17453: How Banning Junk Food TV Advertising Might Junk Adland.

 

MediaPost reported U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would support banning junk food TV advertising.

 

The devastating impact such a move would deliver to Adland immediately elevates Kennedy to White Man Of The Year contender.

 

RFK Jr. Supports Potential Ban On Junk Food TV Ads

 

By Tanya Gazdik

 

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he would support a ban on junk food TV ads.

 

“Speaking at a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing, ranking member Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said President Donald Trump’s nominee for surgeon general, Casey Means, had recently told the panel she supports banning junk food ads on TV,” according to CNBC. “When asked whether he agrees with a ban, Kennedy said, ‘I would support that.’ But Kennedy also appeared to imply that he would want the effort to be voluntary for food companies.”

 

The food and restaurant industry spends about $14 billion annually for advertising in the U.S., according to an often-cited 2017 analysis of Nielsen data by the University of Connecticut's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health. Of this, over 80% promoted fast food, sugary drinks, candy, and unhealthy snacks.

 

“The Trump administration is looking into possible limits on junk food ads for children, according to a strategy report released by the Make America Healthy Again Commission last year,” according to Seeking Alpha. 

 

The HHS and Federal Trade Commission, along with other relevant agencies, will explore the development of potential industry guidelines to limit the direct marketing of certain unhealthy foods to children, including by evaluating the use of misleading claims and imagery, according to the report.

 

Kennedy has been pushing food makers to remove petroleum-based dyes by the end of 2026. He also has actively pushed to restrict the types of foods allowed under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to exclude items considered unhealthy, such as soda and candy. 

 

Last month, Kennedy chose Florida to roll out a new health initiative aimed at overhauling hospital food.

 

“Having revamped the food pyramid and pushed state food assistance programs to restrict soda and other processed foods, Kennedy has turned his sights on U.S. hospitals, arguing that providing healthy food to patients can aid healing and reduce readmissions,” according to Politico. “And the announcement taking place in Florida is another signal of the state’s continued alignment with MAHA movement priorities being heralded by the Trump administration.”

 

The U.S. is not the only country aiming to legislate wellness. 

 

The U.K. Parliament just yesterday approved a law that bans the supply or sale of tobacco products to anyone born in 2009 or after, permanently.

 

“The bill applies to people currently 17 years old or younger and aims to keep them from ever picking up the habit in their lifetime,” according to The New York Times. “The proposal is expected to soon go into law after the final formality of approval by King Charles III.”

17394: TGIFired Day.

MediaPost reported President Donald J. Trump fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, declaring she lied to Congress about receiving his approval for a $220 million advertising campaign.

 

In short, the Gaslighter-in-Chief axed a White woman for producing advertisements without permission and replaced her with a White man—plus, he announced the moves on social media.

 

Now Trump can boast, “We ended DEI in America—and Adland too!”

 

Yep, President Donald J. Trump is angling to repeat as White Man Of The Year in 2026.

 

Trump Said Noem Lied About $220M Ad Campaign

 

By Tanya Gazdik

 

President Donald Trump has fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem after stating that she lied to Congress about getting his approval for a $220 million ad campaign.

 

“I never knew anything about it,” Trump told Reuters in a phone interview.

 

Two sources close to the White House told the New York Post that Trump is furious that Noem testified that he approved of the ads — and set in motion his later move to fire her, the first cabinet shakeup of his second term. 

 

Trump fired Noem on Truth Social and announced Sen. Markwayne Mullen (R-Okla.) as her replacement.

 

Noem faced bipartisan criticism over the commercials during U.S. congressional hearings this week.

 

“The ad features Noem, donning a cowboy hat on horseback, moving out of a wooded clearing in the Black Hills of South Dakota, the state where she was formerly the governor,” according to The Hill. 

 

“Why do I love these wide open spaces?” Noem asks. “They remind me of why our forefathers came here. Not just for its beauty, but for the freedom only America provides.”

 

Lauren Bis, Department of Homeland Security deputy assistant secretary, said the international ad campaign prompted more than 2.2 million illegal immigrants to self-deport and saved taxpayers more than $39 billion, according to Fox News. 

 

Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin tore into Noem with a blistering series of criticisms to her face on Wednesday.

