16097: TGIFluff.

 

Nothing worth commenting on today. So, here’s post filler fluff:

 

Adweek reported McCormick & Company named a new White advertising agency of record—Dentsu X.

 

Dentsu X sounds like the perfect title for the old Steve Biegel v Dentsu sensationalistic sexual harassment suit.

7369: Best Of The 2000s = More Of The Same.

Adweek presented its Best Of The 2000s Winners, and ultimately demonstrated its editorial staff is still living in the 20th century. Read the brief tribute below, followed by a MultiCultClassics perspective.

Multicultural Agency of the Decade

“GlobalHue has consistently offered creative solutions that embrace a wide variety of cultures and ethnicities,” says Olivier Francois, president, CEO and head of marketing at Chrysler. “Their work is a testament to a greater understanding of the changing needs of the audiences we’re trying to reach.” This sentiment reflects the agency’s successful investment in demographic research following the 2000 U.S. Census, which helped fuel the shop’s growth into the largest, smartest multicultural agency in the U.S. with revenue of $83 million in 2008. Memorable work includes the award-winning “Grandma’s Hands” spot for Walmart, TV and online efforts for the Navy, and spots for Subway and Chrysler. In 2009, the agency won a significant general assignment from Jeep that resulted in the striking tagline, “i live. i ride. i am. Jeep.” Chrysler is hardly alone in its praise. One Walmart rep says GlobalHue’s “intelligent understanding of customers” and ability to convert that knowledge to business-building initiatives “is an example to all of us.” Joe Saracino, vp of marketing communications at Verizon Wireless, adds: “GlobalHue has shown uncommon dedication to our business and to the quality of the work they do for us. We are very pleased to know that the industry views their work with similar high esteem.” —Mike Chapman

MultiCultClassics admits in advance that this perspective is a little sloppy—but the Adweek contest was too.

Where to begin? First and foremost, the overall salute is a total farce, and not just in regards to multicultural advertising. Simply view the comments for the White Agency of the Decade polling. The thread reflects the sentiments expressed for nearly every category. The finalist list in each division seemed nonsensical, and the reader voting was clearly bullshit, with agencies like Euro RSCG and Burrell allegedly stuffing the electronic ballot boxes in their own favor. Stay classy, adpeople.

On the one hand, awards always feature controversy and sour grapes (check out these comments too). However, the handling of Multicultural Agency of the Decade was particularly curious, and it’s probably rooted in Adweek’s continuing cultural cluelessness—as well as the ridiculous segregation that exists within the industry.

Why are the minorities dumped into a single receptacle? Do they all look the same to Adweek? The smaller Asian American shops surely suffered in the competition. Where do the GLBT agencies fit in the crock melting pot? And while the usual suspects such as Jeff Goodby appear in multiple categories (e.g., Executive and Creative Director), were any minorities spotted outside of Adweek’s multicultural ghetto?

Adweek doubtlessly struggled to concoct praise for Globalhue, as the publication does not regularly spotlight multicultural shops. Indeed, the most press Globalhue has received in the 2000s involved Jim Edwards’ probing of its Bermuda account dilemmas. No disrespect intended, but can anyone name, say, five great campaigns Globalhue has created in the past ten years? To call the Jeep tagline “striking” is being generous—or disingenuous. Yeah, Globalhue picked up lots of new assignments. But its relationship with IPG certainly impacted the wins. Plus, it was recently reported that 50 percent of Globalhue’s revenue comes from its Latino unit, yet Adweek made zero mention of work from the segment. How much time did Adweek spend examining the multicultural contenders?

If minorities comprise a sole category, the Latino agencies should have dominated. The last ten years—at least in the multicultural silo—have arguably been the decade of Latino marketing. The audience has exploded, along with interest and support from advertisers. For evidence, note the numerous White firms that launched Latino enterprises. If Adweek scrutinized by account wins, The Vidal Partnership and Lopez Negrete definitely deserved recognition. If Adweek judged by creative, wouldn’t Grupo Gallegos have warranted a mention? It’s one of the few minority shops to win at Cannes.

