9918: Mad Women Mirrors Mad Men.

In 1986, ad veteran Jane Maas published her autobiography titled, “Adventures of an Advertising Woman.” Roughly 25 years later, “Mad Women: The Other Side of Life on Madison Avenue in the ‘60s and Beyond” seemingly reworks and repackages Maas’ tale to capitalize on the popularity of AMC series Mad Men.

For blog visitors seeking a legitimate review of the book, Businessweek delivered an honest and accurate critique, and Kirkus Reviews chipped in a polite summation too—rightly opining that “Maas’ memoir will likely not have the impact of her classic 1977 tome How to Advertise (co-written with Kenneth Roman).”

MultiCultClassics will forgo the comparisons and contrasts to the author’s other works, preferring to examine the cultural similarities between the imagery presented in Mad Women and the altered realities depicted in Mad Men.

For starters, Maas attempted to address the inequities, discrimination and harassment present on Madison Avenue, although almost entirely from a gender perspective exclusive to Whites. The book’s index tells the story, where words such as “stereotypes” and “bias” tie to the challenges Caucasian adwomen faced. However, Maas doesn’t really take a stand or condemn anyone, opting for the safer “it was what it was” position. Contemporary activists for gender equality in our industry won’t find an ally in Mad Women.

Regarding race and ethnicity, Maas’ book follows the AMC series by virtually ignoring people of color. It’s interesting to note that while Don and Betty Draper employed housekeeper and nanny Carla (a Black woman), the Maas family included lifelong housekeeper and nanny Mabel (aka Carmen Dyce, a native Jamaican living in Brooklyn, New York). The loyal Mabel receives decent coverage in the book, albeit similar to the role Carla played in Mad Men.

The word “diversity” appears in the book’s index, yet it just leads to a couple of pages discussing WASPs, Jews and gays. Ogilvy & Mather President Jim Heekin once asked Maas, “Do we have too many homosexuals at this agency?” Maas admitted to being dumbfounded and unable to answer the question. Apparently, nobody ever queried if there were too many minorities in the office.

Oddly enough, the only minority reference pertaining to the advertising business comes one page ahead of the pages designated for “diversity” by the book’s index. Here’s the total paragraph:

Mad Men has it right about the lack of diversity at agencies in the 1960s. The only black faces you see on the show are Hollis, the elevator operator, and Carla, the Drapers’ maid. Ogilvy & Mather hired its first African-American copywriter in 1968, and assigned her to my group. The day before Betty arrived, the copy chief of the agency took me aside and told me quite seriously that if I became aware of any “anti-Negro comments or gestures,” I had full power to fire the perpetrator on the spot. Nobody said a word. Betty came quietly, stayed with us for about a year, wrote some effective ads, and moved on to a better job at another agency. She helped us take a big step forward.

Unlike every other individual in the book, Betty is not identified by her last name. It’s difficult to determine who this female Jackie Robinson might be, and MultiCultClassics will happily accept assistance from any knowledgeable visitor to properly recognize the woman. Can’t help but wonder if the lack of last name was an unintended slight or an inability to completely recall the person who “helped us take a big step forward.”

Despite its cheery reminiscing over the advertising industry, Mad Women mirrors Mad Men by reflecting all the cultural cluelessness still present on Madison Avenue today. We haven’t come a long way, baby.

9917: Boyz N Da Hoodie.

From Advertising Age…

McCann Staffer Behind Million-Hoodie March to Protest Trayvon Martin Slaying

Daniel Maree Kick-Started New York March With Social Media

By Rupal Parekh

Headlines today have been dominated by the outrage and public show of support for the family of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old Florida high-school student who was shot and killed by a self-appointed neighborhood-watch captain, George Zimmerman.

President Barack Obama today called the killing a tragedy, saying that “if I had a son, he would look like Trayvon”, and NBA star LeBron James is calling for justice to be served.

It turns out that a young ad man, 24-year-old Daniel Maree, a digital strategist at Interpublic Group of Cos.’ McCann, was behind the organization of a march in New York City—and social-media campaign—that has garnered a lot of attention.

Raised in South Africa, Mr. Maree attended college in the U.S. and worked for the World Bank before joining McCann. His desire to raise awareness of Mr. Martin’s murder stems from personal experiences in which he felt targeted merely for walking down the street wearing a hoodie.