 

The top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee accused Noem of using billions of dollars given to DHS as a “personal slush fund” for her glitzy ad campaign and luxury jet travel, according to The Daily Beast.

 

“You budgeted an astonishing $220 million for media consultant contracts so you can star in self-promoting photo shoots and lavish ad campaigns featuring the Lifestyles of Rich and Famous Cabinet Secretaries, like this one of you on horseback at Mount Rushmore, which was shot during last year’s government shutdown,” Raskin said.

17344: BHM 2026—President Donald J. Trump.

USA TODAY reported on an unintended Black History Month promotion from President Donald J. Trump, who continues to angle for a repeat White Man Of The Year honor.

 

‘I didn’t make a mistake’ Trump says of post depicting Obamas as apes

 

“I look at a lot of, thousands, of things,” Trump said of the video. “And I looked at the beginning of it, it was fine.”

 

By Zac Anderson, USA TODAY

 

President Donald Trump declined to apologize for sharing a video depicting former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama as apes, telling reporters “I didn’t make a mistake.”

 

Trump told reporters while traveling on Air Force One to Florida on Feb. 6 that he only looked at the beginning of the roughly one-minute long video, which starts off talking about unsubstantiated voter fraud claims regarding the 2020 election, and didn’t see the portion with the Obamas that has been widely condemned as racist.

 

“I just looked at the first part... I didn’t see the whole thing,” Trump said, indicating he gave it to someone else to post and “somebody slipped and missed a very small part.”

 

“I guess probably nobody reviewed the end of it,” Trump said.

 

Asked about calls from GOP lawmakers for him to apologize, Trump said he didn’t plan to. He later said “of course I do” when asked if he condemned the racist part of the video.

 

The brief portion of the video with the Obamas appears to have been created by artificial intelligence. It depicts the bodies of two apes with the faces of the former president and first lady. Apes are flying around in the background of what appears to be a jungle.

 

The video was among dozens of posts on Trump’s Truth Social account in the late hours of Feb. 5 and early hours of Feb. 6. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt initially defended the Obama post, saying it was “from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King.”

 

“Please stop the fake outrage,” Leavitt added.

 

The White House later distanced the president from the video amid growing criticism, including from many top Republicans. A White House official said the video had been shared erroneously by an unnamed member of Trump’s staff. It was removed from Trump’s Truth Social account after being up for about 12 hours.

 

The video drew a strong response from Republican lawmakers, who often are reluctant to criticize the leader of their party.

 

Sen. Tim Scott, a close Trump ally and prominent Black Republican from South Carolina who is leading the Senate’s campaign efforts this year, wrote he was “praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.”

 

Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, called the post “blatantly racist and inexcusable.” Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Nebraska, said a “reasonable person” would deem the video “racist” and called for Trump to apologize. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi, called the video “totally unacceptable” and also said an apology is in order.

 

Trump said he is the “least racist president you’ve had in a long time” and that “I’ve been great” for Black voters, pointing to criminal justice reform and other policies.

 

The president earlier this year was accused of racism by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for sharing a controversial deepfake video of the lawmaker wearing a sombrero hat with mariachi music playing.

 

Jeffries again slammed Trump as a racist after the video post depicting the Obamas as apes.

 

“This guy is an unhinged bottom feeder,” Jeffries said in a video posted on social media

 

Contributing: Joey Garrison, Melina Khan 

17193: Trump Screams For Ice Cream Cancellation…?

 

Hey, will Ben & Jerry’s feel pressure to cancel Stephen Colbert’s Americone Dream?

 

And is Jimmy Fallon next?

17189: Do The Right-Wing Thing.

Advertising Age reported on responses to Goldilocks—er, Stagwell—being involved with global governmental contracts, including the White holding company’s work for Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

 

In this tale, Goldilocks finds comfort with things being just right—just right-wing, that is.

 

How Stagwell’s work for the Israeli government is bringing Mark Penn’s politics to the fore

 

By Ewan Larkin and Brian Bonilla

 

Concerns over Stagwell’s recent work for the Israeli government led the holding company to postpone a company event due to safety concerns, exposing long-simmering employee worries about Chairman and CEO Mark Penn’s political ties and their impact on company morale.

