Friday, December 21, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Essay 4870
From DiversityInc.com, another perspective on the Omnicom DDAC spotlighted in Essay 4858…
----------------------------
Baloney Meter: Ad Agencies Can’t Buy Diversity
By Jennifer Millman
Omnicom Group pledged $1.25 million over the next five years to create the Omnicom Diversity Development Advisory Committee (DDAC) to “advance diversity within the company and advertising industry.”
It’s a good start, but for the $11.4-billion company, it’s just a drop in the bucket. Can a $190-billion industry that has been one of the worst of all time in terms of diversity “get it” by investing 0.01 percent of its total revenue on the subject? It’s unlikely.
People of color are 18 percent of the work force and 11 percent of management at advertising agencies, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which is far behind the national average (31.5 percent and 16.4 percent, respectively) and their representation in The 2007 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity®, where people of color are 35 percent of the work force and 24.4 percent of management.
The industry, which got into hot water last year after a New York City Human Rights Commission investigation of multiple agencies, including several owned by Omnicom, revealed the dearth of black ad execs and other people of color. The organizations were criticized particularly for the lack of recruiting strategies such as internships, award programs, job fairs and on-campus recruiting, and a New York City councilman called their hiring practices an “embarrassment for a diverse city.”
Upon threat of subpoena to a public hearing on the matter, all agencies signed agreements with the Human Rights Commission requiring them to implement diversity strategy, expand recruiting and professional-development networks and increase representation. They agreed to submit annual reports on their progress, but without accountability, the culture doesn’t change.
At the time, the public wasn’t optimistic the agencies would follow through on their new commitments; 93 percent of Ad Age poll participants said the pacts signed by the more than a dozen agencies would not impact diversity in the industry.
Competitive companies want to do business with agencies that can reach their audience through relevant messaging. As their audiences have become more segmented across multiple dimensions, today’s ad agencies haven’t kept up. Lack of representation in advertising agencies often leads to costly multicultural missteps for the companies that contract with them, and ad agencies increasingly find themselves having to adapt to the changing consumer market, such as Omnicom, or facing a shortening list of clientele.
So what’s the deal with Omnicom?
“It’s an important moment in the future of the advertising industry, and diversity and inclusion are critical to our success,” says Tom Watson, former Omnicom vice chairman, dean of Omnicom University, the company’s in-house global leadership-development organization, and a member of the committee. “This is an opportunity for us to look forward to making some strides for diversity at Omnicom and maybe the advertising industry, but I’m just concerned about Omnicom at the moment.”
Real change requires senior-level investment and performance incentives tied to diversity, but the new Omnicom committee has yet to spell out the details.
“We have yet to set specific goals within that mission. Our first meeting is in January and we expect that to be a key factor on the agenda,” says Watson. “We have to set them and everybody’s got to have some input on that, so that’s where the diversity committee will come in handy. We’re eager to collaborate to develop strategies to complement our current diversity initiatives and advance diversity within the company.”
“This isn’t something that we’ll accomplish by next Tuesday, but the idea is to make a start and make a commitment,” adds Watson.
Can the All-White Ad Industry Change?
Omnicom’s committee is tasked with helping the advertising industry identify and attract talent of color for its agencies, to craft professional-development opportunities and evaluate the success of ongoing diversity initiatives within the company.
Developing outreach programs to increase the profile of the industry within communities of color and working with higher education to expand the talent pool also are objectives of DDAC. As a supplement to this effort, Omnicom is giving $1 million to Medgar Evers College to support efforts to implement a curriculum in advertising and communications.
[Click on the essay title above to read more at DiversityInc.com, which features links to additional related stories.]
Essay 4869
Showing up with a MultiCultClassics Monologue…
• R. Kelly showed up for court on Thursday morning, avoiding a potential arrest warrant after missing a court date on Wednesday. The singer is facing child pornography charges in a case that has seemingly dragged on forever. “It is an abuse of the process and disrespectful of the court and your honor for everyone who has come prepared to go,” said the Assistant State’s Attorney. “The leeway the court has given him to go on a 45-city tour, to do whatever he pleases. The very least he could do is be here for his appointed court date.” The judge will probably forgive the singer in exchange for free concert tickets.