The Adweek awards also inadvertently pointed out the inequities lingering on Madison Avenue. For example, White Agency of the Decade Goodby, Silverstein & Partners once netted over $2 billion in earnings in a few months. Globalhue—the largest U.S. multicultural agency—boasted revenues of $83 million in 2008. The staff of Globalhue is roughly 200 385 people strong. White Small Agency of the Decade Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners employs 150 professionals covering $30 million in revenue. Somebody please ask accountants to explain the variations in revenue and FTPs here. In the end, the hugest multicultural shop is not much bigger than a small White shop—with minorities apparently shouldering a greater staffer-per-revenue figure.

Too bad Adweek didn’t include a category for Victim of Discrimination. Of course, industry minorities would have lost that honor to Steve Biegel.

5737: Domo Arigato, Mr. Biegeloto!

It sure would be nice for Steve Biegel to just go away. Given the secretive nature of his settlement with former employer Dentsu—plus the retraction of all public statements by both parties—one might think nothing more could be said for legal reasons. Instead, Biegel delivered an interview with Advertising Age. Biegel’s remarks included:

There are many “boys club” situations that go on in the industry, but there is a line that I assume is understood that is not crossed in those situations. In plain English, there’s a lot of “entertainment” in the industry and that’s not an issue, but there’s a line that one shouldn’t be pushed over, and that’s what one shouldn’t stand for—being pushed over that line.

I feel like I was a victim who sought justice and was within my rights as an American citizen to stand up to that injustice, and people can form their own opinions about it.

I can look at myself in the mirror without any problems. I can talk to my son honestly about standing up to bullies. I honor my father from him teaching me how to stand up for myself. And people can think what they want to think. As long as I’m truthful and true to myself, then it was worth it.

Guess he had to replenish the retracted public statements. Biegel appears to be blasting Dentsu with accusations like “being pushed over that line” and “standing up to bullies.” Plus, the references to “plain English” and “rights as an American citizen” continue the cultural jabs that tainted the tussle.

Of course, an “anonymous” posted comment shows love for Biegel:

Kudo’s [sic] to Biegel. Thanks for maintaining your integrity and holding others accountable. He might just have saved someone else the dilemma of being in that position and feeling like they had to conform. It’s good to get reminders that we need to tighten up a little. —Norfolk, VA

Ah, yes. Steve Biegel has saved us all from future attacks at Eastern European brothels and Japanese bathhouses. Domo arigato!

5668: Nazism, Sexism And Racism.

Boys will be boys in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• FIA president Max Mosley went to court denying a newspaper report that he staged a Nazi-style orgy with hookers last March. While Mosley admitted he engaged in a German prison fantasy, he insisted it was not Nazi in nature. “There was not even a hint of that,” said Mosley. He added he could “think of few things more unerotic than Nazi role-play.” Actually, “unerotic” would apply to any sexual encounter involving the 68-year-old Mosley.

• Adweek reported Steve Biegel and Dentsu have settled their legal squabbles. A joint statement read, “As a result of this settlement, those allegations and claims have been dismissed, including any potential counterclaims that have not been asserted by Dentsu. Both parties retract all public statements.” Of course, both parties also agree not to disclose or discuss anything else. So like a ninja, Biegel slips silently into the night. Wonder if the retractions include the numerous anonymous comments left on various blogs.

• Retired boxer Floyd Mayweather charged HBO with racism, saying the network’s announcers display bias towards Black fighters. “They talk about Kelly Pavlik, a White fighter, like he’s the second coming. Or they go crazy over Manny Pacquiao. But I’m a Black fighter,” said Mayweather. “Is it racial? Absolutely. They praise White fighters, they praise Hispanic fighters, whatever. But Black fighters, they never praise.” No word regarding whether or not HBO announcers praised Mayweather’s performance on Dancing With The Stars.

5066: The Madison Avenue Mea Culpa.