 

Last week, the Substack newsletter Drop Site reported on a leaked Stagwell deck showing that the holding company had conducted surveys, message testing and focus groups for Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, aimed at rehabilitating Israel’s image. The deck’s findings quickly drew backlash as they spread on social media, with claims that Stagwell employees were upset over the work, which comes as Israel fights Hamas in a war following the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks.

 

The situation prompted Stagwell to postpone its annual “Festival of Stagwell” scheduled for today in London. In a statement confirming the postponement, James Townsend, CEO of Stagwell’s Europe, the Middle East and Africa region, said, “The safety of our people and guests is our top priority,” without elaborating. He added: “The environment would not have been conducive to a productive afternoon as originally intended.”

 

A Stagwell spokesperson confirmed the company’s work for the Israeli government, the work was handled by a small Stagwell team and that “our agencies work across the political and issue spectrum.” The spokesperson declined to discuss details of the leaked deck or whether Stagwell would continue to work with the Israeli government.

 

Penn’s politics come under scrutiny

 

The situation shines a light on the elephant that has been lurking in the room since Stagwell merged with MDC in 2021: Penn’s politics. Multiple current and former employees said concerns about the CEO’s public political affiliations—particularly his support for the Trump administration—have simmered inside the company for years. One executive described the Israel work as the “iceberg” that could have a lasting impact on the holding company.

 

Penn has longstanding connections to Israel, dating back to his role as a pollster for Menachem Begin’s 1981 re-election campaign for prime minister. Penn gained notice working on political campaigns—particularly the successful 1996 presidential run for Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton’s failed 2008 run—and has since become a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump’s policies.

 

In an interview, David Sable, vice chair of Stagwell, pushed back against the notion that Penn has political bias. “Mark is one of the most sought-after sources and speakers, particularly because he’s so open and honest in what he says,” Sable said. “He never speaks with a particular political bias, and that’s just nonsense.”

 

While Stagwell employee pushback on the Israeli government work at the moment appears concentrated in Europe, Ad Age has identified three of its U.S. agencies where staffers have sounded an alarm.

 

“There are a lot of young people inside the Stagwell group of companies who are angry,” said one employee of an undisclosed Stagwell agency. “If you are in the agency business these days and you value young creative talent, you do not get involved in the hot geopolitical issues of the day.”

 

Another employee of the holding company professed to be “paralyzed with disgust” after reading the language in the leaked deck. “Everyone’s just at a loss right now,” this person said. “This is really heartbreaking.”

 

Sable said that Penn’s political views do not negatively affect Stagwell, describing the company as an open environment where employees hold diverse political perspectives, which he sees as a strength.

 

“Why would anybody’s political views have an adverse effect on anybody?” Sable said. “Not everybody agrees. Not everybody is in the same place. What a boring place we’d be if we all had the same political view.”

 

Some of Stagwell’s agency leaders report little to no pushback from staff. “Personally, I have no problem with them doing it and have not fielded one question from one employee about it,” said a senior executive at one of Stagwell’s largest agencies.

 

Sable emphasized the lack of dissent: “I have honestly heard no complaints.”

 

Meanwhile, some Stagwell agency staffers, speaking on the condition of anonymity, pointed to incidents they said have affected morale this year, including an interview Penn did with Elon Musk on X, and expressed worries about upcoming work. Stagwell’s polling firm, HarrisX, is set to receive a no-bid contract from the Department of Health and Human Services to survey Americans on their views about vaccines, according to The New York Times. This bid comes at a time when HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is attempting to roll back parts of the nation’s vaccine infrastructure.

 

Even those who have been highly critical of the work Stagwell is currently doing have supported the agency’s response to employees concerned that the holding company CEO’s values do not reflect their own.

 

“There’s been some really great communication after this has happened and the HR teams and the people teams and everyone have responded really quite well, openly, positively, empathetically,” one person at a Stagwell agency said.

 

Despite this first step, “there are still some questions to be answered and ultimately it’s what happens next [that] is the biggest thing, like will they keep doing this work, what else will they kind of work on,” said this person. “Hopefully this will spark change.”

17100: How President Trump Celebrates Juneteenth.

 

USA TODAY reported President Donald J. Trump acknowledged Juneteenth by griping there are “too many non-working holidays in America. … It is costing our Country $BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to keep all of these businesses closed.”