In a note that McCann North America President Hank Summy sent out late last night to staffers to inform them of their co-worker’s efforts, he explained Mr. Maree’s involvement:

Daniel decided to start a petition on Facebook, linked to Change.org, asking for a million signatures to encourage police action in the case. Out of that, a viral campaign grew quickly, and people around the world began uploading a picture of themselves wearing hoodies, many of them asking the question, “Do I look suspicious?”

As the campaign viralized, a group of Daniel’s friends, including Kandace Hudspeth, Director of McCann Social Central, and Daniel’s Social Central colleagues, used their free time and their skills to support Daniel, and build a campaign focused on the rally at Union Square last night. The team, experts in all areas of social—brand storytelling, content strategy and simplification, event activation, PR, creative and technology—created the Twitter hashtag #millionhoodies to spread the word, and also a gorgeous poster that was distributed online and printed for the rally as well. After Trayvon Martin’s parents announced they would come to NY and speak at the 6 p.m. rally on Union Square, media attention poured in.

Yesterday’s rally attracted a peaceful, passionate and diverse crowd estimated at about 5,000 people. After Travyon Martin’s parents and other community leaders spoke, the crowd marched from Union Square west on 14th Street, then north on Sixth Avenue, and was covered by media every step of the way.

If that isn’t enough, the Facebook petition surpassed 1 million signatures early this morning and is still growing by thousands of names every hour. In fact, ABC World News is reporting that the petition has become “The fastest growing petition in the history of the internet.”

This is an extraordinary story and a brilliant example of how one person’s idea, combined with the power of social media, and built by collaboration, can change the world. Congratulations to Daniel Maree and everyone else on the Social Central team – Kandace, Sharon Panelo, Michael Nguyen and Tiphaine Murat.

9916: Young Influentials, Same Old Story.

The Young Influentials represent Adweek’s picks for “20 under 40 who are wicked smart and rebooting your world.” As always, our ad world looks predominately, exclusively White. Wonder if any of the influentials have focused their wicked smartness on fostering inclusiveness.

9915: Cars.com Not Feeling Confidence.

Advertising Age reported Cars.com is up for review after being with DDB Chicago for over a decade. Hey, baby, let’s get that Cars.com account—Whooo!

9914: A+ Sanaa Lathan

9913: Miller Lite Not Great, Less Thrilling.

Advertising Age reported on the new Miller Lite campaign that resurrects the old “It’s Miller Time” tagline. The introductory commercials are awful, as kickoff spots tend to be. Don’t understand why advertisers insist on launching a campaign with what must have been the mood videos the advertising agency created to initially pitch the concept to the client. Is the presumption that the public must first hear the rationale behind the big idea to fully appreciate it? Guess they have to justify the planner’s role in the process. Also don’t understand why anyone thinks a tagline that failed to resuscitate the flagship Miller brand will do the trick for the Lite franchise. MillerCoors Exec VP-Chief Marketing Officer Andy England gushed his campaign is “entirely different”—as well as “contemporary, celebratory and inclusive.” And just to prove it, the main Blacks in one spot are shown dancing. So far, the new Miller Time is circa 1990.

9912: Cancel Hamm Vs. Kardashian Show.

Don’t quite understand the Jon Hamm vs. Kim Kardashian scenario. In some ways, Hamm is starting to resemble the privileged, exclusivity-fueled egotists portrayed on Mad Men—and appearing live on Madison Avenue. Besides, the majority of the AMC series’ actors are just a season away from becoming contestants on Dancing with the Stars.

9911: McProgress.

From National News Sources…

McDonald’s CEO retiring

By Associated Press

McDonald’s Corp. said Wednesday that CEO Jim Skinner will retire later this year and be succeeded by the company’s president, a 22-year veteran at the world’s biggest hamburger chain.

Skinner, 67, will step down on June 30 after 41 years with McDonald’s. He was named CEO in 2004.

Donald Thompson, 48, will take over the helm July 1, the company said. In his current job, Thompson is responsible for global strategy and operations for the more than 33,000 McDonald’s restaurants in 119 countries.

He will be the first African American to head McDonald’s, which was founded in 1955.

Under Skinner, McDonald’s has undertaken an effort to upgrade its image by remodeling restaurants and adding menu items like smoothies and oatmeal to try to draw in healthier eaters.

It has also added lattes and other coffee drinks to try to appeal to customers who might otherwise go to Starbucks.

McDonald’s still was able to post strong results through the recession by attracting cash-strapped customers with low prices and limited-time specials.

Recently it has faced challenges including the economic turmoil in Europe, McDonald’s largest market by revenue, and rising costs for its ingredients and labor.

