13181: White Moms Wanted.

AgencySpy exposed StrawberryFrog as a diverted diversity drone, spotlighting how the agency created a campaign to position itself as a mom-friendly workplace. Okay, but the moms depicted in the video appear to be predominately White. Plus, StrawberryFrog executes some questionable tactics for dealing with ex-teammates and new hires.

10882: Uprising Ad Inspires Upchuck.

StrawberryFrog Founder and CEO Scott Goodson positions his enterprise as a Cultural Movement agency and anti-traditional advertising agency. Yet the advertisement for Goodson’s book is a clear example of traditional advertising at its worst. Plus, the book’s title makes one think about uprisings staged at StrawberryFrog.

8825: C’MON WHITE MAN! Episode 9.

(MultiCultClassics credits ESPN’s C’MON MAN! for sparking this semi-regular blog series.)

Two stories emerged in the past week with similarities worth spotlighting:

Advertising Age published the details of Ogilvy New York CCO Lars Bastholm reaching a “mutual decision” with his bosses to leave the agency after a two-year run.

Adweek published the details of former StrawberryFrog New York CSO Ilana Bryant launching a legal battle with her ex-employer.

In both cases, the agencies originally pursued and wooed the executives, hired them with great fanfare and quickly promoted them—only to decide Bastholm and Bryant were not a good fit and a divisive, negative force, respectively.

There’s an old management rule that reads, “Hire slow, fire fast.” Looks like the aforementioned agencies did the exact opposite, and ultimately wrote a new tenet that rambles, “Hire fast, promote faster, realize the errors slowly, let the situation deteriorate more slowly, seek an exit strategy via ‘mutual decision’ or ‘voluntary resignation’ at a turtle’s pace, make a clumsy announcement with the speed of a crippled snail and draw out the painful affair interminably.” Hell, David Ogilvy probably wants to rise from the grave and bash his disciples’ skulls with a Magic Lantern, while someone should force-feed StrawberryFrog CEO Scott Goodson a strawberry poison-dart frog.

Of course, Ogilvy North American Chairman John Seifert, Ogilvy North American CCO Steve Simpson and Goodson will walk away from the ugly scenarios they created scot-free—as agency staffers ride out the impending political storms and/or lose their jobs.

Seifert once admitted the industry is “not exactly leading the way” in regards to diversity and inclusion. Yet the douchebag clearly demonstrates he can’t even handle hiring White men. On the flipside, Goodson’s antics may succeed in persuading humans of all races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, religions, disabilities and other cultural categories to avoid the field altogether.

C’MON WHITE MEN!

8824: More Commentary On StrawberryFrog.

A slow day at the office led to the following “perspective” created by comments left for Adweek and AgencySpy stories involving the latest StrawberryFrog fiasco. It all demonstrates the stupidity and arrogance of airing dirty laundry in the digital press.

Let me get this straight: [CEO Scott] Goodson gave [former CSO Ilana Bryant] a promotion AND a raise AND a bonus because she was clearly doing a great job. But now Goodson is suing [Bryant] to get back the bonus he gave her because she wasn’t a good employee—in fact, she was SUCH a bad employee that it drove HER to resign? Interesting theory.

Did the other six department heads that recently left also suffer from this similar bizarre phenomenon, where they suddenly became so ineffectual at their jobs that they took it upon themselves to voluntarily depart?

Bryant is an amazing talent—I have worked with her on many occasions and she is as classy and honest as they come. I REALLY hope this woman gets what she has coming. And I hope Goodson gets what he has coming—a gang raping. Go die, Goodson.

I used to work at the Goodson agency. He sabotaged pitches, client relationships and internal decisions. Everyone who works there is smart and dedicated to the work. He does not deserve them. In reality, he’s the liar who blames all of his shortcomings on others. Nothing is ever his fault including layoffs, poor management decisions, senseless hires, poor creative decisions and lost pitches. He lies to your face in order not to accept responsibility. Some leader. Bryant should be excited that she no longer works there. He really is going to run it into the ground. I hope everyone at the agency knows it’s time to get a new job. If he did it to her and everyone else, Goodson will do it to you too.

Oh, we all know Goodson is a wonderful liar. Goodson hires people, promises them the world, assigns them ‘equity’ and generous commissions, etc. When they win him business, he suddenly doesn’t want to pay out, so he undermines them and tries to force them out, hoping they go quietly. How many times has he pulled this shit with his senior people? I’m counting six I can think of right now.

