16831: Crumbs Crumbling Is Crumby For Companies Of Color.

 

Digiday Media’s Worklife reported on multicrumbtual agencies affected by diminished DEIBA+ dedication and divested diversity budgets.

 

Advocates declare DEIBA+ is a business imperative, yet businesses tied to DEIBA+ don’t seem to experience the benefits.

 

‘We can’t cry about the milk that’s spilled’: As DE&I fallout continues, multicultural agencies grapple with changes

 

By Kimeko McCoy

 

Brands like Ford Motors, John Deere and Molson Coors, among others, have reversed course on their diversity, equity and inclusion commitments. The shift is leaving multicultural and diverse-owned agencies grappling with the fallout.

 

With a polarizing presidential election coming to a head this week, hot-button issues like reproductive rights and affirmative action are now front and center. Over the past year, brands like Target and Bud Light have faced backlash for marketing campaigns and other work deemed woke. Since then, some brands have been increasingly steering clear of the so-called culture wars, quietly walking back DE&I commitments made in the post-George Floyd murder era. 

 

Notably, consumer spending has slowed and marketing budgets are facing constraints as economic uncertainty looms, making it easier for brands to make the case to divest from diversity efforts. Meaning, walking back the commitment is more a result of the need to tighten belts rather than a push to upend diversity initiatives, industry experts say.

 

That reversal has left multicultural and diverse-owned agencies dealing with the about-face from the boom seen at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement and subsequent DE&I commitments.

 

“It has definitely affected us,” said Dawn Wade, managing partner and chief strategy officer at NIMBUS, a Black-owned marketing agency. “We have many customers or clients who their DEI budgets were just completely cut.” In some instances, Wade added, diversity initiatives were axed, shifting dollars toward general marketing initiatives. It’s a stark comparison to 2020, when “phones were ringing off the hook,” she said, noting the agency had to turn work down to avoid onboarding too many clients at once, thus overloading the business. The agency has maintained around 20 clients since 2020.

 

Recently, the agency lost a client whose diversity budget was completely slashed, she said. Meanwhile, some other clients have been in limbo, trying to find workarounds in light of DE&I budget cuts. (Wade did not offer the names of specific clients or budget figures.) 

 

Other multicultural marketers tell a similar story, noting the pendulum of brands’ commitment to diversity now swinging toward divestment out of fear of the so-called culture wars. At BGD Media, a multicultural and independently-owned marketing agency, potential clients have recently put conversations around working together on hold until 2025, said Latoya Bond, CMO of BGD Media. 

 

The biggest impact has been in the amount of money clients are willing to put into multicultural marketing campaigns and creative geared toward diverse audiences, she added. “It’s not a complete back out,” Bond said. “It’s that they now don’t have the pressure of saying, ‘You have to spend X amount of your digital marketing spend on this particular market. You have to give X amount to agencies of color.’” (Bond did not provide specific budget spend figures.) Notably, consumers were more outspoken about shopping with brands that aligned with their values, pressing brands to take a stance on societal issues at the height of the social justice movement.

 

Last year, the Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing (AIMM) published research that revealed consumers want brands to commit to diversity and inclusion practices. Per AIMM’s report, 77% of consumers would stop shopping with a brand that backtracked on its support for social causes.

 

Pausing, or putting work on hold, seems to be a common theme, according to Krishana Davis, evp of digital and multicultural engagement at Precision, an integrated strategy and marketing agency. Davis said clients have divested from earned media communications around any inclusive marketing plans. However, those same clients have continued to invest marketing dollars in other parts of the business, she added. Meaning, the work and spend continues, but without the amplification of earned media. 

 

Momentum in favor of diversity initiatives seems to be waning now, especially in light of the backlash brands like Bud Light, Miller Lite and Adidas faced last year for inclusivity-themed campaigns, partnerships or imagery. Others like John Deere, Lowe’s and Harley Davidson have backed down following boycotts against so-called woke marketing efforts from a right wing activist investor Robby Starbuck. 

