17458: On Brand Investment, Interest, And Indifference For Black Consumers.

 

MediaPost published an almost stereotypical perspective on connecting with Black consumers.

 

From emphasizing Blacks shape culture to insisting Black audiences are swayed by authentic and accurate representation in advertising, the op-ed offers nothing new. The exposition mimics pitch decks of every past and present Black advertising agency.

 

The author delivers the standard declaration: “Brands that invest in authentic cultural representation have a larger, more responsive audience ready to engage and convert.”

 

Okay, except history has shown brand investment rarely exceeds crumbs—and brand interest is even crumbier. Indeed, the current anti-DEIBA+ vibe in Adland fuels brand indifference.

 

Cultural Trust As Currency: Why Black Consumers Shift Spending Due To Brand Values

 

By Charlene Polite Corley

 

Black consumers continue to shape culture that captures attention, but tokenism alone is not enough to earn loyalty. Increasingly, Black consumers are making intentional decisions about where they spend their money, and those decisions are directly tied to whether a brand demonstrates real cultural understanding and alignment. In times of economic uncertainty, that bar is only getting higher.

 

The data makes the stakes even clearer. According to Nielsen’s 2025 Attitudes on Representation Study, over half of Black consumers say a brand’s stance on social issues is a major factor in their purchasing decisions, and 70% say they will stop buying from brands perceived as devaluing their community, up from 66% in 2023. That upward trend signals that Black consumer expectations are growing, and brands that are not keeping up the pace are actively losing ground.

 

What drives this shift is visibility and relevance in practice. Black audiences are more than twice as likely to rank authentic and accurate representation of their race or ethnicity as the strongest motivation to engage with new content compared to respondents overall. Additionally, 67% of Black consumers say they pay more attention to brands that reflect their culture, compared to 46% overall.

 

For marketers, this gap represents both a risk and a clear opportunity. Brands that invest in authentic cultural representation have a larger, more responsive audience ready to engage and convert.

 

Where and how brands show up matters significantly. Fifty-six percent of Black consumers prefer to buy based on ads that appear in culturally relevant content, compared to 35% overall. This is not a preference to ignore. It means that media placement is a value signal, not solely a targeting decision. Showing up in the right cultural contexts communicates that a brand understands and respects the audience it is trying to reach.

 

Earning attention from Black consumers requires cultural fluency built over time, through community partnerships, creator collaborations and storytelling that reflects the full range of Black experiences. For example, Black suburban consumers are among the most likely to agree that a brand’s stance on social issues influences their purchasing decisions, at 59%, compared to 51% of the suburban total, according to Nielsen’s 2025 Advanced Audience Attitudes Study. Strategies that treat Black audiences as monolithic will miss this nuance entirely.

 

Ultimately, brands that earn lasting loyalty are the ones that approach cultural understanding as an ongoing commitment—and a competitive advantage. Black consumers watch to see how brands show up consistently, how they listen and how they invest the time to understand the communities they are trying to reach. When consumers feel genuinely seen, they respond with loyalty and advocacy. When they feel like an afterthought, they spend elsewhere.

 

In today’s marketplace, cultural trust is a business metric, and it is one that Black consumers are actively scoring every day.

17457: On The Fabrication Of Lola USA.

 

MediaPost reported Omnicom executed another erasure-mashup involving two White advertising agencies—180 US and adam&eveDDB NY—to launch Lola USA.

 

The Lola agency brand was already established globally, with Lola Madrid and Lola\TBWA in Brazil.

 

The Lola name derived from combining the Lo from Frank Lowe of Lowe & Partners and the La in Latino. Lowe & Partners was a White advertising agency that IPG merged with Mullen Advertising in 2015 to create MullenLowe—which was ultimately erased and absorbed by TBWA after Omnicom acquired IPG last year. Oh, and IPG is gone too.

 

Pity the drones who shuffle through constant merging, erasing, restructuring, redundancies, and RIFs—including endless revisions to org charts, business cards, email footers, and LinkedIn profiles.

 

An executive at the new Lola USA declared, “We’re unashamedly ambitious. From top to bottom, there’s something beautifully irrational about how driven this team is to solve hard problems for our clients. We’re hungry. We’re obsessed. And we won’t rest until our friends jealously text us about what we’ve created.”

 

But first, the team must figure out who, what, when, where, why, and how they are.

 

Lola USA Debuts, Combines 180 US And Adam&EveDDB New York

 

By Fern Siegel

 

Lola USA has debuted, combining 180 US and adam&eveDDB New York into a micro-network within Omnicom. Lola Madrid and Lola\TBWA in Brazil are also part of the company.