9910: One More Thing…

Advertising Age published “Three Things Agencies Can Learn From Basketball About Team Culture” by Partners & Napier CEO Sharon Napier. The three things are: 1) Winning agencies draft team players, not just superstars; 2) Promote a culture where everyone has a chance to get in the game; and 3) Great team chemistry starts at the top.

For proven success, Napier should add: 4) Put more Blacks on the team.

9909: Unbelievably Dumb Drug Ads.

If you really believe that drug smugglers will be influenced by these shitty ads, you’ll believe anything.


From Ads of the World.

9908: C’MON WHITE MAN! Episode 18.

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

4A’s Agency Thought Leader Compensation Summit allowed a bunch of industry honchos to ponder payment plans between clients and agencies. The headline whiner was TBWA\Worldwide Global Director of Media Arts Lee Clow, who declared, “Unfortunately, in our business, we get paid like we’re doing our clients’ laundry. We haven’t figured out that the ideas that we create can become a very powerful asset to the brands we work for. Many of the ideas—whether they be slogans or advertising forms and styles or a voice that we create for brands—could be listed on the balance sheet of our clients as an asset with millions and millions of dollars in value.”

Gee, it’s always fun to watch a speech about being underpaid delivered by a multimillionaire.

If Clow is truly clueless about the compensation schemes fueling our business, he ought to call Omnicom CEO and President John Wren. Maybe Wren will explain how contracts, cronyism and Corporate Cultural Collusion stifle competition and ultimately turn advertising agencies into generic commodities. Why, just peep PepsiCo and Quaker Oats to realize Omnicom has effectively established that Goodby, Silverstein and Partners and TBWA\Chiat\Day are parity with Juniper Park and Fathom Communications. Plus, it’s a safe bet that Clow received stupid money when his shop was sold to the global holding company. Perhaps “we haven’t figured out that the ideas that we create can become a very powerful asset to the brands we work for” because folks such as Clow were too busy collecting their cuts from corporate mergers and buyouts.

But wait, there’s more. While the iconic White advertising agencies are paid like they’re doing their clients’ laundry, the minority shops are stuck fighting over the lint in the dryer filters. And that’s no ancient Chinese secret, Mr. Lee Clow.

C’MON WHITE MAN!

9907: The Evolution Of Suits.

Oh, look. Confirmation that advertising agency AEs are essentially project managers.

9906: J.P. Morgan’s Bizarro Planet.

For most White advertising agencies—like the one responsible for these ads—diversity is only inspiration for fantasy imagery.

9905: Seeing The Light On Latinos.

From CBS News…

NM Tourism ad seeks “light-skinned” Hispanics

SANTA FE, N.M. — New Mexico’s new tourism ad isn’t done yet, but it’s already creating quite a buzz.

First, the Tourism Department touched some local nerves by hiring a Texas firm to produce its new branding campaign. That firm chose a California producer rather than someone in New Mexico’s film industry to shoot the spot. And on Friday, traditional and social media was abuzz over the ad’s “real people” casting notice, which called for Caucasian or “light-skinned” Hispanics to star in the spot.

The Santa Fe New Mexican in an editorial Friday (http://bit.ly/z9ZwJ1) called the “light-skinned” requirement “wrong-headed.”

“Hearing that term brings to mind a vision of casting agents holding up paper bags next to people’s faces to ensure they can pass,” the Santa Fe New Mexican wrote. “We don’t know, of course, who made it into the shoot and how New Mexico will be presented to the world once the campaign is unveiled. But really, light-skinned only? What were they thinking?”

The ad, which is being designed as part of a $2 million yearlong effort by Tourism Secretary Monique Jacobson to create a brand that will attract more out-of-state visitors, was shot in a variety of locations and is scheduled to be unveiled next month.

Jacobson, according to the editorial, has said that it included Native Americans dancing.

But the casting notice seeking fit and attractive people to portray real families carried the light-skin requirement.

“We’d wager that there are more than a few active Native climbers and bikers, couples and families even,” the Santa Fe New Mexican wrote. “Native people dance and make art, yes, but they are fully in the modern world. They, along with dark-skinned people, even take vacations.”

Tourism officials did not immediately respond to emails or phone calls about the ad.

According to the latest Census data, 46 percent of New Mexicans are of Hispanic or Latino origin. Just under 10 percent are Native American.

The state also has the nation’s first female Latina governor, Republican Susana Martinez.