In recent years, we’ve witnessed a bunch of symbolic and official apologies. Certain German and Austrian churches apologized for Holocaust actions. In the U.S., a handful of states have apologized for slavery. Australia announced plans to apologize for offenses against Aborigines. In addition, we’ve heard statements of regret from folks like Michael Richards, Don Imus and Isaiah Washington.

Maybe the moment has come for the advertising industry to apologize for its history of institutionalized discrimination. In the spirit of healing, MultiCultClassics presents the following declaration:

The Madison Avenue Mea Culpa

Dear Afro-Americans, Latins, Orientals, Indians, Homosexuals, Handicappers and Other Assorted Minorities,

We are sincerely sorry for countless decades of corporate apartheid and naughtiness. Please forgive the constant cultural cluelessness and potentially illegal efforts to exclude you from The Club. While we have strived to help you make strides in areas including administrative assistance, reception, delivery services, security and janitorial functions, we realize there is still much to accomplish.

We pledge to embrace diversity, which we’re told is not just something that reduces protests from Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rev. Al Sharpton, but also makes good business sense. We did not know that. Thanks, it’s great information to have.

We vow to hire as many of you people as possible, especially if our agencies are launching multicultural divisions.

Try overlooking our past failures to honor promises with organizations like New York City’s Commission on Human Rights. We really are working on the issues. It’s just been super busy—and figuring out this confusing digital and computer stuff has taken up so much time and energy.

Finally, we look forward to having a dream that one day in the offices of Madison Avenue the sons of former mailroom attendants and the sons of former agency owners will be able to sit down together at the conference table of brotherhood—where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their award-winning, new media portfolio.

Perhaps freshly anointed 4As CEO Nancy Hill could read the manifesto at a gala gathering attended by New York City’s Commission on Human Rights, Sanford Moore and Steve Biegel.

5052: Dentsuing With Dwyer And Denny.

Andrew Dwyer, Steve Biegel’s lawyer, is apparently not satisfied merely facing off with the Dentsu legal team. He’s also battling bloggers. It’ll be a long time before anyone confuses Dwyer with Denny Crane.

5034: Biegel vs. Dentsu = Bias vs. Bias.

Copywrite, Ink. presented a thoughtful perspective on the Steve Biegel versus Dentsu case, drawing one response that reflects the racism festering in the fiasco.

Here’s the comment:

Anonymous said...

This is the [classic] example of blaming the accuser. Fact: Japanese businessmen go on these excursions regularly. Fact: This guy says he reported it to his boss. Fact: He has witnesses. Let’s see what Weitz says in court. And the employees who were coerced into the bath. Let’s see what they say in court. How many American companies are going to hire this Japanese company now? They are the ones whose credibility is questioned. And will always be questioned, even if they put their multi-million dollar legal machine to work and defeat him with pr spin. What specific claim did they deny anyway?

Let’s face it. The claims are not that unreasonable based on typical Japanese business practices, are they?

Let’s hope Anonymous is not closely associated with Biegel and his attorney. After all, Biegel charges he’s the victim of sexual harassment and discrimination rooted in anti-Semitism. It would be unfortunate to discover the Biegel crew is covertly fighting bias with bias.

Anonymous also compounds cultural cluelessness with corporate cluelessness. Surely the writer doesn’t naïvely believe Madison Avenue honchos have never solicited prostitutes with coworkers. Heaven forbid they might ever frequent Times Square gentlemen’s clubs with clients. No, that sort of perverted activity is exclusive to the mysterious and obscene Japanese businessmen.

As for Americans rejecting Japanese companies, well, let’s consider how Toyota is fast overtaking the U.S. automakers. Perhaps Anonymous is confusing anti-Chinese with anti-Japanese business sentiments. Then again, they probably all look alike to Anonymous.

5032: Steve Biegel, Ninja Assassin.

Adweek.com reported on Friday—along with a hardcore Biegel fan—that a judge nixed the Dentsu motion for a summary judgment, allowing the infamous lawsuit to proceed.