• The Pew Internet and American Life project showed teens still value connecting through traditional phone calls and face-to-face, in addition to online socializing via Facebook and MySpace. R. Kelly could have avoided a lot of trouble by hooking up online versus the traditional ways.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Essay 4866
Slipping in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…
• New York Knicks fans presented Isiah Thomas with an early Christmas gift—a giant pink slip calling for the coach’s termination. In return, Thomas and the team will give fans the season’s equivalent of a gigantic sack of coal.
• R. Kelly missed a court date on Wednesday, but claimed it was because Utah police stopped his tour bus. A judge is ordering the singer to appear on Thursday or face an arrest warrant. Police pulled the tour bus over and discovered the log book hadn’t recorded enough rest time for the driver, prompting the cops to order an 8-hour stop. Damn, now even the cops are helping R. Kelly avoid justice.
• A Miami woman is facing charges of bigamy after it was discovered she’s married to 10 men. Authorities accuse the 26-year-old woman of wedding undocumented workers for money. “This is a joint investigation into marriage fraud between ICE and the State Attorney’s Office,” said a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Miami. “The fact of the matter is that [the woman] was marrying illegal aliens for profit. ICE takes these cases very seriously because they have national security implications.” Reality TV implications too.
Essay 4865
Back in the day, this minority group was stereotyped as uncivilized and impoverished, often depicted with exaggerated simian features. Blacks? Latinos? Asians? Nope, we’re talking Irish Americans. And now Arby’s is offending the audience with a TV commercial that shows chimpanzees performing a traditional Irish step dance. Check out the letter war between a consumer and the fast food joint (from the latest issue of Irish America magazine). Plus, click on the essay title above to learn more about the obscene insensitivity.
(To view the Arby’s spot, click here)
(To view the Arby’s spot, click here)
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Essay 4862
Making judgments in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…
• A jury convicted the Long Island millionaire couple that kept two Indonesian housekeepers as slaves. When the guilty verdict was announced, the wife and her daughter (who was also in the courtroom) both fainted. The husband and wife now face up to 40 years in prison. They’re probably wondering if they’ll be allowed to bring the slaves to keep their cells tidy.
• Foxy Brown appeared before a judge on Monday, maintaining a calm and collected demeanor. Her lawyer remarked, “[Foxy] told me, ‘Sometimes God has to humble you in order for you to realize who you actually are.’ … When you get away from the glitz and glamour, you can find inner peace within yourself.” Then Foxy probably beat the shit out of him with a cell phone.
• Folks are wondering what’s up with Michael Jackson’s face. Again. Jacko appeared at a Las Vegas bookstore sporting bandages (see photo below). The King of Pop’s spokesperson could not explain the bandages. At this point, can the spokesperson possibly explain anything about Jacko?
Essay 4861
From The Los Angeles Times…
------------------------------
‘Homies’ are where his art is
The barrio figurines left their creator rich but unfulfilled. Then he cast his brother as a model of mutual redemption.
By Hector Becerra, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
HERCULES, CALIF. — Ten years ago, David Gonzales created a hit with “The Homies,” 2-inch plastic figurines depicting characters from the barrio, complete with bandannas and baggy pants. Inspired by the homeboys he grew up with, they were sold, quarter by quarter, in gum ball machines in mostly Latino neighborhoods.
Gonzales was lambasted by police and prosecutors, who said the impish images exploited gang life for profit. Naturally, they then sold better than ever: more than 120 million to date.
The 47-year-old Gonzales, now a father of three children in college, lives in an elegant two-story Spanish-style house overlooking San Francisco Bay, just down the road from the flinty central Richmond neighborhood where he grew up.
