Wal-Mart’s new campaign rips off Tide’s old campaign.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Essay 4687
From The Washington Post…
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Documents Show Police Stereotyping, Plaintiffs Say
By Dan Morse
Washington Post Staff Writer
There, among thousands of pages the Maryland State Police turned over to civil rights groups in connection with a racial profiling lawsuit, were four offering guidance on how to interact with Hispanics. “The majority of Hispanics are not criminals,” one undated document said. “They are just seeking a better way of life.”
But that same document cautions: “Hispanics generally do not hold their alcohol well. They tend to drink too much and this leads to fights,” according to records in Baltimore County Circuit Court. Hispanic males are raised to be “‘MACHO’ and brave,” while females are “raised to be subservient,” the documents state.
Attorneys for the Maryland NAACP say the documents appear to have been used in lesson plans for the agency’s Pro-Active Criminal Enforcement program, in which specially trained troopers try to catch drug couriers and organized criminals on Maryland highways.
State police officials referred questions to Betty A. Stemley, the agency’s head attorney, who said she did not know who produced the documents or whether they had been used for training. “They definitely don’t appear to be part of any kind of formalized manual or training document,” she said.
The plaintiffs said the documents came as a response to their request for police training documents. Stemley said that in general, the police agency has tried to cast as broad a net as possible when providing documents in the case. The state police have been accused of producing incomplete responses to other requests.
She suggested that the documents could have been gathered by a trainer collecting material on the subject and might not have been disseminated to troopers at all. “They appear to be very random to me,” Stemley said of the documents.
Eliza Leighton, a staff attorney for Casa de Maryland, an immigrant advocacy group in Silver Spring, said she was “deeply troubled” by the documents, which she said contain “startling examples of racial stereotypes.”
She said the documents could undermine her group’s cooperative work with law enforcement in Hispanic communities.
Leighton took issue with a number of the documents’ assertions, including the notion that Hispanics do not want to learn English. “The Latinos we deal with at Casa de Maryland take pride in being Marylanders,” she said.
One of the documents, titled “Dealings With Hispanics,” says that knives are “the preferred weapon of Hispanics.” Another says, “Hispanics are reluctant to learn English because they fear they may lose some of their heritage.”
“As police officers,” one of the documents says, “we tend to misinterpret their language and act unfair due to the lack of communication. … Quite often Hispanics fear the police.”
The documents surfaced in a legal battle that began in 1993, when a lawsuit was filed in federal court. The plaintiffs alleged they had been victims of racial profiling, a practice in which police stop motorists or search vehicles on the basis of the drivers’ race.
In 2003, under a consent decree, the state police agreed to far-reaching changes aimed at preventing troopers from singling out minority motorists. The agency, which did not admit to engaging in systematic racial profiling, has said it acts in compliance with the consent decree.
The ACLU of Maryland, which is collaborating with the NAACP in aspects of the litigation, said yesterday that troopers continue to search black and Hispanic motorists along Interstate 95 at rates disproportionate to their presence in the general population. In 2006, according to the plaintiffs, 51.2 percent of those searched were black, 17.1 percent were Hispanic and 27.9 percent were white.
As part of the litigation, the ACLU filed a lawsuit earlier this year accusing the agency of improperly withholding documents about racial profiling. The plaintiffs attached the documents about how to deal with Hispanics as exhibits with a legal filing this week.
Stemley, the state police attorney, questioned their motives. “The plaintiffs are using this as an opportunity to just speak against the state police,” she said.
Essay 4686
Calling the news in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…
• O.J. Simpson haters better not reserve a jail cell yet. The trial continues to get more bizarre, as a key witness admitted he contacted TMZ.com before calling the police about the alleged O.J.-led raid. Then again, Simpson probably called his publicist before notifying his lawyer. It was also revealed that Simpson may have been unaware his accomplices were carrying firearms. This makes sense, because as we’ve noted before, everyone knows Simpson’s weapon of choice is a hunting knife.
• As expected, Charles Prince is leaving his Citigroup CEO role with a king’s ransom—about $42 million in stocks, a bonus and more. Granted, it looks lousy when compared to “retiring” Merrill Lynch CEO Stan O’Neal’s $160+ million deal. But it sure beats the Average Joe’s severance package. By about $42 million.