Does this mean Steve Biegel struck like a stealthy ninja to seriously wound his evil Japanese nemesis? Has Biegel Ninja aggressively seized the offensive? Will he now move in to deliver the final death blow?

Um, doubt it.

In the end, the judge’s action may actually prolong Biegel’s agony. The man will likely spend many months and major money to inevitably be told his case sucks.

According to Adweek, “Dentsu in court papers claimed Biegel signed a form when he was hired acknowledging the company’s policy against sexual harassment and only complained about alleged harassment one-and-a-half years after the incidents occurred.” Biegel apparently “does not recall” being schooled on Dentsu’s policy. Plus, he’s supposedly clueless about having received the company rulebook.

Yeah, right. A Madison Avenue veteran forgot his agency’s basic policies and procedures. And he didn’t even think to look for them while responding to sexual harassment and anti-Semitic discrimination. Did Biegel join the business yesterday? Was the ex-creative director ever in a managerial or hiring role? No way should a senior-level agency executive be so ignorant. If he was, well, maybe he deserved to be terminated.

Biegel’s starting to resemble Bill Clinton: “I did not have sexual relations with that Prague prostitute.”

Of course, Biegel still has to prove his charges. He’s presented nothing solid so far. Perhaps he’s holding it all back for the grand showdown.

Um, doubt it.

Sorry, Biegel fan. The judge’s decision does not translate to confirmation that your hero has a legitimate case. In fact, we’ll bet the man ultimately slinks off in silence like a ninja—after experiencing zero success battling Dentsu and its legal team.

5030: Nutcase Closed.

Adweek.com scooped the latest droppings from the Steve Biegel versus Dentsu fiasco. It’s a complex, detailed story with a simple message: Biegel’s legal days are numbered—the clock is ticking like a quickie session with a Prague prostitute.

You don’t need Denny Crane to explain what’s happening here. Biegel’s problem is his arguments and charges are almost purely emotional and subjective. In contrast, Dentsu is building a tight defense, citing facts, legal precedents and hard-to-dispute truths.

Biegel spouts “Sharapova crotch shot” and “slavishly deferential.” Dentsu volleys with “Faragher-Ellerth” and “Policies & Procedures Employee Manual.” Yes, Biegel’s blustering might make for a more entertaining primetime courtroom drama. But real cases involve those nettlesome things called laws.

Right now, Biegel’s as lawless as Xena’s Lucy.

5004: Steve Biegel the Slave?

Advertising Age reported on the latest drama involving Steve Biegel versus Dentsu. Biegel had been ordered to present more support for his sexual harassment and discrimination charges (see Essay 4961). In the newest filing, Biegel blasted the Dentsu culture as “slavishly deferential” to agency leaders.

Ah yes, Evil Japanese Overlord Toyo Shigeta ruled with an iron fist, subjecting minions to excruciating cruelty.

Um, not buying it.

Sorry, Steve, but slaves don’t make six-figure salaries.

When two Indonesian housekeepers recently testified against their Long Island bosses—successfully arguing they were modern-day slaves—the women were not seeking million-dollar payments.

It’s possible the prostitutes working at the infamous Prague whorehouse were slaves.

New Jersey legislators are considering officially apologizing for slavery, but it’s unlikely Biegel will be included in the gesture.

No, lifetime Madison Avenue executives are not slaves. And they shouldn’t toss around the term to sensationalize court documents.

Then again, watching this case unfold is starting to feel like torture.

Essay 4961

Dirty business in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Adweek reported the latest happenings regarding Steven Biegel and Dentsu. While the judge denied Dentsu’s motion to dismiss, Biegel was given until January 17 to offer greater details to support his charges. This could be categorized as calling his buff.

• Senator Larry Craig continues to fight his guilty conviction stemming from the infamous toilet stall incident. Craig’s lawyer’s argued in a brief that the act wasn’t illegal because it did not involve multiple victims, and the law “requires that the conduct at issue have a tendency to alarm or anger ‘others.’ … Appellant’s alleged conduct in this case affected only a single individual—[the arresting officer] Sergeant Karsnia. It did not—and could not affect ‘others’ as the disorderly conduct statute requires, and therefore, does not satisfy that element of the statute.” Um, what about alarming, angering and affecting Craig’s wife and about 99 percent of the American public?