 

The new agency is led by CEO Agathe Guerrier and CCO JD Jurentkuff. Lola USA reports 50% of the agency is dedicated to creative roles.

 

“Many marketers are feeling the squeeze, with shrinking ambition driven by tighter budgets and uncertainty,” said Guerrier, the former 180 US CEO. “We’re here to position a new type of agency. One that combines the artisanal culture of an independent, with the depth of technology and connected capabilities only Omnicom can provide. An agency reimagined for the future, with consultative acumen and cultural edge.”

 

Clients include Porsche, adidas, Molson Coors, JetBlue and Disney. First work is expected in the coming months.

 

The agency specializes in brand and marketing strategy, creative campaigns, brand design, and social and editorial storytelling, supported by Omnicom’s AI capabilities.

 

“We’re unashamedly ambitious,” added Jurentkuff, a former 180 US TBWA\Worldwide and Apple agency executive. “From top to bottom, there’s something beautifully irrational about how driven this team is to solve hard problems for our clients. We’re hungry. We’re obsessed. And we won’t rest until our friends jealously text us about what we’ve created.”

 

Additional staff includes Kimmy Harvey as head of creative operations, with Mike Bokman and Jason Ashlock as ECDs. Mitch Horton leads as head of design. On the business side, Elliott Bastien is head of strategy, Laura Cona is Chief Growth Officer, Devon Hay is managing director, Caroline Jackson is Chief Client Officer and Margaret Coleman is head of account management.

17456: WPP Win Doesn’t Wash Away Losses.

 

MediaPost reported Henkel Consumer Brands completed a worldwide shootout that started over a year ago, awarding its global creative and production business to WPP.

 

The move follows Henkel consolidating its European media business with WPP Media last year.

 

According to MediaPost, WPP CEO Cindy Rose gushed the latest win presented more evidence that the turnaround plan for the single White operating company—Eviscerate28—was working. 

 

Thousands of former WPP drones, however, are not working—with additional RIFs to come.

 

Given the Q1 earnings report detailed declines across all WPP divisions, it appears Rose is mimicking her predecessors and other holding company leaders.

 

That is, Rose is peddling Pollyannaish bullshit.

 

WPP Wins Expanded Remit From Henkel Consumer Brands

 

By Steve McClellan

 

WPP has been awarded the consolidated global creative and production business for Henkel Consumer Brands, including brands such as Persil, Schwarzkopf, and Syoss.

 

The additional remit follows Henkel’s decision last year to consolidate its estimated $825 million consolidated media business in Europe with the holding company.

 

The win follows a competitive global pitch that began more than a year ago.  WPP Open, the company’s agentic marketing platform, will serve as the “strategic backbone” for the new assignment.    

 

Cindy Rose, CEO of WPP, said the win was further evidence that the company’s turnaround plan, unveiled earlier in the year, was working. 

17455: FYI WPP Q1 WTF (Cont’d).

 

MediaPost spotlighted additional details on WPP Q1 earnings, revealing WPP Media delivered the worst decline for the single White operating company.

 

This is extra bad news given pseudo thought leaders and analysts speculate WPP CEO Cindy Rose is restructuring the flaming dumpster to become a media-first enterprise.

 

Based on the earnings report, WPP is now a media-worst enterprise.  

 

WPP Media Delivers Worst Q1 Decline, ‘Enterprise Solutions’ Seen Most Promising

 

By Joe Mandese

 

Media was the biggest drag on revenue during WPP’s first quarter, the “unholding” company disclosed in its earnings release this morning.

 

WPP Media, which accounts for the greatest share of company revenue (41%, see chart below), saw its revenue decline 8.5% in the first quarter -- nearly two points greater than WPP’s overall decline and markedly greater than its other reported divisions, including creative services, public relations and specialist agencies.

 

While WPP did not disclose the explicit performance of a newer category of services – “enterprise solutions,” which now accounts for 13% of total revenue -- it was cited as a potential area of higher revenue growth.

 

The earnings report called out a recent enterprise solutions deal with Adobe as an example, but did not explicitly disclose the nature of the services or the revenue model.

 

17454: FYI WPP Q1 WTF.

 

MediaPost spotlighted the WPP Q1 earnings call, where the White holding company—er, single White operating company—reported revenue declines in line with expectations.

 

Clearly, expectations are low—albeit probably realistic.

 

WPP CEO Cindy Rose dodged the call, contrasting the attendance practice established by predecessors Mark Read and Sir Martin Sorrell.