9904: Newsweek Salutes Mad Men & White Men.

Newsweek published a special edition commemorating AMC series Mad Men, complete with retro ads in the content of the magazine. Of course, the special ads feature zero non-Whites—unless you count Smokey Bear and the GEICO Gecko.

9903: Blowing Up Multicultural Silos.

Advertising Age reported how retailers are rethinking multicultural silos, adopting a “Total Market” approach that apparently covers all consumers. Wonder what Pepper Miller would have to say about the alleged shopper marketing innovations.

Retailers Break Out of Multicultural Silo

Walmart, Kmart, Target and Kohl’s Focus Programs and Advertising to Appeal to Developing ‘Total Market’

By Laurel Wentz

No one lives the “total market”—the term used to describe the blending of the general and multicultural markets—like Walmart.

Last month Gisel Ruiz was elevated to exec VP-chief operating officer at Walmart, and Rosalind G. “Roz” Brewer was named president-CEO of Sam’s Club, becoming the first woman and the first African-American to hold the CEO title at a Walmart unit. Ms. Brewer’s successor as president of one of Walmart’s three U.S. regions is Hispanic.

Walmart is also serious about diversity in its agencies, according to Steven Wolfe Pereira, who has a dual role as exec VP of MediaVest and managing director of MV42, MediaVest’s multicultural unit on the retailer’s account. “Ten percent of all Walmarts are in Texas, 6% in Florida, 4% in Illinois and 5% in California,” said Mr. Pereira, emphasizing that one-quarter of the stores are in heavily Hispanic states.

Walmart still works with the first U.S. Hispanic agency it hired 17 years ago, Lopez Negrete Communications. The independent survived Walmart’s review, started in 2005, in which it fired all its general-market agencies.

Lopez Negrete gets not just a seat at the table, but a good one. Tony Rogers, Walmart’s senior VP-brand marketing and advertising, said at the Association of National Advertisers’ multicultural marketing conference in November that the company planned to “blow up” its multicultural marketing budget, moving the money out of that silo and into the individual business units.

About 80 of Lopez Negrete’s 200 staffers are involved with the Walmart business, and one works out of its Bentonville, Ark., headquarters. The agency now deals more with individual category leads. Walmart’s Hispanic Center of Excellence functions primarily as a consultant, which shifts more of the responsibility for growing Walmart’s multicultural business to Lopez Negrete.

The agency, for example, plunged into the humorous “Every Cart Tells a Story” TV campaign developed by the Martin Agency, Walmart’s general-market shop. Spots always start with items at the checkout counter, then cuts to how they’re used at home. One item is always incongruous. Lopez Negrete’s “Tea Time” includes a teapot, a princess dress, cookies—and mouthwash. At home, a little girl entertains her father with a tea party, until he realizes that she has filled the teapot with water from the toilet (hence the mouthwash).

There are subtly different general-market and Spanish-language spots. The dad in the former version is goofier; in the latter he has more interaction with the daughter. The mouthwash brand is Listerine in the English version, Scope for Hispanics.

Walmart is the biggest-spending retailer in the Hispanic market, and No. 15 among all advertisers in Spanish-language media, at $66.6 million in 2010, according to Ad Age’s Hispanic Fact Pack. Sears Holding Co., which includes Kmart and Sears, is No. 19 with $53.9 million spent in 2010, followed by Target Corp. at No. 27 with $40.3 million. Kohl’s spent $14.8 million.

Some of the discounters focus their efforts on collections with Latino celebrities. Kohl’s rolled out clothing lines with Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony last year. It also sponsors their TV show, “Q’Viva! The Chosen,” which airs on both Spanish-language Univision and Fox.

Kmart is linking with Colombian-born Sofia Vergara of hit comedy “Modern Family.” Kmart launched Sofia Vergara lines of apparel, footwear, accessories and jewelry last fall, with TV and print ads in English and Spanish by PMH. A campaign featuring Ms. Vergara is expected midyear. “The general market and the multicultural market have merged,” said Mr. Stein. “She’s relevant to both.”

The four retailers aren’t big on Spanish-language websites or Facebook pages, although Kmart does have a Spanish-language web presence.

Kmart is continuing last year’s Kmart Latina Smart platform, built around a group of blogueras that has brought in more than 26,000 Facebook fans. And Sears Holding, which includes both Kmart and Sears, is a founding sponsor along with General Mills, General Motors’ Chevy brand and Procter & Gamble of Mamas Latinas, a site for Hispanic moms started by CaféMom in late January and run by Lucia Ballas-Traynor, the former publisher of People en Español magazine. Kmart has built out a style and fashion area, and is running ads throughout the site for the Sofia Vergara collection and Kmart’s layaway program.