“I call this house ‘the house that the Homies built,’” he said.
Gonzales has been featured in national magazines, including Rolling Stone, and rubbed shoulders with celebrities. His characters have adorned back-to-school folders, lunchboxes, breath mints and beach towels. The Pasadena Museum of California Art is hosting an exhibit on his Homies, and Nintendo will soon release a Homies video game.
Yet there has been a gnawing feeling of unfulfilled goals and unmet expectations. He wanted to hit the big time with an animated TV show -- something that would really leave his imprint. Oil paintings by Gonzales, often with religious themes, hang on the walls of his home -- a reminder that the artist created the toy maker, not the other way around.
[Click on the essay title above to read the full story.]
Monday, December 17, 2007
Essay 4858
Here’s a lengthy press release spotlighting the latest Madison Avenue diversity effort. Scan through it quickly to check the MultiCultClassics commentary immediately following…
------------------------------
Omnicom Announces Creation of Diversity Development Advisory Committee
Ceremony at City Hall Brings Business and Diversity Leaders Together To Launch Effort
NEW YORK -- Omnicom Group Inc., a leading global and corporate communications company, announced the creation of the Omnicom Diversity Development Advisory Committee (DDAC), which will focus on the development of initiatives that will enhance diversity at Omnicom, and by extension, throughout the advertising industry. Omnicom has committed $1.25 million over five years to this initiative.
Omnicom’s President and Chief Executive Officer John D. Wren stated, “I am proud to stand with H. Carl McCall, Omnicom’s DDAC Chair, and lead this unprecedented effort to enhance diversity in the advertising industry. I am especially grateful for the leadership of City Council Speaker Quinn and Council Member Seabrook in this important endeavor.”
City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn said, “The City Council has long been advocating for increased diversity in the advertising industry. I am extremely proud that the City Council, led by Council Member Seabrook, has worked closely with Omnicom to create this distinguished committee. With this commitment, Omnicom is placing itself at the forefront of diversity efforts in advertising, and we hope that this can serve as a model for the entire industry.”
Council Member Seabrook said, “I thank CEO Wren and his team for working closely with the City Council for the past year and hope that the DDAC’s efforts will transform the advertising industry into a model of diversity.”
Omnicom’s DDAC Chair H. Carl McCall stated, “I am honored to serve the DDAC and look forward to working with Committee members to identify and develop initiatives to improve diversity in the advertising industry.”
The inaugural ceremony took place at New York City Hall and included City Council Speaker Quinn; Council Member and Chair, Civil Rights Committee, Larry B. Seabrook; Omnicom President and Chief Executive Officer Wren; other Omnicom executives; Omnicom DDAC members (listed below); Omnicom DDAC Executive Director, Priscilla A. Jenkins; and Weldon H. Latham, Diversity Legal Counsel to Omnicom and Counselor to the DDAC.
The Omnicom DDAC is comprised of eight (8) notable business and community leaders, as well as past and present Omnicom executives.
DDAC Chair, H. Carl McCall: Director of several public corporations, including Tyco International and Ariel Mutual Fund; former New York State Comptroller and State Senator; Trustee of the State University of New York.
Darwin M. Davis, Jr.: President and CEO, New York Urban League; has served on various nonprofit advisory boards, including the New York City Procurement Advisory Board and the Consortium of Central Harlem Development, which successfully built $125 million in housing and commercial property in Central Harlem during the 1990s.
R. Vann Graves-Vice President: Associate Creative Director, BBDO (an Omnicom operating company); former co-chair of the executive board for the American Association of Advertising Agencies’ Multicultural Advertising Intern Program (MAIP), Board of Managers at the Harlem YMCA, and Board of Trustees for the Pratt Institute.
James Mtume: Radio personality, two-time Grammy Award winning producer and writer; worked with Miles Davis between 1971-1975.
Maria Valentina Nunes: Private consultant; former Senior Director of Interbrand (an Omnicom operating company) and President and Chief Operating Officer of Desgrippes Gobe Group.