 

MediaPost stated, “Rose will participate in the mid- and full-year earning calls, following the practice of most other UK and European public companies.”

 

Okay, except WPP is unlike most other UK and European public companies, at least in terms of experiencing dire financial straits. One would think Rose might feel obligated to appear at every earnings call to provide status reports on Eviscerate28.

 

Sadly, no one seems concerned about employees’ expectations.

 

WPP Reports Q1 Dip, In Line With Expectations

 

By Steve McClellan

 

WPP reported first quarter net revenues of 2.26 billion GBP ($3.05 billion), down 6.7% on an organic basis (excluding currency and M&A impact), in line with previous guidance from the company.  

 

The firm reiterated that it expects a first half organic revenue decline in the mid-to-high single digits for the first half of 2026 “with an improving trajectory in the second half.” The firm also stated that full-year pre-tax profit margin is expected to be in the 12% to 13% range.  

 

CEO Cindy Rose stated that the company’s latest turnaround plan unveiled in February  is “resonating with clients and driving strong new business. While it is only a few months since we unveiled our Elevate28 strategy, I am encouraged by this momentum which validates the ‘Stabilization’ phase of the plan and our path to growth.” 

 

Rose was not on the company’s earnings call, which is a departure from past practice during both the Mark Read and Martin Sorrell eras. It’s understood going forward that Rose will participate in the mid- and full-year earning calls, following the practice of most other UK and European public companies.  

 

Major first quarter wins included being named Estée Lauder’s first-ever global media partner, and media assignment wins for Wendy’s, SC Johnson and Norwegian Cruise Lines in the US. 

 

“Elevate28” is designed to stabilize the business this year, build momentum in 2027 and deliver sustained growth from 2028 and beyond.  

 

The company said it would cut costs by 500 million GBP a year to help achieve the plan. That cost saving is expected to be fully achieved by 2028. 

 

By business segment revenue, global integrated agencies were collectively down 7.4%, which the company attributed largely to prior year client losses. There was a sequential improvement from the 10%+ dip seen in Q4. PR was down 2.6% and specialist agencies were down 2.3%. 

 

By region, North America declined 7.8% due largely to prior year client losses at WPP Media and spending cuts at Ogilvy and AKQA.  

 

The UK declined 6.6%, Western Continental Europe saw a 4.7% shortfall, and the rest of the world combined was off 6.9%, driven by Asia Pacific (-8.2%). India grew 1.0% on new business wins, offset by China declines (-12.2%) on continued spending pressures and client losses. Middle East & Africa declined 11.1% on cuts to client spending caused by geopolitical strife in the Middle East.  

 

Latin America was down 3.4% and Central & Eastern Europe declined less than 1%.

17453: How Banning Junk Food TV Advertising Might Junk Adland.

 

MediaPost reported U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would support banning junk food TV advertising.

 

The devastating impact such a move would deliver to Adland immediately elevates Kennedy to White Man Of The Year contender.

 

RFK Jr. Supports Potential Ban On Junk Food TV Ads

 

By Tanya Gazdik

 

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he would support a ban on junk food TV ads.

 

“Speaking at a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing, ranking member Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said President Donald Trump’s nominee for surgeon general, Casey Means, had recently told the panel she supports banning junk food ads on TV,” according to CNBC. “When asked whether he agrees with a ban, Kennedy said, ‘I would support that.’ But Kennedy also appeared to imply that he would want the effort to be voluntary for food companies.”

 

The food and restaurant industry spends about $14 billion annually for advertising in the U.S., according to an often-cited 2017 analysis of Nielsen data by the University of Connecticut's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health. Of this, over 80% promoted fast food, sugary drinks, candy, and unhealthy snacks.

 

“The Trump administration is looking into possible limits on junk food ads for children, according to a strategy report released by the Make America Healthy Again Commission last year,” according to Seeking Alpha. 

 

The HHS and Federal Trade Commission, along with other relevant agencies, will explore the development of potential industry guidelines to limit the direct marketing of certain unhealthy foods to children, including by evaluating the use of misleading claims and imagery, according to the report.

 

Kennedy has been pushing food makers to remove petroleum-based dyes by the end of 2026. He also has actively pushed to restrict the types of foods allowed under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to exclude items considered unhealthy, such as soda and candy. 

 

Last month, Kennedy chose Florida to roll out a new health initiative aimed at overhauling hospital food.

 

“Having revamped the food pyramid and pushed state food assistance programs to restrict soda and other processed foods, Kennedy has turned his sights on U.S. hospitals, arguing that providing healthy food to patients can aid healing and reduce readmissions,” according to Politico. “And the announcement taking place in Florida is another signal of the state’s continued alignment with MAHA movement priorities being heralded by the Trump administration.”