Essay 4857

Also making Advertising Age’s 10 Who Made Their Mark list was Dentsu-suing Steve Biegel. His entry reads as follows:

------------------------------

STEVE BIEGEL
He came out of nowhere with the raunchiest legal filings in recent memory. Allegations against his former bosses at Dentsu included forced trips to strip clubs and bathhouses, rampant anti-Semitism and an illicit snap of Maria Sharapova’s crotch that made it all the way to AdAge.com. Whether Mr. Biegel’s claims will stand up in court remains to be seen, but his place in adland history is suddenly secure.

------------------------------

Guess 2007 was a slow news year on Madison Avenue.

So far, the Steve Biegel vs. Dentsu spectacle has essentially displayed Biegel’s (and his lawyer’s) dubious PR prowess. Although the spankings delivered on various blogs could ultimately hurt the fired creative director beyond the courtroom—if things even reach that stage.

The case itself appears to be as shaky as a Prague pole dancer. The accusations of anti-Semitism might look more kosher if Biegel could convince the other terminated Jewish executives to join him in a class-action suit.

In the end, the fiasco does emphasize the existence of real and perceived discrimination in the advertising industry. No breakthrough scoop there. Yet one can’t help but wonder if it all points to another growing problem.

Despite the online Biegel haters, the word on the street says Biegel is a decent, hard-working guy. However, our profession has always been driven by subjective opinion, so a new boss can decide a formerly talented employee is suddenly a hack. The Dentsu firing allegedly exhibited the political bullshit common in the business, including the replacement maneuvering and unceremonious dumping. Unfortunately, insensitive, mean-spirited and asinine management is completely legal. Otherwise, the entire industry would be facing litigation.

In our current marketplace, companies are not only downsizing staffs, but severance packages as well. The once-charitable big shops are handing out one week’s salary for each year worked, and forget the additional “two weeks’ in lieu of notice” payment. Negotiating for a better deal is tricky and tough, and it often requires the threat of legal action. It’s a safe bet that Biegel found himself in such a situation.

As people who have pursued employment-related lawsuits will tell you, the filing selections are extraordinarily limited, with highly specific definitions for protected classes and offenses. Unless you have indisputable evidence of wrongdoing—and lots of it—you’ll encounter an uphill raging-inferno-firefight.

Of course, Madison Avenue’s buddy system also means you’ll be blackballed for life, which can be compounded with the constant mergers and nomadic, shifting leaders holding hiring authority.

Critics argue that Biegel had the right to quit and land a different job. At the same time, it ain’t easy to secure comparable gigs for creative directors. The roles are more elusive, and the salaries are less generous.

In the future, somebody might find a way to legally punish lousy management, or at least rethink our subjective work environment. Given the rise of corporations like IPG with their DraftFCB carnival freaks, it seems inevitable for an enterprising attorney to challenge the justice status quo. For the moment, the best options we have are charges of discrimination.

Pardon the pessimism, but Madison Avenue has never been fazed by discrimination.

Essay 4824

Not quite sure what to make of the newest developments in Steven Biegel vs. Dentsu. Now the fired creative director is clarifying his charges that focus on faith-based discrimination. It’ll be hard to gain sympathy arguing he was paid significantly less than a non-Jewish ECD, given that Biegel’s salary was still in the healthy six-figure range. Biegel should realize that one survey showed Black executives earning over $100,000 annually account for about 0.5 percent of the total workforce on Madison Avenue. Hey, it’s pretty clear our industry is rife with bias and bigotry. But Biegel’s alleged suffering places him in the minority among victims. Here’s the up-to-the-minute report from AdAge.com…

-------------------------------

Biegel Claims Dentsu Holds Bias Against Jews

Latest From Ousted Creative: Dentsu America’s Current President Faces Faith-Based Discrimination

By Rupal Parekh

NEW YORK -- The focus of Steve Biegel’s courtroom battle against Japanese ad giant Dentsu is shifting from brothels and bathhouses to charges of faith-based discrimination.