 

Looks like somebody’s still smarting over the low turnout for his birthday parade—which, incidentally, cost an estimated $40 million.

 

Donald Trump appears to knock Juneteenth celebrations

 

By Marina Pitofsky

 

President Donald Trump appeared to criticize Juneteenth celebrations in a post on social media, saying there are “too many non-working holidays in America.”

 

“It is costing our Country $BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to keep all of these businesses closed,” Trump said on June 19. “The workers don’t want it either! Soon we’ll end up having a holiday for every once working day of the year.”

 

The president did not specifically name the holiday in his post.

 

Juneteenth commemorates the events of June 19, 1865, when the last Black slaves of the Confederacy were ordered free following the arrival of Union troops in Galveston, Texas.

 

It has long been celebrated by Black Americans, but it rose to national prominence in 2020 amid protests against racial inequities, sparked in part by the police killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. It was officially recognized a federal holiday by then-President Joe Biden in 2021.

 

It wasn’t immediately clear what costs Trump was referring to in his post. Private companies are not forced to close on federal holidays, and many don’t.

 

Most national banks, federal offices and the United States Postal Service were closed in honor of Juneteenth. However, major retailers such as Walmart, Costco, Target and Starbucks were open on the holiday.

 

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked by reporters earlier in the day whether Trump was expected to commemorate Juneteenth.

 

“I’m not tracking his signature on a proclamation today,” she responded. “I know this is a federal holiday.”

 

Trump has previously honored Juneteenth, including in his first term as president. But Trump created controversy in 2020 after scheduling his first rally since COVID-19 lockdowns in Tulsa, Oklahoma — the site of one of the worst massacres of Black Americans in the country's history — on Juneteenth.

 

He later changed the date of the event.

 

Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, Saman Shafiq

17033: On The White House & White Advertising Agencies, Part 8.

 

Advertising Icon David Ogilvy is attributed with saying, “Search the parks in all your cities; you’ll find no statues for committees.”

 

The quote may be applied to President Donald J. Trump meeting with his Cabinet—a spectacle that reflects most executive meetings at White advertising agencies and White holding companies.

 

The predominately White crew is comprised of anti-DEIBA+ disciples who really are DEI hires—whereby the acronym stands for Didn’t Earn It. 

 

Indeed, the collective represents extreme exclusivity, patented privilege, and classic cronyism, supplemented with spineless sycophants jockeying for political power.

 

A Confederacy of Dunces is the title this group has earned—although it’s debatable that these fools have ever earned anything.

 

Yep, the White House mirrors White advertising agencies.

16816: Overreaction Of The Week.

The Associated Press reported on a deadly E. coli outbreak linked to Mickey D’s Quarter Pounders—marking the second sickening event at the Golden Arches this week.

16809: There’s A New Clown In Town.

Former President Donald Trump reportedly plans to visit a Mickey D’s in Philadelphia and work the “fry cooker” as a campaign stunt. Well, it’s not the first time Trump has displayed enthusiasm for the Golden Arches—although he hasn’t shown a QSR preference before.

 

16575: Bewildering & Baffling Britt Bashing By Business Blog.

 

At MediaPost, MADBlog columnist Barbara Lippert joined the political pundits, talk show hosts, and comedians who’ve ripped Senator Katie Britt for her ridiculous rebuttal of President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech.

 

Not sure what inspired the perspective, as Britt is hardly an advertising figure—and her spectacle barely qualifies as a media event worthy of industry-related examination.

 

Also peculiar is Lippert referring to Britt as a Fundy exhibiting Christian Fundamentalist characteristics. Of course, Lippert spotlighted Britt’s Republican affiliation—which likely triggered Carl Warner, wherever he might be. The columnist remarked on gender-focused qualities too.

 

In today’s business world—now, more than ever—people are cautioned to avoid engaging in conversations about sex, politics, or religion. Lippert hit the trifecta, seemingly without hesitation. Then again, the woman was once positioned as a curator of popular culture.

15430: Donating For Donald Trump’s Next Campaign…?

 

Who would cough up $637.28 for a gold coin featuring former President Donald Trump? Gee, that a lot of Greene.

15324: Ted’s Excellent Adventure.