 

The U.S. is not the only country aiming to legislate wellness. 

 

The U.K. Parliament just yesterday approved a law that bans the supply or sale of tobacco products to anyone born in 2009 or after, permanently.

 

“The bill applies to people currently 17 years old or younger and aims to keep them from ever picking up the habit in their lifetime,” according to The New York Times. “The proposal is expected to soon go into law after the final formality of approval by King Charles III.”

17452: Taking The Air Out Of Nike…?

Glossy reported how certain shoe brands sought to capitalize on the Nike Boston Marathon stumble.

 

Not convinced leveraging a competitor’s cultural cluelessness creates a strong strategic platform.

 

A more appropriate response might be walking the high road. Or just walking away.

 

Nike’s marathon billboard backlash inspires new Asics and Ecco campaigns

 

By Zofia Zwieglinska

 

Following Nike’s Boston Marathon backlash, competitors jumped on the opportunity to define “movement” on their own terms, beyond the marathon run.

 

In the days leading up to Monday’s Boston Marathon, Nike installed a series of signs near its Newbury Street store, including one that read, “Runners welcome, walkers tolerated.” The message drew immediate criticism online, with runners calling out the wording as exclusionary, particularly given how common it is for participants at all levels to walk parts of a marathon.

 

On April 17, Nike removed the sign. In a statement released the same day, the company said, “We want more people to feel welcome in running—no matter their pace, experience, or the distance. During race week in Boston, we put up a series of signs to encourage runners. One of them missed the mark. We took it down, and we’ll use this moment to do better and continue showing up for all runners.”

 

The response from competitors in the running space was swift. Japanese running shoe brand Asics installed its own messaging in Boston over race weekend, with a billboard reading, “Runners. Walkers. All Welcome,” alongside the line, “Move your body, move your mind.” The phrasing echoed the brand’s broader campaign, which emphasizes the mental benefits of movement alongside physical performance, but its timing positioned it as a direct counterpoint to Nike’s misstep.

 

Danish shoe brand Ecco, meanwhile, used the moment to introduce a longer-term change in how it talks about movement.

 

Over the marathon weekend, in Boston, the brand launched “Walk Your Walk,” a global campaign centered on everyday movement, rather than performance sport. The campaign is anchored by the line, “No run intended. Walk your walk,” and positions walking as a primary use case rather than a secondary one.

 

Ecco’s global CMO, Ezra Martin, said the timing was not coincidental, though the brand’s aim was not to directly criticize Nike’s billboard.

 

“We always pay attention to what’s happening in culture,” Martin told Glossy. “We all saw what other brands were doing and saying in the space. Walking became sort of the centerpiece of the cultural lexicon in that moment in time, which made it a natural platform for us to have a point of view.”

 

Walking has become more culturally relevant in recent years, driven in part by trends like “hot girl walks,” coined on TikTok during the pandemic, and the wider move away from high-intensity workout culture and looksmaxing. At the same time, analysts including Circana have pointed to growing demand for comfort-led, everyday footwear, as shoppers look for products that fit into daily routines and a softer approach to fitness rather than just peak performance moments. 

 

“Walking is becoming a symbol of accessible well-being,” Martin said, pointing to its physical, mental and social benefits. According to the National Library of Medicine, walking 9,000–10,000 steps a day can cut mortality risk by about 40% and cardiovascular disease by more than 20%, while even 10–30 minutes of brisk walking daily supports heart health, mental well-being and longevity. “Consumers are prioritizing longevity and quality of life,” said Martin.

 

The campaign also marks a new approach to brand building for Ecco.

 

“This marks a very purposeful movement into more of a brand-led conversation,” Martin said. “We want to build upper-funnel brand equity and not just do very product-led storytelling.”

 

Early signals suggest the message is resonating. “We saw record numbers of traffic hitting our site,” Martin said. “It showed that people were going beyond just liking something. They were sharing it, saving it, visiting the website and making a purchase.” The launch post has generated more than 123,000 likes on social, according to the brand, and driven a surge in engagement. The brand has 658,000 followers on Instagram.

 

On the ground in Boston, Ecco paired the campaign with light-touch activations, including product-trial moments. 

 

“People really connected with the simplicity and inclusivity of the message,” Martin said. “The magic in our shoes is that the technology is invisible — we don’t have visible airbags or exaggerated outsoles like a Hoka, where you look at the shoe and immediately think it’s comfortable. Ours looks like a well-designed shoe, so the best way to understand it is to actually try it on.”