Fuck. Can any of you actually name their clients? Go on. Think about it. Think hard. Guessing Goodson hasn’t been able to sell the cultural movement dream in a long, long time. Brands are wising up to this two-faced hack’s bullshit. They’ll be out of business in a year. Diaper ads. They make very expensive diaper ads.

I never understood why agencies figure that they can get away with robbery. In the long run, it's always easier and better just to pay someone what they’re owed.

Goodson, the shiftiest person in advertising. That karma’s coming for you, dude—and it will be glorious in its might.

8817: StrawberryFrog Is StrawberryFucked.

Adweek published yet another story on the StrawberryFrog soap opera. According to the trade journal, the agency plans to file a countersuit against former CSO Ilana Bryant. Plus, CEO Scott Goodson released a statement that included, “Ilana Bryant was a valued employee whose job performance decreased over time. She became a divisive, negative force in the StrawberryFrog New York office and her relationships deteriorated resulting in her voluntarily resigning from her employment. … StrawberryFrog will not simply pay money to make Ilana Bryant happy. It is sad and disturbing that she has chosen to distort the facts and attack the agency and its people, essentially blaming everyone else for her own professional failings.” Wow, Goodson must be co-writing this stuff with Heather LeFevre. The agency’s Director of Human Resources better have plenty of documentation to support Goodson’s claims—otherwise, Bryant will be adding libel charges to her lawsuit.

One can only wonder what is rattling around in Goodson’s head. Does he think his public rants are benefiting the agency? He ought to consider the fact that the two sources providing the most coverage of this fiasco—Adweek and AgencySpy—are arguably the least credible advertising publications on Earth. The duo is the digital equivalent of The Jerry Springer Show. Hell, even AdFreak won’t touch this mess.

8815: StrawberryFrog Makes Froggy Look Smart.

Adweek reported on the StrawberryFrog fiasco, offering more dim-witted details. Participants and plaintiffs are volleying barbs:

“This is a contract dispute with a former employee with the firm and it’s totally false and baseless,” said Ramesh Rajan, a partner in the company. “This disgruntled former employee left the firm two months ago and is lashing out at everyone else.”

In the suit, [former CSO Ilana Bryant] describes [CEO Scott Goodson] as an “incompetent and emotionally unstable boss” whose “erratic and dictatorial behavior” have made it impossible to work there.

Okey-doke. It appears that Goodson’s memo to the troops was designed to offer preliminary damage control. Regardless, there are simply better and more professional ways to handle matters. When Adweek reporters called, StrawberryFrog officials could have said, “No comment.” Even a standard line such as, “It is not the company’s policy to discuss personnel matters with the press,” would have done the trick. Instead, the agency wonks took a Heather LeFevre approach and opted to engage in a public pissing match that ultimately makes StrawberryFrog look like it’s run by, well, toads.

8813: StrawberryFrog Hops Into Shitter Again.

AgencySpy posted on the latest fiasco at StrawberryFrog involving a dispute with a former employee. A memo allegedly sent by agency honcho Scott Goodson read:

Dear Frogs: a former employee, Ilana Bryant, left our agency couple of months back and now she is in a contractual dispute with the agency. She is saying really negative things about the agency. These are false and baseless. She is trying to get as much as she can from us. This should not be a reflection on the success we have achieved and the hard work we have all put into our work. This company has been a success since its founding twelve years ago. We have very strong and continued relations with many clients and we remain committed to our future success and the growth of a great agency.

Wow. The top frogs at StrawberryFrog are fucking idiots. Last November, MultiCultClassics commented on another StrawberryFrog debacle, whereby a Director of Planning launched an online smear campaign against someone she had apparently hired. At the time, MultiCultClassics declared the woman’s rant was wildly unprofessional and potentially unlawful. Now it appears she was only following the lead of Goodson. Is there not a Director of Human Resources at StrawberryFrog? Isn’t the standard operating procedure to keep stuff like this confidential? Honestly, what is the benefit of openly sharing the sordid details?

Goodson wrote, “[The former employee] is saying really negative things about the agency.” Somebody tell the man that such public displays by senior management say really negative things about the agency too.

8271: Twitter Follower 229.

Uh-oh. What could this possibly be about?

8207: StrawberryFrog—Truth In Advertising.

Wanted to add a brief follow-up to the StrawberryFrog fiasco involving the Director of Planning who used her blog to blacklist an ex-employee. Not surprisingly, the damning post has been removed, although the original investigative document can still be viewed at Agency Spy. It’s a safe bet that there will be no additional public announcements on the situation, as behind-the-scenes legal actions and confidential settlements will likely move forward.