 

15272: Definitely Not A Run-Of-The-Mill DEI Defender…

Adweek reported The Mill terminated the Managing Director of its Chicago office for ripping Republicans who didn’t support the president’s election reversal schemes via Twitter—including tweeted insults involving age, gender, race and ethnicity. Oddly enough, the ex-Mill executive had served on the DEI Committee of the production company, which boasts a strong commitment to equality and inclusion. The committee experience probably means she’ll land as some agency’s Chief Diversity Officer soon. Of course she will. Expect industry conservatives to cry discrimination too. Such a pathetic prejudiced paradox.

 

The Mill Fires Chicago Managing Director Over Tweets Supporting Trump’s Election Reversal

 

Erica Hilbert targeted Republicans who refused to stand with Trump and included a post saying, 'Coming for ya DC!'

 

By Erik Oster

 

One of the ad industry’s leading production studios has fired a key leader—who also served on the company’s diversity committee—following a series of tweets in which she expressed explicit support for Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 Presidential Election results.

 

The Mill confirmed to Adweek today that it has fired Erica Hilbert, managing director of its Chicago office, over her tweets, which have since been deleted, along with her Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. Among her alleged infractions, Hilbert reportedly posted a photo with the caption “Coming for ya DC!” shortly before the Jan. 6 protest that escalated into an attack on the U.S. Capitol

 

The Mill said her tweets were in direct opposition to the company’s values around diversity, equity and inclusion and violated its zero tolerance policy for derogatory comments related to age, gender, culture and race.

 

Hilbert was briefly suspended while The Mill conducted an internal investigation of the tweets in question. She was ultimately terminated from her leadership role.

 

“On Wednesday evening of last week we were made aware of social media content on Chicago Managing Director Erica Hilbert’s personal Twitter account that directly contravenes our values of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion here at The Mill,” a studio representative said in a statement to Adweek. “We immediately placed Erica on administrative leave, without contact with Mill employees or clients, as we sought to confirm the origin of the comments. While our drive for inclusion will always allow for differing points of view, these posts were derogatory of individuals’ age, gender, culture and race—something we have a zero tolerance policy for. As a result, we terminated Erica’s employment with The Mill.”

 

Specious claims mixed with vituperation

 

According to a source with knowledge of her deleted tweets, Hilbert expressed her support for Trump’s baseless claims of election fraud and viciously criticized Republican leaders who did not stand by the president and his extremist supporters. While Hilbert posted that she was “Coming for ya DC” with the #StopTheSteal hashtag popular among Trump’s supporters, there were no subsequent posts documenting whether she participated in the “March to Save America” protest or the assault on the Capitol building that ensued and led to the evacuation of the U.S. Congress, the source told Adweek.

 

Adweek has been unable to reach Hilbert for comment, due to the deletion of all her social media profiles.

 

Taunting Graham, Rubio

 

In writing about Hilbert’s termination, production news site Reel360 included what it said were screenshots of her tweets before they were deleted. In a tweet to Sen. Lindsey Graham, a staunch Trump ally who eventually spoke out against overturning election results, she reportedly tweeted: “Good luck old man! You’re donezo! #patrioticparty is taking over so back TFO!”

 

To Sen. Marco Rubio, another Republican who opted not to side with Trump’s election reversal, Reel360’s screenshot shows Hilbert tweeting: “No assist, fake news, you are a sucker and week [sic] and a sad excise [sic] for a Latino. Acknowledge the crowd. Acknowledge the fraud. You pussy!”

 

Hilbert had served as a member of The Mill’s official DEI Committee. However, she did not lead DEI efforts in Chicago or more broadly at the time of her firing. In her role as managing director for The Mill Chicago, Hilbert helped initiate an internal forum in the wake of the killing of Minneapolis resident George Floyd. That discussion was formalized into a monthly conversation around issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion by The Mill’s wider DEI task force.

 

Others have been fired across multiple industries since reportedly participating in the pro-Trump protest and ensuing riot at the Capitol. Maryland-based Navistar Direct Marketing announced Jan. 7 it had fired an employee shown wearing a company badge in photographs taken during the assault on the Capitol.

 

Last June, Publicis Media fired data analyst Stephanie Camello in response to tweets advocating for violence against Black Lives Matter protesters.