9276: Hai-Yah Heineken.

Not sure what motivated The Date from Heineken. White guy visits foreign land where all the women are exotic—especially his Asian hottie girlfriend—while the men are bizarre club singers and grinning cooks. Nice.

9275: Univision Comes To Madison Avenue.

From The New York Times…

Univision Steps Up Courtship of Madison Avenue

By Stuart Elliott

The television network watched most by Spanish-speaking Americans is seeking to make every one of its days with advertisers, not just Saturday, “gigante.”

The network is Univision, part of Univision Communications, which is known for programs aimed at Hispanics like its long-running live variety show, “Sábado Gigante” (“Giant Saturday”).

Univision is introducing this week what executives are calling their most ambitious effort to woo marketers and agencies that remain reluctant to run commercials in a language other than English.

The effort includes an advertising campaign, by an agency named Blanco-Lorenz Entertainment Branding, with a budget estimated at more than $1 million.

The campaign describes Univision as “the new American reality,” declaring that the best way to reach the growing market of Hispanic consumers is to run commercials in programs that are culturally relevant to them – that is, created with them in mind and broadcast in Spanish.

That is true, the ads assert, even for Hispanics who speak English as well as Spanish. The ads promote Univision’s soccer coverage, reality shows and its long-form serialized programs known as telenovelas or novelas.

The campaign uses humor to make its case. For instance, novelas are known for their plots and characters that are larger than life. So an ad about advertising on Univision’s novelas carries the headline “It’s time to crack the whip” and shows a woman dressed in Western garb who is wielding a whip.

The ad, in print and online versions, talks about the ability of Univision’s prime-time novelas to deliver to advertisers more bilingual Hispanic viewers, ages 18 to 49, than hit shows on English-language TV networks like “American Idol,” “Dancing With the Stars,” “Modern Family” and “The Voice.”

In a social media element of the campaign, Univision is offering computer users a chance to insert photographs of themselves in scenes from its shows. The choices include a novela wedding, a reality talent competition and a scene in which one novela character slaps another.

The online fun, called “It’s You on Univision,” will be available, beginning on Wednesday, at univision.net/itisyou.

Many marketers “are working up to” increasing the amount of money they spend to advertise on Spanish-language television, said David Lawenda, the president for advertising sales and marketing at Univision. But there are “still some holdouts that haven’t,” he added, and the campaign is aimed at them.

Mr. Lawenda called the campaign “our most robust” such initiative to date, citing the size of it as well as its presence in digital as well as print media.

The campaign will also have live aspects, including a sponsorship of the annual Advertising Week in New York City, scheduled for Oct. 3 to 7; a series of Webinars for marketers and agencies; and a contest with a unique prize: a chance to see a novela in production.

The campaign comes after Univision Communications reported its most successful results ever in the annual “upfront” market for the sale of commercial time. It is called that because it takes place before the season begins.

For the 2011-12 season, Univision sold an estimated $1.7 billion to $1.8 billion worth of commercial time – about on par with a venerable English-language broadcast network, the NBC division of NBCUniversal.

The idea behind the campaign is “to go beyond the cold numbers” that make a case for advertising on Univision, said Pedro Blanco, chief creative officer at Blanco-Lorenz in Miami.

For example, the content of telenovelas may seem “over the top from far away,” Mr. Blanco said, “but what’s really over the top are the results” from buying commercial time on Univision.

“We acknowledge to the uninitiated or the holdout that when you’re approaching a market you can’t relate to” it may seem difficult, he added, and “Univision is building that bridge” to make it easier.

Referring to the ad devoted to Univision’s soccer coverage, which carries the headline “Hard headed,” Mr. Blanco said: “If you can’t relate to the passion people feel over a soccer game that ends with a score of 1-0, you’ll find out that something is going on here. Low scores mean high ratings.”

9274: Make The Logo Bigger (2005-2011).

Bill Green of Make The Logo Bigger announced the blog is Fini. Then turned around and launched AdVerve—a new blog combining the talents of Green, Angela Natividad and Darryl Ohrt. It looks like a reverse Three’s Company, sans the staged pratfalls and sexual innuendos. In the advertising industry, mergers usually begin with grand openings where the principals anoint themselves as The Agency of the Future before immediately steering the enterprise into the nine circles of Dante’s Inferno. Hopefully, that won’t be the case here. Although purgatory conditions would make it easier for Green to heat up his Hot Pockets® supply.