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.
Friday, November 09, 2007
Essay 4683
The AdColor™ Awards held its inaugural extravaganza on November 4th with over 420 attendees. All-Star Earvin “Magic” Johnson was a no-show, but event hostess Veronica Webb added celebrity appeal. Plus, Advertising Age editor Ken Wheaton mentioned Hadji Williams and MultiCultClassics in the awards journal to appear in an upcoming issue of AdAge. Congratulations to all the winners.
[Click on the essay title above to view images from the event.]
Essay 4681
Taxing news in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…
• Wesley Snipes is charging potential racism in plans for his upcoming tax-evasion trial. His lawyer filed a motion arguing the choice of Ocala, Florida as the place for the trial hurts Snipes’ chances of fair treatment. The lawyer griped that the U.S. Attorney’s Office “deliberately chose the most racially discriminatory venue available to the government with the best possibility of an all-white Southern jury where Snipes has never resided.” Snipes is starting to sound like O.J. Simpson.
• A spokesperson for Michael Jackson claims he’s not in danger of losing his Neverland Ranch, contrary to reports stating problems stemming from a loan (see Essay 4635). “Mr. Jackson is in the final stages of refinance and will not lose Neverland Valley Ranch,” said the spokesperson. Maybe Jacko needs to revise his nickname to King of Debt.
• A top immigration official offered another apology over the incident involving an inappropriate Halloween costume (see Essay 4677). In a letter to Sen. Claire McCaskill, the official wrote, “Although I was not aware at the time of the contest that the employee disguised his skin color, I believe that it was inappropriate for me to recognize any individual wearing an escaped prisoner costume.” It sure is tough to disguise ignorance.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Essay 4678
Late news in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…
• The O.J. Simpson trial has started. Even O.J. looks bored by it all.
• Four rappers showed up for court at once in New York: Ja Rule and Lil Wayne for updates on their gun possession case; Busta Rhymes for four assorted cases; and Remy Ma for her shooting affair. They’ll all probably serve less time in prison than O.J.
• Ford Motor Company is almost bragging about its 3Q loss of $380 million, calling it a vast improvement over last year. “We are on track to achieve our goal of profitability in 2009,” said CEO Alan Mulally. Um, somebody tell him it’s 2007.
• The number of illegal immigrants dying at the southern border has fallen for the second straight year, down 12 percent from 2006. Note to all surviving immigrants: avoid landing jobs at Ford Motor Company.
Essay 4677
Staying in the Black with a MultiCultClassics Monologue…
• Dog the Bounty Hunter revealed that he’s not Black. During a televised interview, the former A&E star said he thought using the N-word was cool because he shares a bond with Blacks. “I now learned I’m not Black at all,” announced Dog. “I thought that I was cool enough in the Black world to be able to use that word as a brother to a brother. I’m not. … I didn’t really know until three or four days ago what that meant to Black people. I never realized it is like stabbing a Black person in the heart.” Has this guy met with the Rev. Al Sharpton yet?
• A Halloween party held by Homeland Security sparked controversy over a White employee who dressed up in prison stripes, dreadlocks wig and dark makeup. The costume even was honored in a judging contest. It would have been perfect if the employee had been accompanied by someone dressed as Dog the Bounty Hunter.
• General Motors posted a 3Q loss of $39 billion, while Toyota reported an 11 percent gain. Unlike Dog the Bounty Hunter, Toyota knows how to stay in the Black.
• Prosecutors are no longer pursuing charges that P. Diddy beat up an acquaintance at a New York nightclub (see Essay 4626) after the alleged victim refused to cooperate with the police. So Diddy will not be posting any 4Q profit losses from court trials.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Essay 4672
Presenting an example of diversity in direct marketing.
Received a spam email with an easy-money offer for filling out online consumer surveys. Here’s an actual excerpt:
“And it doesn’t matter who you are!
It’s one of the best things about this opportunity. You don’t need any special qualifications. You can be a mother, a teenager, [an] old man, heck…you can even be paralyzed and in a wheelchair!
No matter who you are, solid easy income from home is right around the corner. Seize the moment…”
Gee, the paralyzed wheelchair folks will want to jump on this deal.
