.” Albert always seemed more like a Vanilla Ice fan.

• Rapper DMX was caught speeding again—although this time, he’s accused of running from a scheduled celebrity boxing match. The promoters filed a $1 million lawsuit against DMX for backing out. Plus, Coolio has been signed to replace DMX. Guess Marv Albert wasn’t available.

• News reports claim O.J. Simpson is spending his time in jail watching TV and counseling fellow inmates on topics like racial harmony and anger management. Now Simpson is an expert on anger management?

7066: A Frog In Your Throat.

Canned news in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• A Florida man claims he found the remains of a frog or toad in his can of Diet Pepsi, and the FDA confirmed it via testing. However, no one knows how it happened. Plus, an official at the Pepsi plant where the can originated insists the quality processing makes it virtually impossible for a frog to get into the system. Kermit and the GEICO Gecko declined comment.

• A Pew Research Center study shows older Americans will account for most of the growth in the U.S. workforce in upcoming years, while younger citizens are opting to remain in school and/or seek more job training. The numbers bear zero relevance to the rampant ageism on Madison Avenue.

• Recent figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show women are on the verge of outnumbering men in the U.S. workforce. The numbers bear zero relevance to female creative directors on Madison Avenue.

• Michael Jackson is finally being buried. No disrespect intended, but at this point, Jacko must resemble something out of Thriller.