9273: When Animals Attack Vajayjays.

This Vagisil commercial looks like the unholy offspring of WE tv and Animal Planet.

9272: Preparation H Goes Medieval On Asses.

Can’t help but wonder if the creative team behind this Preparation H commercial is comprised of sadists. FYI, here’s another spot that’s equally, painfully outrageous.

9271: Summer’s Eve Asian Screen Test.

Because you can never get too much Summer’s Eve insanity, check out this Asian Talking Vagina video.

9270: Dancing For Dinner.

OK, is the McCafé Shuffle really much more evolved—or any less embarrassing—versus Annie the Chicken Queen or the KFC dude dancing for fried chicken? Discuss.

9269: Stereotyping Students.

Is Grey in Romania encouraging future advertising people to play dirty to win awards? Just say no to ad bullies.


From Ads of the World

9268: No Sparking Zone.

This campaign lacks a creative spark.

9267: The Pinnacle Of Blasphemy…?

On Sunday, during NFL games, forget the Fifth Commandment and worship your team in drunken revelry.

9266: Award-Winning News Items.

A Monday Morning MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Eddie Murphy is reportedly in negotiations to host the next Academy Awards show. However, if Alan Arkin is asked to present anything, look for Murphy to exit the theater pronto.

• The negative reaction to Chaz Bono as a contestant for the upcoming season of Dancing With the Stars is growing uglier. Sources speculate some of the nastiness may be coming from Bible Belt viewers being riled up by criticisms of Bono in sermons delivered by angry preachers. You’d think churchgoers would be more concerned that their preachers are actually commenting about Dancing With the Stars.

• GOP presidential wannabe Rep. Michele Bachmann flip-flopped on her commentary regarding an earthquake and hurricane signaling a warning from God, transitioning from saying it was a “joke” to a “metaphor.” Bachmann explained, “Obviously, I was speaking metaphorically. That was clear to the audience. It was clear to me.” It’s also clear to most audiences that Bachmann’s candidacy is a joke, metaphorically speaking. Or is it a simile? Whatever. Look for Bachmann to be nominated in 2012 for Dancing With the Stars.

9265: I Have A Clumsy Edit.

From CNN…

Maya Angelou criticizes passage on King memorial

By the CNN Wire Staff

Celebrated poet and author Maya Angelou continued her criticism of the inscription etched on the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial, saying an edit of the civil rights leader’s statement makes him appear arrogant.

In a statement issued earlier this week, the memorial’s executive architect Ed Jackson stood by the wording and said there are no plans to alter the structure.

Yet such comments haven’t curbed criticism of the new memorial, which was unveiled in August and has many of King’s quotes on it. Angelou singled out one such inscription earlier this week, and didn’t back down from her critique in an interview Saturday with CNN’s T.J. Holmes.

One of the inscriptions reads: “I was a drum major for justice peace and righteousness.”

Angelou says the passage was edited from a 1968 sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta and an important clause was taken out.

King’s original words were: “If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter.”

Leaving out the “if” changes the meaning, Angelou said.

“It should not be seen like he was so full of himself. Because he was not. He was a very humble man,” she said. “It is not an apt reportage of what Dr. King said. It is an edited statement.”

Angelou said she hoped the inscription can be changed at some point.

“My desire to have it changed is for the honesty, the reality of the man. So he can be seen as he really was,” Angelou said.

Jackson, who oversaw the memorial’s design and construction, said in a statement issued Wednesday—when such criticism was beginning to brew—that the memorial foundation “feels comfortable with the choices we needed to make based on the space available and the messages that we wanted to convey to visitors.”

He said a “council of historians” had been consulted, adding they suggested 14 quotations and two statements for possible inclusion on the monument’s granite walls that “best characterize and reflect” King as a leader as well as his values.

“In no way do we believe that this paraphrased statement diminishes Dr. King’s intent of the words he delivered,” Jackson said. “The inscription on the Stone of Hope comes directly from Dr. King’s words.”

9264: Firing And Hiring At Draftfcb Chicago.