Essay 4671
A candy-coated MultiCultClassics Monologue…
• Michael Jackson is back in an exclusive interview for the upcoming issue of Ebony. When Johnny Depp played Willy Wonka in the recent Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie, he denied patterning the character after Jacko. Can’t imagine why anyone would have thought that.
• One of the Indonesian servants testified in the case involving a millionaire couple charged with slavery (see Essay 4643). The woman claims she was forced to eat her own vomit, scalded with hot water, poked with a knife and more. Defense attorneys argue the servants practiced witchcraft and may have participated in some form of Indonesian self-mutilation ritual. Can’t wait to hear the expert testimony on that.
Monday, November 05, 2007
Essay 4668
A whopper-sized MultiCultClassics Monologue…• Burger King reported 1Q earnings jumped 23 percent, helped by Hollywood tie-ins including “The Simpsons Movie,” which sparked sales for the Ultimate DoubleWhopper sandwich. Which could explain why more and more Americans physically resemble Homer Simpson.
• A new study shows lack of sleep may lead to a rise in obesity among kids. While there are no clear explanations to support the conclusions, speculation includes tired kids are less likely to exercise and lack of sleep messes with two hormones critical to appetite regulation. Let’s not forget that fast feeders like Burger King have late-night service too.
Essay 4667
From The Chicago Sun-Times…
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Facts show immigrants don’t deserve crime blame
Illegal immigrants get blamed for everything: rape, murder, robbery, you name it.
They are actually quite law-biding, as much as the rest of us, a Sun-Times report reveals.
They account for about 3 percent of the state’s population and an equal percentage of inmates in Cook County jails. Less than 4 percent of adults in Illinois prisons have been identified as illegal immigrants.
The perception holds that more illegal immigrants equals more crime. That view is bolstered by lies told by anti-illegal immigrant groups like the Minutemen. They claim 64,000 U.S. citizens have been killed by illegal immigrants since Sept. 11, 2001. That would mean more than half the murders in the United States have been committed by illegal immigrants.
That’s ludicrous.
Besides, the numbers don’t add up. The FBI doesn’t even track the data of offenders or victims based on their citizenship status. The data does show that nearly half of those arrested for murder or non-negligent manslaughter in 2006 were white. Only 1 percent of “criminal aliens” were in jail for murder in 2005, according to the Government Accountability Office.
Sadly, people tend to believe this anti-immigrant hype. They always have. One recent survey found most Americans believe immigrants boost crime. These same claims have been hurled at the Irish, Italians and Chinese at some point in America’s history. Today we scapegoat Mexicans.
We don’t blame all middle-age white guys for the crimes of John Wayne Gacy. We don’t blame all black men for John Allen Muhammad’s Beltway sniper-fest. We shouldn’t blame all illegal immigrants, either.
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Essay 4662
Protests, prosecutors and politics in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…
• The Rev. Al Sharpton won’t protest New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas, deciding the NBA legend didn’t declare it’s OK for Black men to use the term “bitch” towards Black women. “[Thomas] told me that what was on the tape was not all that was said, and that he only wanted a fair hearing,” said Sharpton. After viewing the tape, Sharpton was sure Thomas “doesn’t agree with anyone calling anyone a ‘B.’” So now Sharpton’s freed up to concentrate his efforts on Dog the Bounty Hunter.
• Prosecutors in the R. Kelly child pornography case were dealt a setback when a judge ruled against using the insights of a developmental and forensic pediatrician. The expert was recruited to give her theory regarding why the girl in the case has denied being the victim. But the judge nixed the witness for various legal reasons. At this point, the alleged victim is old enough to appear in R. Kelly’s music videos.
• The National Civil Rights Museum in Tennessee is drawing criticism for having too many White people and corporate types on its governing board. The group of 32 currently features 15 Blacks, 15 Whites, one Latino and one member of East Indian heritage; plus, 12 are representatives of big corporations. “The board should more nearly approximate the soldiers of the civil rights movement that it celebrates, and they were overwhelmingly African-American,” said one critic. Board Chairman Benjamin Hooks, a former NAACP honcho, defended the corporate representation by arguing their presence “also helps with matters involving business practices, the best business practices that we can bring in from the corporate world to the nonprofit world.” Guess green trumps all other colors.