 

“It seems like we’ve replicated the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy when it comes to DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging) in the advertising and marketing industry,” Lisette Arsuaga, co-founder of AIMM said in an email to Digiday. Arsuaga echoed Davis’ sentiments, noting that while some companies are still moving forward with their diversity efforts, “they just don’t want to talk about it – or they’ve simply call the efforts something else.” 

 

That could mean an overhaul of the DEI playbook that was originally written back when the Black Lives Matter movement reverberated through the ad industry. According to DEI practitioners like Ezinne Okoro, chief client and cultural strategy officer at VML ad agency, clients increasingly request that diversity and multicultural efforts be folded into the RFP process, making diversity part of general marketing plans instead of stand-alone, separate campaigns labeled as a diversity effort.

 

“Brands are now seeking agencies that can seamlessly integrate these strategies into the overall audience targeting, storytelling process, and creative execution,” Okoro wrote in an email to Digiday.

 

Some clients continue to push agencies on the diversity front, inquiring about policies, practices and team staffing demographics, she added. On the other hand, to Okoro’s point, agencies like FCB Chicago are folding those offerings into presentations without being asked, according to Marc Wilson, evp and executive director of strategic inclusion at FCB Chicago. Over the past year, the term DE&I has become a point of polarization that some brands are hesitant to build and amplify strategies around, he added.

 

“[It’s] just understanding that with certain clients, it needs to be packaged in a way that’s digestible and not going to stoke any fear that they have,” he said. 

 

Cathy Chan Butler, evp of talent, equity and learning solutions at the 4A’s also said as much.

 

“It’s not about not doing or not investing in DE&I. It’s about reframing it in a way that helps … folks who are part of the conversation understand in a way that’s beneficial to them.” Meaning, that as opposed to diversity and inclusion efforts being pledged front and center as they were on the heels of George Floyd’s murder, agencies are working with brands to shift the narrative, focusing on data and storytelling around diversity as an integrated part of the marketing strategy and not a standalone product.

 

Still, she added, DEI practitioners are hopeful that marketers will continue to lean into diversity and inclusion efforts with the understanding that marketing to everyone is good for business. 

 

LaToya Shambo, CEO BGD Media, who works alongside BGD Media’s Bond, concludes it like this: “We can’t cry about the milk that’s spilled. It’s just: How do we clean it up or go get a new box of milk?”

16830: 500 Jobs Sounds Like A Con Job.

Advertising Age reported Adland USA—advertising, public relations, and related services—gained 500 jobs in October, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Why, the trade journal declared ad employment is near an all-time high.

 

Not sure how this is possible, given Publicis Groupe dumped hundreds for failing to comply with RTO policies and assorted undisclosed reasons. Meanwhile, IPG continues to prune portfolios and people too.

 

So, where are these amazing 500 jobs? Perhaps the figures include influencers, creators, celebrity brand ambassadors, and other nebulous roles. Do fractional executives count as FTEs? Are White advertising agencies’ cats and dogs in the mix?

 

Then again, Adland has historically inflated staffing numbers to fabricate the illusion of DEIBA+ progress—so it wouldn’t be surprising to discover the Bureau of Labor Statistics is dealing with deceptive data.

 

Bullshit is near an all-time high—and constitutes a lot of full-time jobs.

16829: Just Another Mad Men Monday 7.

 

Peggy Olson and Joan Harris rose from secretaries to Copy Chief and Director of Office Operations–Partner, respectively. Dawn Chambers rose from Don Draper’s secretary to Personnel Manager in a performative DEI move.

16828: Quincy Jones (1933–2024).

 

From CNN…

 

Quincy Jones, musical titan and entertainment icon, dead at 91

 

By Lisa Respers France, CNN

 

(CNN) — Musical titan Quincy Jones, the composer and producer who added his tasteful polish to recordings by everyone from Ray Charles and Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson, has died, according to his representatives. He was 91.