Labor Day News: Draftfcb in Chicago was fired by longtime client SC Johnson, and subsequently axed at least 100 employees. Yet the Agency of the Future is still recruiting for fresh candidates via TalentZoo and other job sites. After dumping workers into the Windy City streets, Draftfcb President-CEO Laurence Boschetto declared, “We consider ourselves a ‘human organization,’ one that deeply cares for the well-being of all our employees, even those for whom we don’t currently have a place in our company. That is why we wanted to help as many of them as possible get jobs within the industry. This will hopefully result in an easier transition for them and for the SC Johnson business. We realize that providing such assistance on the heels of a long, arduous review is certainly not typical, but it underscores why our Chicago agency has been named one of the best places to work in the city and state 15 times over the past five years.” Right. Wonder if the ‘human organization’ is spending as much time helping the terminated as they are seeking newbies to join one of the best places to work in the city and state.

9263: Peggy Olson Gives Viewers A Headache.

This annoyingly hackneyed Excedrine commercial is kinda old, but continues to air regularly. Would Peggy Olson ever have approved it?

9262: Adweek Print Edition Is A Hard Sell.

Not sure why Adweek insists on posting Trending Topics, whereby geeky editors preview the upcoming print edition. Watching a shaky video featuring a “talking headitor” pointing at magazine spread layouts is about as interesting as, well, reading the print edition of Adweek. Guess the promos hyping “Irreverent and thoughtful takes on the media, led by Editorial Director Michael Wolff” aren’t driving subscriptions.

9261: White Men Can’t Pronounce.

Box Agency in Lithuania produced this campaign for EuroBasket 2011. Are there no Black players whose names need pronunciations? Surely fans would have difficulty with names like Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudamire.





From Ads of the World

9260: Y&R Stumbles With Stuttering.

Is this billboard from Y&R in Amsterdam the most sensitive way to address stuttering?

From Ads of the World

9259: Chipotle Mexican Grill Lacks Mexicans.

Chipotle Mexican Grill unveiled a lengthy animated video on sustainable farming featuring Willie Nelson’s performance of Coldplay tune “The Scientist.” Plus, AdFreak posted a lengthy behind-the-scenes video on the production of the ad. Through it all, you won’t see the presence of a single Mexican.

9258: Straight Out Of Brooklyn College.

Advertising Age published the perspective below, which sorta reads like a doomsday declaration from street corner prophets. Too bad the authors have little credibility in the marketing world. Did they cook up the column during a lunch break in the Brooklyn College faculty cafeteria?

As Sun Sets on Multicultural Space, Execs Must Adapt

What Killed It, and How to Move Forward

By Veronica Manlow, Roger Gonzalez

Multicultural marketing, in the traditional sense of the phrase, is dead. There, we said it. Call it what you like: “Armageddon,” a “tipping point,” a “paradigm shift.” It doesn’t matter.

Even with the latest 2010 U.S. Census numbers now on the books and ethnic minorities accounting for the greatest growth sector, marketers continue to underspend with no real breakthrough in sight. Go to any of the few ethnic ad agencies still left and you’ll hear, “we are evaluating our options,” trying to “secure client budget approval,” and so on. As early as the middle of this summer, some agencies were telling traditional media reps that their multicultural ad spending for 2011 was done! In July? Really?

So what killed multicultural marketing? A number of things.

The collapse of “traditional” ethnic segments in light of the emergence of new multicultural identities among consumers—we are not “Hispanic,” we are “Dominican/Ecuadorian”—was a key factor. The 2010 U.S. Census paints a surprising portrait of an America less amenable to classification because of all the layers they bring to the equation. Americans are simultaneously more and less segmented. Marketers have still not figured out how to engage this changing consumer. There are new realities in consumer behavior and culture. Culture and ethnicity in truth represent only a small piece of the layered puzzle of consumer behavior. What has emerged is a hybrid culture with a bricolage of influences.

The economy, too, played a role. With economic decline comes the unavoidable scaling down in marketing budgets and traditional ad spending. And guess what? Multicultural budgets are often the first to go. When big players like Disney, who insists it is committed to ethnic markets, cut losses by closing En Familia magazine, you begin to see that the traditional approach—and media—are under attack.