Essay 4660
From The Chicago Tribune…
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A FALSE TALE OF 2 DISASTERS
Race as a burning issue
In media coverage of wildfires and Katrina, bias glows under surface
By Anthony Stanford
The wildfires that raged through Southern California, taking lives, burning homes and forcing hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate, were this country’s most devastating natural disaster since Hurricane Katrina, another reminder that we mortals are at nature’s mercy. The victims, like those of Katrina, will suffer the firestorm’s effects for years.
But based on the media coverage of the two tragedies, the similarities end there.
Following their biased and racially divisive reporting on Katrina, the national media took it upon themselves to soothe America's collective psyche.
Perhaps some reporting was a good-faith effort to illustrate improvements in preparedness, coordination and leadership since Katrina. But amid the constant emphasis on order and humanity’s softer side, it’s hard not to sense that race and class biases played a role in the media’s portrayal.
The implication was that the socioeconomic standing of the California wildfire victims made the disaster response and evacuation effort easier. But that ignores how different the two disasters were.
Victims of the fires were distinguished in every possible way from Katrina’s victims. The media enthusiastically reported that unprecedented cooperation and coordination existed at every level of California’s disaster effort. Information about problems typically associated with a large-scale evacuation, such as food and water shortages, transportation headaches and unruly evacuees, was noticeably scant.
Some media outlets made direct comparisons with Katrina regarding crime. Besides reporting that an arsonist may have started some fires and a few non-specific mentions of “spotty looting,” the media rarely mentioned the ugly side of human nature.
Whereas media coverage of Katrina shocked America’s heartland with its exhaustive examination of human desperation, network news stations led their wildfires coverage with images of President Bush, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and federal and local officials working in concert to save American lives and property. Everyone on the Terminator’s team was in lock step. There were no media reports of defectors or inept bureaucrats, no accounts of finger-pointing for bungled tasks.
If Katrina coverage was defined by the almost constant harping on the negative, which presented an unreal portrait, the California coverage was marked by the almost complete absence of anything negative. That, too, presented an unreal portrait.
San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium would come to represent everything the New Orleans Superdome had not, ignoring the fact that, unlike the Superdome, Qualcomm had been prepared for the evacuees and staffed by trained professionals.
In television interviews, evacuees described the stadium as a sanctuary. Disaster victims came off like actors in a vignette, expressing appreciation for all that had been done for them. Broadcast after broadcast showed evacuees in an almost festive mood, with an abundance of food and water. There was no need for a lock-and-load order at Qualcomm Stadium.
Even the problem that received such intense media attention during the Gulf Coast crisis was easily resolved. “What to do with the pets?” Well, it turns out that in sunny Southern California, there is a home for every pet.
California’s convicts also got in on the Golden State’s Good Neighbor Fest when their help was requested to battle the inferno. This is in sharp contrast with Gulf Coast inmates, who were described as law enforcement’s top concern.
Night after night during Katrina, outraged viewers watched in horror as the networks aired lurid reports, true or not, of criminals roaming the landscape raping and pillaging in the storm’s aftermath. Compare this with one San Diego news report that described the convicts this way: “They may have stolen cars, used drugs or forged checks, but when California is burning, they fight fires.”
Airing side-by-side images of Katrina victims and those in California sent warped messages about then and now, right and wrong, order and chaos. And add to that the language used.
When Katrina’s victims fled the storm’s rage, the media described them as refugees. Two years later, surreal images of Californians motoring to refuge did not prompt negative labeling: The people were instead, rightly, referred to as disaster victims.
Instead of using the recent successes in California to illustrate improvements in governmental response and coordination, Bush administration officials got in on the spin, reaching back to criticize Louisiana’s response to Hurricane Katrina.
To be fair, New Orleans and Louisiana officials faced much greater challenges. And when they held news conferences, they had to think on their feet while sometimes standing in several feet of water.
Two years after the disaster, the temptation to point fingers remains hard to resist. But even harder for administration officials, it seems, is keeping the promises it made to America’s Gulf Coast victims.
Those who suffered at the hands of Katrina were done a disservice by the media coverage of the storm and the governmental response to it. Why they paid such a price, and continue to pay such a high price, is a question even more troubling given the events in California.