 

Jones died Sunday night at his home in Bel Air, California, surrounded by his children, siblings and other family members, his publicist told CNN in a statement.

 

“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing,” the Jones family said in the statement. “And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him. He is truly one of a kind and we will miss him dearly; we take comfort and immense pride in knowing that the love and joy, that were the essence of his being, was shared with the world through all that he created. Through his music and his boundless love, Quincy Jones’ heart will beat for eternity.”

 

A renowned jazz and pop musician, Jones was also a prolific cross-genre arranger, conductor, record label executive and civil rights advocate. His talent and drive led to an almost unparalleled career in entertainment.

 

His long and varied list of credits include composing the score for the Oscar-winning film, “In the Heat of the Night,” producing Michael Jackson’s blockbuster “Thriller” album and gathering dozens of pop and rock stars to record the 1985 charity single “We Are the World.”

 

Born in Chicago to a carpenter father and a mother who suffered from mental illness, Jones developed a love of music early on and took up the piano.

 

His family eventually moved to Seattle, Washington, where Jones began taking lessons from famed horn player Clark Terry.

 

He also met and became close friends with a then-unknown pianist named Ray Charles. The pair would enjoy a lifelong friendship.

 

A teenaged Jones began performing with jazz bands, and his talent at composing and arranging music drew the attention of bandleader Lionel Hampton.

 

Jones was only 15 when Hampton invited him to tour with the group, something Hampton’s wife, Gladys, put a stop to right away.

 

“I got on the band bus right away, and Gladys got on and said, “Hamp, what’s that child doing on the bus?” Jones recalled in an interview with the National Endowment for the Arts. “And I was so upset. And she said, ‘Get him off here. Make him go back to school. We’ll call him later when he gets his schooling.’”

 

Jones heeded her advice, finished school and earned a scholarship to Schillinger House (now known as Berklee College of Music) in Boston, from which he graduated in 1951.

 

After graduation, he headed out on tour with Hampton and his band.

 

Thus began a storied a career which found Jones soon arranging and recording for such legends as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Sarah Vaughan and his friend Ray Charles. Bandleader Lionel Hampton, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and other giants also tapped the young Jones for their European tours.

 

In 1961, Jones was hired by Mercury Records as their artists-and-repertoire director. He made history three years later when he was promoted to vice president, making him the first African-American man to hold such a position within a white owned record label.

 

He had his first pop hit with Leslie Gore’s 1963 single “It’s My Party,” which shot to No. 1. Jones also worked with the likes of Sinatra and Peggy Lee during his time with the label.

 

That same year found him scoring what would be the first of many Grammys, with the initial one being for the arrangement the Count Basie Band song “I Can’t Stop Loving You.”

 

The 1960s also began Jones composing film soundtracks, including “In The Heat of the Night” and “In Cold Blood.”

 

He worked with A&M Records from 1969 to 1981 and formed his own record label, Qwest.

 

In 1982. Jones had one of his most famous collaboration when he produced Jackson’s best-selling album “Thriller.”

 

Three years later, he called on Jackson and a host of other stars for the charity single “We Are the World.” That same year he found success on the big screen with producing the Steven Spielberg-directed film “The Color Purple.”

 

Jones also had a hit on the small screen with and the television series “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” which starred his mentee Will Smith.

 

Jones delved into the world of publication in 1993, when he founded the music/cultural magazine Vibe, which he sold in 2006.

 

A brain aneurysm in 1974 caused Jones to temporarily lighten his workload. He reflected on his health scare years later in a social media post.

 

“While operating for 7.5 hours, my doctors discovered a second aneurysm that was ready to blow, so they had to schedule a second operation. During this time, it didn’t look too promising, so my friends planned a memorial service for me at The Shrine in LA, & I basically attended my own funeral,” Jones wrote. “Man, everyone was there…Sidney Poitier, Sarah Vaughan, you name it. It was special to see so many people there to celebrate what would’ve been my 41 years of life.”