The former Dentsu creative director now claims that not only were he and other Jewish colleagues the subject of faith-based discrimination during the three years Mr. Biegel worked at the agency, but that such bias persists within Dentsu’s ranks, particularly against Denstu America’s president, Doug Fidoten.

A Dentsu spokesman and Mr. Fidoten declined to comment.

Response to motion to dismiss
Mr. Biegel’s latest filing is in response to a motion to dismiss last month from Dentsu and two of its top executives, Denstu Holdings CEO Toyo Shigeta and Tim Andree, CEO of Dentsu America. In their court papers, Messrs. Shigeta and Andree fired back at Mr. Biegel’s salacious October lawsuit, saying that his tales about Prague brothels, Tokyo bathhouses and lewd commercial shoots featuring Canon spokeswoman Maria Sharapova were fabricated. They also refuted claims of retaliation against Mr. Biegel for making complaints about those situations.

Mr. Biegel’s lawsuit was simply a stunt he cooked up with his attorney, Andrew Dwyer, “to get [Dentsu] to pay him an exorbitant amount of money despite Biegel’s lawful termination,” the defendants said in their motion to dismiss.

In his latest filing, Mr. Biegel urges U.S. District Court Judge Colleen McMahon to deny the defendants’ motion seeking dismissal.

In a Nov. 30 sworn statement attached to the filing, Mr. Biegel claims that evidence for Dentsu’s prejudice against Jews is rampant and that the agency’s reliance on its president, Mr. Fidoten, as proof it does not discriminate is “disingenuous.”

‘Token Jew’
“Defendants have openly discussed firing Mr. Fidoten, as well as removing his responsibilities,” Mr. Biegel said in the statement. “Mr. Fidoten is quite literally a token Jew, presented as a fig leaf to hide the simple fact that Mr. Andree and his fellow gentile managers have in one year eliminated every Jew in the creative department at Dentsu.”

“Even though he remains technically employed as Dentsu’s president, in reality, he has been stripped of his powers. … Mr. Fidoten himself has become aware of his precarious position, and has been talking to others in the industry about the possibility that he may lose his job,” Mr. Biegel said in the statement.

In his statement, Mr. Biegel further accuses Dentsu of having a religious bias that skewed salaries. The agency’s current top creative director Mike Wilson, who is not Jewish, is paid $450,000 per year, plus various benefits, “which is almost exactly equal to the combined salary [former Dentsu America Executive Creative Director Ronald J. Rosen] and I were paid at Dentsu,” Mr. Biegel said in the statement.

Meanwhile, in a letter attached to the filing sent earlier this year to Mr. Dwyer, lawyers from Davis & Gilbert on behalf of Dentsu deny religious bias on behalf of management, citing Mr. Shigeta’s hire of Mr. Biegel three years earlier -- knowing that he was Jewish -- as evidence.

Legitimate reason
Mr. Biegel’s termination had a legitimate business reason, the lawyers said: “Canon, a major Dentsu client, almost cancelled its campaign because it was completely unsatisfied with a commercial that Biegel was in charge of producing,” lawyers said.

Representatives for Canon could not be immediately reached.

Further, in a meeting with Mr. Andree, Mr. Biegel badmouthed Mr. Fidoten, calling him “useless,” according to the Dentsu letter, and stated that he should be promoted to co-creative director with Mr. Rosen to “do his job better.”

That letter also stated that Mr. Biegel was a problem employee, and that previous employers also had issues with his work performance and attitude.

Mr. Biegel “had been provided with a serious written warning about his unprofessional behavior while at his previous job with Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide,” the letter said. “This included making bad-faith requests for personal favors and acting vulgar and rude toward his co-workers, superiors and outside vendors, which resulted in five female staff members refusing to work with him.”