[Anthony Stanford is a Chicago-area writer and contributor to Chicago Public Radio.]
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Essay 4659
Perception and Reality TV in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…
• The O.J. Simpson case is getting crazier, with the FBI now admitting they knew weeks in advance that Simpson and his pals were planning the confrontation. Simpson even wanted to videotape the event. “[Dealer Thomas] Riccio and Simpson want to do a television broadcast confronting [the memorabilia dealer] regarding the items that were stolen,” said one FBI report. “Simpson wanted Riccio’s assistance in setting up the operation and helping obtain interviews for Simpson through various media outlets after the fact.” Guess we can add “Failed Reality TV Executive Producer” to the charges against Simpson.
• A&E dumped Dog the Bounty Hunter from its broadcast lineup, including reruns of the popular program. “We hope that Mr. Chapman continues the healing process that he has begun,” said the network. Perhaps Dog requested a meeting with the Rev. Al Sharpton in the hopes that the Black leader can help him land a deal with BET.
• Citigroup CEO Charles Prince is expected to offer his resignation, a result of the corporation’s 57 percent 3Q profit drop. He’ll undoubtedly receive a princely separation agreement.
Essay 4657
From Adweek.com…
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Grunitzky Finds Inspiration
By Andrew McMains
NEW YORK At 36, Claude Grunitzky is chairman of The True Agency, founding editor of Trace magazine and author of a 2004 book on transculturalism.
His 45-person Los Angeles-based shop is currently developing an African-American-oriented campaign for Infiniti's new EX, launching in January.
Previous efforts for Infiniti and Nissan have employed stunts, such as leaving keys to Altimas in city bars to promote a keyless ignition system, and programming, like last year’s Infiniti in Black design show on BET.
The Togo native explains how Francis Bacon inspires him and why he doesn’t have an iPhone.
Q: How do you measure success in guerrilla marketing campaigns such as this spring’s “lost keys” effort for the Altima?
A: That was extremely successful from a PR perspective because it allowed us, with a relatively small media buy and a really small guerrilla marketing campaign, to get a lot more bang for our buck.
What did you learn from that stunt?
That the most crazy, wacky ideas seem to work really well for us.
What inspires you creatively?
Original thinking and people who have followed their own path. I have a huge amount of respect for someone like Philippe Starck. He has been able to define his own style and apply that to services that he offers to his companies, to actual products that he develops through his companies and also for partners. That to me is an extreme model of creativity because even the collaborations that he has done for bigger companies, you can always feel his own style; it’s unmistakable. He has put his imprint on a certain part of modern classicism as applied to furniture, to interior design, to architecture. I actually live in his building. I bought an apartment in the Philippe Starck building on Broad Street, across from the New York Stock Exchange.
What else inspires you?
The paintings of Francis Bacon. I’m actually fortunate enough to own one now [“Study of the Human Body After a Design by Ingres”]. I’m a huge fan of his works. I discovered it when I was living in London in the early ‘90s, and it was always my dream when I was a student to one day be able to afford a Francis Bacon. I just love the fact that he was able to channel his frustration with the violence of everyday life into amazing, timeless art. And that really inspired me. I have to look at that painting every day before I go to work, every morning, because he is an absolute genius and, creatively, I cannot think of anybody who is more evolved and honest with their own self from a painting perspective.
You launched trendspotting magazine Trace in 1995. How has your editorial background helped in advertising?
It has helped me conceive and execute some of these nontraditional campaigns we’ve done on the advertising side. Also, the access that I’ve been able to have through arbiters in the world of music, film, fashion, art, technology, design. Most of the people that I’ve met and that I’ve been able to channel into the advertising agency, I met them through the magazine as a journalist. Being a journalist and actually interviewing people since I was 24 years old, that has really helped me with advertising. When I call [celebrities], it’s a very different conversation because they know me as a journalist who has written about them and who, as a result, understands them.
Why did you cross over to advertising?
To be really honest, the magazine business sucks. It’s extremely rewarding because you get to interact with creative people and document the culture. But it’s extremely frustrating because the business model doesn’t work for an independent magazine. It’s very difficult to secure a lot of advertising so that you can pay the bills, and most of the advertising flows into these big conglomerates—the Hearsts and the Conde Nasts and so on. But we’re left with the crumbs.