 

Over the years, he had three marriages and seven children.

 

Jones was married to his high school sweetheart Jeri Caldwell from 1957 to 1966, and the couple had had one daughter, Jolie.

 

In 1967, he married Swedish model Ulla Andersson, and they had two children, Martina and Quincy Jones III, before divorcing in 1974.

 

That same year Jones married actress Peggy Lipton, a union which lasted until 1990, and produced two daughters, actresses Rashida Jones and Kidada Jones.

 

He also had a daughter, Rachel, with dancer Carol Reynolds, and a daughter – fashion model Kenya Kinski-Jones – with actress Nastassja Kinski.

 

Jones didn’t slow down personally or professionally in his later years. In 2014, he produced the documentary “Keep on Keepin’ On” about his mentor, jazz trumpeter Clark Terry.

 

Reflecting on his own career that year, Jones told Rolling Stone, “I never thought about it until I hit 80, but I have been blessed to work with every major music star in the history of America — including Louie Armstrong.”

 

“You can’t plan that,” Jones said. “You can’t say, ‘Mr. Sinatra, I want to work with you.’ No. You have to wait until he calls you.”

 

In his 2022 book, “12 Notes On Life and Creativity,” Jones reflected on the essence of his life’s work.

 

“Creativity is one of the most beautiful gifts we possess,” Jones wrote. “If utilized properly, not only does it serve as an outlet, but it also holds the power to transform heartache into something beyond a singular sentiment.”

16827: Karma & Kamala Harris.

 

In 2011, MultiCultClassics introduced the concept of Offensive Karma.

 

Originally applied to the NBA Finals, Offensive Karma is defined by a team’s display of offensiveness in the form of words or actions rooted in bigotry, discrimination and ignorance—which then leads to the team’s ultimate demise in the championship tourney. The notion was later extended to championship competitions in the NFL and MLB, as well as a Popeyes promotion and White advertising agency Deutsch.

 

Now, it’s time to apply Offensive Karma to the US presidential election pitting former President Donald Trump against Vice President Kamala Harris.

 

Providing a detailed comparison between the candidates is unnecessary, as it’s no contest.

 

If Offensive Karma proves an accurate indicator, expect the inauguration of President Kamala Harris.

 

Please vote to confirm the appropriate outcome.

16826: Gone Fishing.

Rastus took the day off too.

16825: Failing To Tell The Real Story On Book Banning.

 

This National Coalition Against Censorship campaign from INNOCEAN USA speaks out against banning children’s books, emphasizing the titles typically targeted by interest groups and politicians present LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC themes.

 

Yet the Villains Against Evil imagery and overall message arguably do not strongly address such cultural issues, opting to depict White villains from classic Eurocentric fables and fairy tales. Or was the intent to symbolize that most book-banning fanatics are White people?

 

The headline states, “The most evil villains aren’t in books—they’re the ones banning them.” Okay, except banned books on critical race theory prominently feature real-life racist villains.

 

In short, the campaign fails to tell a true story in compelling, provocative, and inspiring style.

 

 

16824: Cyrus Mehri Continues To Campaign For DEI.

 

Fast Company published a perspective from Madison Avenue Project Mastermind Cyrus Mehri, emphasizing why DEIBA+ is important for businesses and democracy.

 

Mehri noted that DEIBA+ progress can be thwarted in closed societies. His experience with Adland’s exclusivity certainly corroborated the perspective.

 

Why DEI is important for both businesses and democracy

 

The architect of the Rooney Rule explains why—and how—leaders must respond to anti-DEI backlash.

 

By Cyrus Mehri

 

Since the Supreme Court overturned affirmative action in 2023, leaders have struggled to respond to the backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). 

 

As the nation inches closer to election day, there are two sides to the DEI debate: One values democratic ideals of equal opportunity, and the other bestows strong autocratic tendencies while peddling the anti-DEI backlash. In this complex environment, anchoring our work in the vision and values of fairness and open opportunities is the best way to advance DEI and our democracy. And business leaders have an important role to play. 