“We will not comment on employees, former or current,” an Ogilvy spokeswoman said.

Essay 4760

Faking progress in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Foxy Brown was taken out of segregated confinement early, serving only 40 days of a 76-day sentence. The rapper had been placed in special holding for various offenses including screaming at guards and refusing to take a drug test, but was released for good behavior. Hey, it’s pretty rare to see Foxy Brown and good behavior in the same paragraph.

• New York radio personality DJ Star, who was fired for on-air threats and sexual comments directed at a rival’s wife and 4-year-old daughter (see Essay 868), is reportedly returning to the airwaves. What’s next? The Michael Richards Comedy Comeback? Dog the Bounty Hunter’s Christmas Special?

• Advertising Age reported Dentsu is seeking a dismissal of the Steve Biegel lawsuit (see Essay 4685). “If [Biegel] thought he had valid legal claims, he should have filed his lawsuit a year ago,” said a Dentsu spokesman. “Instead, he prepared his lawsuit and showed it to some of Dentsu’s biggest clients, while he and his attorney were attempting to extract in excess of $1 million from Dentsu.” Hey, a million bucks will buy a lot of Prague prostitutes. Regarding Biegel’s charge that his termination was tied to being Jewish, the spokesman added, “He was Jewish when he was hired by Dentsu, he was Jewish when he was fired and his firing was approved by the president of Dentsu, who is also Jewish. Mr. Biegel has provided not one shred of proof that his faith had anything to do with his firing.” Oy vey.

Essay 4685

The Steve Biegel versus Toyo Shigeta sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit brings new bias to Madison Avenue. As if the industry needed innovation in this area.

Biegel’s charges have been published extensively, so we’ll forgo replaying the details. Anyone who needs a download is encouraged to google, “Tokyo bathhouse, Prague brothel, Mexican whore and Sharapova’s crotch.”

Media outlets have had difficulty keeping a straight face while reporting the news. Meanwhile, the online comments have served up equal shares of disgust for Biegel and Shigeta. Senior-level advertising executives never seem to lack haters. Note to fired employees suing employers: Don’t ever go public—it only attracts the nutcases while appearing to reveal your desperation (plus, if an employer calls your bluff, it usually means they’re not concerned about the potential negative press).

That aside, the racial and cultural angles have been pushed ad nauseam. Except this time, the pusher is a White man. Don’t expect New York City’s Commission on Human Rights or Jesse Jackson to step into the fray.

One online comment defending Biegel—which other commentators insist Biegel typed himself—sums up the racial hoopla: “It’s brave for this guy to single-handedly stand up against that mysterious Japanese firm. … You [a Biegel critic] sound like a plant that Dentsu hired to badmouth Steve’s character. Which is probably their only defense. Are you Japanese?”

Yes, it looks like Jap-bashing is back. Beware the shadowy aliens with sinister attitudes about intercourse and three-ways with Hispanic hookers. Why, it’s a corporate Caligula being forced upon mild-mannered family men.

The sensational spectacle includes experts debating assorted Asian business traditions and myths. In Bangkok, for example, the professional festivities showcase lewd uses for ping-pong balls.

Um, has everyone already forgotten the DraftFCB-Wal-Mart scenario? The tale starred a female marketing executive fucking her subordinate, and the advertising CEO displaying a naked photo of his model girlfriend while his partner dealt with a lawsuit involving illicit affairs in the Church. There was also a published advertisement with fornicating lions. And that’s just a single, short-lived client-agency relationship from the good old USA.

Sorry, but sexual improprieties are hardly foreign in our industry. As an ad veteran, Biegel surely witnessed and participated in far worse over the years.

As for the accusations of anti-Semitism, well, Jewish adfolks haven’t exactly been oppressed. Certainly not in 21st century, at least.

Can’t help but think Biegel versus Shigeta ultimately hurts the industry by lessening the impact of real sexual and discriminatory offenses. There are plenty of ancient Chinese secrets and more lurking on Madison Avenue.

But that’s just our biased opinion.