That brings us to our third cause: the demise of traditional media coupled with the emergence of digital and social-media marketing. With severe cuts in ad spending, smaller ethnic newspapers, magazines and broadcast properties are in trouble. Even in the large and mostly successful Hispanic segment, some tried-and-true titles ceased publishing print editions, became digital editions, or just closed shop. If you can survive without revenue from major retail, classified, help-wanted, real estate and national ad dollars, then maybe you have a chance. But be ready to adapt fast because here comes the age of split-revenue, Groupon-like e-marketing that relies not only on your ability to generate ROI, but to do so before collecting a dime from the advertiser.

How should multicultural marketing execs adapt to these changes?

The first, most important step—and maybe a difficult one for those who’ve based careers on targeting one ethnicity—is to accept that multiple realities characterize multicultural populations. American society is impacted by contradictory realities driven by an accelerated process of individualism and flexible notions of identity. The simple notion of an Asian-American consumer strongly affected by her Indian heritage overlooks how she identifies herself based on her taste for music and politics, her socioeconomic status or religious affiliation, sexual identity, etc.

Technology has enabled people to possess multiple identities, and to traverse time and space constraints. People can talk on Skype for free. Travel is easier. One doesn’t yearn in the same way for ethnic recognition when one has continued access to family, friends and culture abroad. The desire may be indeed to be more American, more global and less ethnic.

The challenge for multicultural marketers is to stop seeing multicultural marketing as about “home.” Identity is complex and social media reflect this complexity. The marketers who prevail will be those who find creative and dynamic ways to navigate this challenging new landscape.

The multicultural marketing exec—whether she works in-house or he works for an agency—can no longer be the “middleman” who serves as a link between the American brand and traditionally defined target communities. He or she must now be a sophisticated marketer creating links between global products and complex multicultural identities played out on a global arena.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Roger Gonzalez is president of Alliance Media & Communications.
Veronica Manlow is a sociologist and assistant professor of business and marketing at the School of Business at Brooklyn College.

9257: Global Bullshit From JWT.

Is JWT using its international network to position itself as diverse? Um, there’s a big difference between defining yourself as “A True International Agency” versus “A Truly Inclusive Agency.”

9256: Driving Blacks Into Debt.

Find one of the few Black professional race car drivers on earth and have him hawk Quicken Loans. Brilliant.

9255: ASHHRAyyyyy!

You are health care.

You are HR.

You are ASHHRA.

And at the upcoming conference, you are gonna meet The Fonz.

9254: No Solutions To Focus On.

Hey, if Focus Solutions Inc. monitored Madison Avenue, its inclusion tracking system operators would be about as busy as the Maytag Repairman.

9253: Uncle Ben Is Back.

Has Uncle Ben been demoted? There are no signs of his fancy office at the corporate website. Instead, the iconic figure is hawking his products in an animated commercial—and Uncle Ben even speaks French and German.

9252: Forgettable Digital Advertising.

Chevy plays off of fuggedaboutit. Wonder if groups like the Order Sons of Italy in America and the Italian American One Voice Coalition will huddle over this one.

9251: Domino’s Pizza Scheme Made In Japan.

Advertising Age reported the Domino’s Pizza CEO in Japan plans to build the first fast-food outlet on the moon. A special website presents the crazy details. What’s the most outrageous part of it all? The Domino’s Pizza Japan CEO is a White guy.

9250: Clorox Goes Beyond Whitening.

Clorox whitens clothes, but wants to broaden the color of its workforce.

9249: Win A Mad Men Salary…?

Banana Republic is using Mad Men imagery to hype its “Win Your Salary” promotion. Hey, if a laid off ad person wins, what figure will be used to represent the salary amount?

9248: Chief Diversity Duck.

The Aflac Duck goes from dancing to diversity.

9247: How R/GA Respects Women Of Color.

AgencySpy posted a farewell video—featuring an exotic dancer and set to Latino music—allegedly produced for two interns at R/GA. Nice to know the agency gives employment opportunities to women of color. Wonder if any staff positions are ever offered to female minorities.

9246: Kardashian Kartoons.

The Photoshop® retouching expert worked on this image longer and harder the photographer.

9245: Celebrating The New Month.

It’s September.