What recent work do you admire?
Two books: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell. I pretty much led my entire career with that sort of approach—instincts—and when I read that book I was like, “Shit, I should have written that.” The other book I thought was really interesting was [Chris Anderson’s] The Long Tail.
What advertising out there excites you?
I continue to be a believer and a huge fan of the Apple ads. The ads for the iPhone [were] the best thing out there because they were very simple, but they really did show you the benefits of the product and they made it very cool.
Do you have an iPhone?
I don’t. I don’t want to get sucked into the always-available thing. I think it’s a real problem. You’re having dinner with somebody and the next thing you see they’re on their iPhone and they’re on their BlackBerry. I think it’s extremely rude and I think it’s a real problem for a social connection.
How many languages do you speak?
Six. [English, French, Portugese, Spanish and two African languages, Mina, from Togo, and Ewe, from Ghana.] It helps tremendously because I can go to most parts of the world and communicate with people in a language they understand. Put it this way: I’m going to London now, but two days ago I was in Sao Paulo and was able to speak Portuguese with my Brazilian clients. (It’s a big cosmetics company called Natura.) Then I can just go to Paris next week and speak to my clients in French, which is also my native tongue. And I can come back to New York and communicate in English. It has been really helpful to me.
Other than Philippe Starck, do you have any creative heroes?
There was one album that changed my life. That album was called Blue Lines. And it’s by a British hip-hop/ska/reggae/rock band called Massive Attack. It was a revolution for me. Number one, it showed me that I wanted to be in that world, in that creative space in which they operated. I knew that I had to be close to the music. And I’ve heard it so many times that it’s another part of me. That’s why I think that it changed my life, because it has helped me to sink my thinking into what would then become the magazine and then my professional career.
You wrote a book called Transculturalism: How the World Is Coming Together. How do you define transculturalism?
We define transculturalism in psychographic terms. It really is a way to describe people in terms of their hearts and minds as opposed to the demographic approach, which reduces people to age, race, gender and cultural background.
What are you reading these days?
The Culture of Narcissism, a book from the ‘70s.
How did you find out about it?
When I told [a friend] that we were pitching for the New York City Department of Education, she told me about a chapter in that book that explained why the standards of education have lowered so much and, speaking specifically to the inner city, why the kids don’t value education as much as previous generations did. That was really good insight when it came to thinking about the Department of Education, where kids value iPods and sneakers more than they value school.
What were the biggest lessons from the Infiniti in Black show you produced for BET, in which a panel of black artists discussed design without mentioning the brand?
We were trying to identify a community of design-centric or design-passionate African Americans because that was what we were asked to do. And what we found is that the appreciation and the aesthetic of African Americans in regards to design is not necessarily the same as you would see in the general market. So, the sensibilities are slightly different between the general market and the African American. That was an important lesson because we are obviously coming from a transcultural perspective. And we think that some of the cultural cues that come out of our African-American experience will immediately be translated to the general market, but not always. So, the cultural conversation is a little bit more complicated than we had first imagined it to be five years ago.
How do you measure the success of something like that?
It’s measured in the ability of the Web site to gain traction and hits and the growth of those hits. It’s also measured in [the number of] hand raisers and actual people who walk into dealerships inquiring about the acquisition of a new Infiniti car. So, the numbers are very, very clear. Those numbers don’t lie.
Why weren’t you able to strike a deal with your initial backer, TBWA\Chiat\Day, to take a stake in True?
It’s interesting because we’ve been dating for almost six years, and now it seems like we’re in the dance again and we’re getting even closer than we were even six months ago. It’s one of those things where we might have been suspicious of each other, [but] we could end up getting married because there is always a simpatico factor there. But from a business perspective, we never could agree on terms. We always loved and respected everyone at TBWA.
Are you talking to anybody else about a possible deal?
We’re not even really looking for a deal. If something happens and TBWA is interested in us and we’re interested in continuing dating them, [OK]. But we’re doing pretty well as an independent. We’re now in our sixth year and we’ve grown every single year. So, it’s not bad.