 

Even though the majority of Americans support DEI and there is significant evidence that DEI efforts advance innovation and business goals, some companies, publicly or privately, are retreating from their pledges to advance workplace inclusion. Many of these unwarranted retreats overlook that employment laws on the book remain strong notwithstanding the Supreme Court’s landmark decision on college admissions last year. 

 

Still, many leaders have caved to the anti-DEI movement. Rather than operating out of blind fear, leaders can look to our democratic values to keep their commitment on track in the face of the anti-DEI backlash. And there are concrete steps leaders can take to improve their workplaces to make their organizations more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. 

 

Why DEI is an important part of Democracy 

 

Fortunately, there are steps we can all take to promote DEI, advance equal opportunities, and strengthen our democracy. In Fareed Zakaria’s recent book, Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present, Zakaria posits that the struggle of our time is less about contrasting visions of democracy versus autocracy but instead of contrasting visions of open versus closed societies.

 

Closed societies are xenophobic, close borders, restrict commerce, fear progress, and resist innovation. Open societies cherish pluralism and religious tolerance, and embrace immigrants, new ideas, and both republican and liberal democratic values. 

 

Today’s DEI backlash follows a tumultuous recent history. Conservative-led book bannings have become rampant. And xenophobia has manifested in many ways including the vilifying of legal immigrants. Former President Donald Trump has even threatened to enact mass deportations if he is elected president. Trump and his allies have also supported efforts to ban DEI at state universities, and the shutting down of modest efforts to open doors to those excluded from capital. This is the playbook of closed societies. If we allow these exclusionary practices to endure, it will diminish the promise of equal opportunity and progress toward a strong and inclusive economy. 

 

DEI advocates can and should champion DEI because they are ultimately derived from principles of an open society, because they are crucial to a democracy, and because they are good business. I’ve seen many of these policies in theory and practice throughout my career. 

 

I’ve represented employees, women and people of color, at companies such as Texaco, Coca-Cola, Morgan Stanley, Ford Motor Company and many other organizations who were completely boxed out of the upper-level management positions, which came with higher salaries, access to stock options, and decision-making power. We championed “open society” reforms. These changes made decisions fairer and more transparent, opening doors of opportunity to our clients. These changes also improved opportunities for white and male employees who didn’t have the connections to succeed under a regime of favoritism and subjectivity. 

 

How to achieve fair competition for opportunities 

 

A few key reforms can break down barriers which keep many employees from competing fairly for promotions—and keep future top talent undiscovered. The first is to open up promotions to fair competition and more transparency. We need to replace “tap on the shoulder” promotions with job posting systems that allow employees to learn about and compete for positions. Job selection criteria can be too narrow, exclusionary and off target, so teams should expand job selection criteria to ensure that they are attracting a wide range of applicants.

 

The second major strategy that can promote fair competition is the use of diverse interview slates. This reform ensures women, people of color, and other overlooked or underutilized candidates can compete for top jobs. 

 

This is a policy my colleagues and I helped enact at the National Football League when we created the Rooney Rule, a diverse slate requirement built on these early initiatives to transform the NFL. It led to record numbers of minority head coaches, general managers, and, more recently, club presidents. In the wake of the Rooney Rule, a head coach or general manager of color led their team to the Super Bowl 10 times. Last year, all of the NFL teams with African American head coaches advanced to the playoffs.

 

The third open society reform leaders should consider is to make DEI data and progress more transparent—such as the use of a “racial equity assessment” like the one my colleagues at Working IDEAL co-created. Every major company should use independent equal opportunity assessments to identify new ideas, innovations, and strategies. 

 

Above all, DEI advocates need to hold their heads high during our tumultuous times. Most Americans want to see fair processes and fair competition for advancement without artificial barriers and preconceived notions of bias. Workplaces can come together on values of fair competition through an open society mindset that brings credibility to inclusive practices—and ultimately innovation, more productivity, and new ideas.