The scenario did highlight a few truths in advertising:

Ad agency executives remain remarkably ignorant about basic HR-related procedures, as well as employment laws. This phenomenon is especially evident in big agencies. While StrawberryFrog brags it was founded “to challenge the domination of the legacy agency dinosaurs,” the shop ultimately showed it’s just as stupid and prehistoric as the stereotypical BDAs that George Parker regularly blasts.

Our industry’s hiring practices require serious changes. After all, the alleged “cancer” that LeFevre attempted to eliminate has worked at several prominent agencies. Another blogger admitted to recommending the guy for a different job. Regardless of the truth surrounding the man’s abilities, we continue to operate a buddy system based on cronyism, nepotism and other isms that stifles diversity while rewarding incompetent hacks. And LeFevre might be among the painfully unqualified. Hell, the ex-StrawberryFrogger she condemned will find a fresh gig in the business before an unknown minority lands an account planner role.

What makes the StrawberryFrog fiasco particularly annoying is the blatant hypocrisy and hubris at its core. Here is an agency whining about an employee who apparently did not live up to the persona presented during the interview process. Sure, just about everyone has encountered a coworker whose skills did not match his/her resume or portfolio. But these days, there are far greater instances of employers lying to interviewing candidates. Agencies mislead recruits on everything from assignments to salaries, painting images of corporate Nirvana to conceal their true dysfunctional, disorganized and corrupt enterprises. There’s much more cancer and disease in the corner offices versus the cubicles.

8193: StrawberryFrog Has A New Wart.

Adfreak and Agency Spy spotlighted a moment of insanity perpetrated by the Director of Planning at StrawberryFrog in Amsterdam. Heather LeFevre sought to “remove a cancer from adland” by launching an online campaign to blacklist an ex-employee. MultiCultClassics will forgo rehashing the silly details, opting instead to briefly swing the microscope in LeFevre’s direction—as well as conduct an experiment in Web investigation.

First, LeFevre has only held her position since July 2010, and her previous roles were at a Senior Planner level. In other words, she’s a newbie leader. Actually, it’s clearly premature to label her a leader, especially given her actions in this scenario. So let’s call her a newbie manager.

Second, when LeFevre announced her new StrawberryFrog gig on her blog, she indicated the need to immediately hire four planners. Hence, the newbie manager was faced with having to quickly assemble a team—a daunting task even for a seasoned veteran. It’s safe to say she failed in her opening assignment.

Third, LeFevre once offered her opinion on the characteristics of a successful planner. She said, “From my perspective, I think mastering the art of conversation is one of the most important skills to develop. How to Talk to Anyone is a great book to help. You have to build rapport with surly creatives and clients that you may not see all that often. They will invite you into their inner circle if they trust you, find you interesting and want to talk to you. It doesn’t matter how smart you are if you haven’t got that.” Too bad the surly Director of Planning didn’t tap her masterful conversational skills when confronted with a challenging report. She should consider checking out a few basic books on professional leadership.

Fourth, LeFevre has obviously put StrawberryFrog in a bad spot. Forget the possible legal issues, since MultiCultClassics isn’t familiar with employment law in Amsterdam. Her immature rant has completely shifted the focus away from the agency’s work. Additionally, future candidates might think twice before pursuing a job with the place. Hell, clients might give pause before partnering with StrawberryFrog. Someone holding the title of Director of Planning should be an ambassador for her agency. She should at very least be responsible for briefs involving clients, not coworkers.

Fifth, LeFevre perpetuated a sad reality in our industry: Asshole employees are ultimately outnumbered by asshole bosses. And one has to wonder if LeFevre represents the common occurrence of an asshole employee getting elevated to become an asshole boss.

Sixth, LeFevre’s 17-page document unintentionally displays her poor planning abilities. As always, the planner compiles reams of redundant, fuzzy and irrelevant information, demands that the mess be read in its entirety and expects everyone to decipher its usefulness.

When LeFevre originally told the world that StrawberryFrog had named her Director of Planning, she joked, “They might have been smoking something, that’s still to be confirmed.” Um, looks like she just supplied the confirmation.

UPDATE: Some of the links above may be useless, as LeFevre’s blog—featuring the original condemnation—is suddenly restricting access to visitors. Perhaps the Director of Planning received a call from the Director of Human Resources.

UPDATE TWO: Well, LeFevre’s blog is accepting visitors again—but the infamous post has vanished. Perhaps LeFevre can use her keen investigative skills to unravel the mystery behind its digital disappearance.