9902: Oreo, The Cross-Cultural Cookie.

Draftfcb launched a campaign to celebrate Oreo’s 100th birthday. Given the ad agency’s cross-cultural hustle, the ad below is probably targeting Latinos.


Here are MultiCultClassics versions for Black audiences.

9901: The Black365 Knowledge Bowl.

The Los Angeles Times reported on a community effort that will hopefully not draw a copyright infringement complaint from Mickey D’s 365Black.

Black history competition aims to celebrate youths’ academic prowess

The Black365 Knowledge Bowl Competition, a ‘Jeopardy’-style contest in the Antelope Valley, quizzes high school students. The founder grew up with a limited view of paths open to young African Americans.

By Ann M. Simmons, Los Angeles Times

Growing up in the Antelope Valley, Jamaal Brown aspired to be a professional basketball player.

“I thought African Americans could only be athletes, gang members, entertainers and drug dealers,” he said, referring to media stereotypes that convinced him his career paths were limited.

But when minor surgery for a heart condition foiled his pro ball ambitions, Brown turned to books and, in doing so, devoured information about black history. Valedictorian for his Lancaster High School class, he won a scholarship to Cal State Long Beach, one of eight universities that recruited him.

Armed with a degree in business management and information systems, he launched the Black365 Knowledge Bowl Competition last year, a “Jeopardy”-style contest that quizzes high school students on black history.

On Saturday, students from northern Los Angeles County’s Antelope Valley High School, Knight High School and SOAR (Students on the Academic Rise) High School and from South L.A.’s Animo Locke II college preparatory charter high school will gather in Palmdale to challenge each other on their knowledge of black history.

“I wanted to do the best that I could do to ensure that no young person grew up as short-sighted as I was,” said Brown, 29, who also created a 365 Days of Black Facts Calendar, which showcases positive accomplishments of people of African descent.

“I wanted to create an institution where our community could celebrate our youth more than just for their athletic prowess ... but for their academic prowess.”

Categories include Famous Quotations, African Flags, Black Inventors, Great African Leaders and Political Prisoners.

A sampling: name the first African nation to gain independence (the answer is Ghana); identify the author of this quote, “You have to be taught to be second class, you’re not born that way” (that would be actress, singer and civil rights activist Lena Horne).

Although black knowledge bowls are not new — historically black colleges, advocacy groups and other institutions have sponsored such annual events — Tony Lawson, Animo Locke’s team coordinator, said Brown’s creation focuses on aspects of the black American experience not typically included in the California school curriculum.

“It forces students to step beyond their normal duties,” said Lawson, who teaches history.

Winners receive a trophy as well as cash to go toward education expenses, Brown said. Rewards for runners-up include medals, mall gift cards and black history books. Sponsors of the bowl — which include the United Christian Fellowship in Palmdale, where the event will be held — made cash donations ranging from $50 to more than $250, according to Brown.

But prizes aren’t important to Jennifer Williams, captain of the SOAR team, winners of the inaugural competition.

“It’s not about the money,” said Williams, 17, who with her teammates spent eight hours each weekend cramming for the quiz and used their 30-minute lunch break twice a week to drill. “For me it’s more about gaining the knowledge.”

Team member Alexis Hithe agreed. “I want to know where I came from,” she said. “And I feel that I can’t get ahead in life if I don’t know my roots, and black history is my roots.”

Both Williams and Hithe said they had saved their $100 winnings from last year.

For Brown, currently a counselor at Antelope Valley Youth Build, a community development program that helps youths from low-income communities, a critical goal of the competition is to promote a positive image of African American young people.

“Our community needs ways in which we can uplift and celebrate our youth,” said Brown.

Jessica Nesbitt, 17, Animo Locke’s team captain, said everyone would go away victorious if they succeeded in showing the community that “black kids are intelligent and talented.”

“Just because we might live next door to gang-bangers, I hope they learn that there’s more to us than that,” she said.

9900: Seeking Prince Charming.

Women, please don’t sleep around with seven dwarfs.

From Ads of the World.

9899: Global Mammy…?

This Kwik Fit commercial from the U.K. shows the popularity of depicting rotund Black women acting sassy while serving breakfast items.