Sharon Robinson: Director of Educational Programming, Major League Baseball; daughter of legendary baseball hero and American icon Jackie Robinson.
MarySol Rodriguez: Vice President, Government Affairs, Partnership for New York City (non-profit membership organization comprised of a selected group of 200 Chief Executive Officers); serves on the Mayor’s Task Force on Diversity in Film, Television, and Commercial Production, the Clear Channel Local Advisory Board, and the NYC Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; received El Diario La Prensa 2003 Outstanding Latina Award.
Tom W. Watson: Former Omnicom Vice Chairman and Dean, Omnicom University; recipient of the 2007 Advertising Production Person of the Year (APPY) Award.
Weldon Latham, Counselor to the DDAC, Chair of the Corporate Diversity Counseling Group of Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, and advisor to numerous Fortune 500 clients on corporate diversity matters, praised John Wren for his leadership in establishing the DDAC, and congratulated the New York City Council and DDAC members for their commitments to this important endeavor. Latham stated, “With team work from leaders of the New York City Council and the largest worldwide marketing and communications company, achieving diversity representation can be changed from a persistent problem to a competitive edge.”
------------------------------
This historic event can be summed up in four words: Whoop de damn doo.
In September 2006, Omnicom balked at joining the other Madison Avenue agencies that signed diversity pacts with New York City’s Commission on Human Rights (click on the essay title above to read Essay 1052). Omnicom inevitably relented, prompting an executive familiar with the negotiations to say, “What Omnicom’s move was about was to try to get around the commission. But they overplayed their hand.”
At the time, Omnicom had pledged $2.5 million over the next five years. Not sure how the DDAC’s $1.25 million fits into the grand total.
So it appears the first year of Omnicom’s official diversity efforts hatched a brand new committee. Wow. Guess we can expect another milestone to take place in 2008 when Omnicom considers actually hiring a minority. Or at very least, creates a spiffy logo and jingle for the DDAC.
At this pace, everything should be accomplished sometime in the 22nd century. But don’t hold your breath.
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 4856
Hating Monday in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…
• A new study from American Express showed Baby Boomer bosses are least likely to authorize holiday office parties or hand out bonuses. It’s just another reason to hate your job on Monday morning.
• A new study titled the Pew Internet and American Life Project showed more Americans are Googling themselves, friends, coworkers and more. They’re probably checking the age of their boss to determine if there will be a holiday party and bonus in the coming weeks.
• Columbia University and Citibank are being sued for allegedly subjecting “first generation, low-income college students” to “modern-day slavery” by charging high student-loan interest rates. The man behind the suit is 57 years old and graduated from Columbia in the 1990s, and he’s still paying off his debts. “It’s modern-day slavery,” said the man. “… I should not be financially enslaved for the rest of my life—and that’s what the corporate giants are trying to do [to impoverished students].” Hopefully, the guy isn’t working for a Baby Boomer boss too.
Essay 4855
At one point, it was written that the new Chevy Malibu campaign was created exclusively by General Motors’ general-market agency Campbell-Ewald. However, given all the alleged misreporting, it’s impossible to determine fact from fiction these days.
But it would be interesting to identify the creative culprits behind the Chevy Malibu style guide depicted above. The layouts are cluttered, the typography’s illegible and the copy is contrived. Never Leave The House Without Ice? The borrowed interest and irrelevance are running full tilt here.
Regardless of who’s doing the work, GM is overdoing it with the hip-hop artists. As noted in Essay 4832, it seems like every U.S. automaker targeting Black audiences has signed up a rapper or R&B recording artist. Ford has Kelis, Chris Brown and more. Common is hawking the Lincoln Navigator. Pontiac partnered with 50 Cent. Chevy has just about everyone else, including T.I. and Mary J. Blige—and now David Banner and Birdman.
There’s never been a better time for MC Hammer and Kool Moe Dee to make a comeback.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