Friday, November 02, 2007
Essay 4656
A doggone MultiCultClassics Monologue…
• Dog the Bounty Hunter accused his son of selling the infamous phone conversation recording to The National Enquirer for $15,000. Dog’s spiritual advisor said, “[Dog] feels betrayed. But at the same time, he realizes he’s still wrong for making those statements.” Dog also asked to huddle with the Rev. Al Sharpton. No word if Dog’s contacted Don Imus or Michael Richards for advice too.
• Don Imus is scheduled to return to the airwaves on December 3. Look for Dog the Bounty Hunter or his son to be among the first guests. The Rev. Al Sharpton too.
Essay 4655
From The New York Times…
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Fort Huachuca Journal
Preserving Black History in the Military, at the ‘Colored Officers Club’
By RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD
FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. — The door to the tumbledown clapboard building, the one with the “Off Limits” sign, creaks open, and Harlan Bradford’s flashlight beam cuts through the shadows inside.
Now in the spotlight, bat droppings on the floor. Up above, drop-ceiling railings dangle like stalactites. A stage curtain in tatters hints at the shows, the many shows that once rocked this place, the former Mountain View Colored Officers Club.
“You can see and hear them and imagine everyone having a good time,” said Mr. Bradford, a retired Army man himself, glancing around at the exposed walls, the boarded-up windows, the dust. “Lena Horne sang here. Joe Louis did exhibition fights out here. There was nothing like it.”
It was, a report for the Army Corps of Engineers said, the only club built expressly for black officers during the days of segregation in the military. Other installations converted buildings for black officers and enlisted men, but the Mountain View club, it said, was the only such club built from the ground up.
And now, to the dismay of Mr. Bradford and the community group he leads, the Southwest Association of Buffalo Soldiers, it sits in ghostly tatters.
Almost every community in America has a “save the ...” campaign aimed at the old movie theater, the grand Victorian house, the stately oaks. Here that sentiment blends with a yearning, particularly acute among black Americans, to not only save but also rediscover the past.
[Click on the essay title above to read the full story.]
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Essay 4651
Dogging the news in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…
• If you’re hunting for the latest celebrity bigot, look no further than Dog the Bounty Hunter. The A&E star was recorded using the N-word repeatedly during a phone conversation with his son. Dog was dogging the boy for dating a Black woman, remarking that her presence would make it tough for his crew to use slurs on set. “I don’t care if she’s a Mexican, a whore, whatever. It’s not because she’s Black, it’s because we use the word nigger sometimes here,” ranted Chapman. “I’m not going to take a chance ever in life of losing everything I’ve worked for, for 30 years, because some fucking nigger heard us saying nigger. … It’s that we use the word nigger. We don’t mean, ‘You fucking scum nigger without a soul.’ … We don’t mean that shit, but America would think we mean that.” The star later issued an apology that included stating he has “utmost respect and aloha for Black people who have suffered so much due to racial discrimination and acts of hatred. … I did not mean to add yet another slap in the face to an entire race of people who have brought so many gifts to this world. I am ashamed of myself and I pledge to do whatever I can to repair this damage I have caused. … My sincerest, heartfelt apologies go out to every person I have offended for my regrettable use of very inappropriate language. I am deeply disappointed in myself for speaking out of anger to my son and using such a hateful term in a private phone conversation. … I was disappointed in his choice of a friend, not due to her race, but her character. However, I should have never used that term.” A friend also claimed Dog said, “This now puts me in the category of Don Imus, and I’m not that guy.” Actually, Don Imus should take offense over that comparison.
• A former creative director for the U.S. division of ad giant Dentsu filed a lawsuit claiming he was pressured to solicit hookers as a condition of employment. “[Dentsu honcho Toyo] Shigeta maintained that having sex with prostitutes was a Japanese style of conducting business,” according to the lawsuit. The suit also charges that Shigeta and another Japanese businessman once celebrated a deal by hiring a whore in Mexico for a threesome. Dog the Bounty Hunter would probably insist, “I don’t care if she’s a Mexican, a whore, whatever.”
• Chrysler plans to cut about 12,000 jobs. Company officials are probably glad the news was barely noticed thanks to the rant of Dog the Bounty Hunter.
Essay 4648
Laura Martinez presents a thoughtful response to the AHAA letter presented in Essay 4638. Click on the essay title above to visit The Big Tent at AdAge.com.
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