17581: Appealing To Black Consumers One Month—And One Holiday—At A Time.

 

Adweek interviewed The Gathering Spot Co-Founder Ryan Wilson, who was closing out Black Business Month and reflecting on brands appealing to Black audiences.

“The biggest mistake is treating Black businesses and Black consumers as a moment on the calendar instead of an important part of the economy and culture every day of the year,” Wilson opined. “Black Business Month can be a great catalyst for attention, but the goal should be to build relationships that extend well beyond August.”

There’s not much new to Wilson’s words, in terms of pointing out brands’ cultural cluelessness and dismal DEIBA+ dedication.

Black History Month, Black Music Month, Black Business Month, Juneteenth, and Kwanzaa are combining to create opportunities to collect crumbs all year long.

Just need nine more months of Black celebrations to complete the calendar.

Ryan Wilson On Why Many Brands Still Don’t Know How to Appeal to Black Consumers

“Manufacturing authenticity” will never capture the community’s $2.1 trillion in spending power

By Robert Klara

A recent study by the Brookings Institution found that Black-owned employer businesses have blown past the 200,000 mark for the first time ever, collectively accounting for 1.8 million jobs and $249 billion in revenue. 

But the growth comes despite persistent challenges. According to data firm WifiTalents, Black entrepreneurs start off with a third less capital than their white counterparts, receive just 1% of venture-capital funding, and often cite lack of mentorship as a growth impediment.

Few understand these dynamics better than Ryan Wilson. In 2019, the Atlanta native recognized the need for a club where Black entrepreneurs could convene, co-work, and make professional connections. Today, The Gathering Spot is an Atlanta institution “where business deals are made, ventures financed, and community initiatives take hold,” according to Black Enterprise.

Brandweek, ADWEEK’s three-day marketing summit, will host an evening social at RETREAT, The Gathering Spot’s rooftop venue, from 7:00 -10:00 p.m. on September 15. In advance of the function, we sat down with Wilson to talk about Black businesses, the Black dollar, and what major brands frequently get wrong about both.

ADWEEK: We’re wrapping up Black Business Month, when it’s common for major retailers and credit cards to spotlight Black-owned businesses and encourage people to shop with them. Do you have any thoughts on why these brands don’t encourage support of Black-owned businesses all year long? Are they missing an opportunity because they don’t?

RYAN WILSON: The biggest mistake is treating Black businesses and Black consumers as a moment on the calendar instead of an important part of the economy and culture every day of the year.

Black Business Month can be a great catalyst for attention, but the goal should be to build relationships that extend well beyond August. If a company only engages Black-owned businesses when there is a campaign or cultural moment attached to it, that engagement can start to feel transactional rather than authentic.

Yes, I think brands are absolutely missing an opportunity when they take that approach. Supporting Black-owned businesses isn’t simply a social-impact strategy; it can also be a smart business strategy. These businesses are creating products, employing people, building communities, and shaping culture. The brands that understand that will build deeper relationships and, ultimately, greater trust.

Why did you see a need for a networking hub like the Gathering Spot, and have you seen success stories emerge from it that have validated the concept?

When we started The Gathering Spot, we believed there was a need for a different kind of community. Traditional networking can be very transactional: you meet someone, exchange information, and hope something happens afterward. We wanted to build a place where connection was part of the infrastructure: a creative could sit next to an attorney, an entrepreneur could meet an investor, or someone with an idea could meet the person who helps turn it into something real.

One of the clearest validations has been watching that idea grow beyond a single clubhouse in Atlanta. We expanded physically to Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles and built membership communities in cities including New York, Detroit, Charlotte, Houston, and Chicago. 

There are countless individual relationships and collaborations that have come from people meeting at The Gathering Spot, but what validates the original vision most for me is that people continue to see value in intentionally being in community with one another.

According to 2025 Nielsen data, the U.S. Black community packs $2.1 trillion in spending power. Brands obviously know that on some level, and yet we still see examples of marketing that fails to reach that community effectively—and sometimes offends them. What do brand marketers misunderstand or consistently get wrong about Black consumers?

One of the biggest mistakes is trying to manufacture authenticity at the end of the process.

You can’t develop a campaign without meaningful Black perspectives in the room and then add cultural references at the end and expect that to create an authentic connection. Representation has to exist upstream. Who is helping develop the strategy? Who has decision-making authority? Who are your partners? Who are you listening to before the campaign ever reaches the public?

At The Gathering Spot, we’ve seen firsthand how powerful it can be when people are invited into genuine community rather than simply marketed to. The same principle applies to brands. If your first meaningful conversation with Black consumers happens when you’re trying to sell them something, you’ve probably started too late.

The companies that will get this right are the ones that approach the Black community with curiosity, consistency, and respect—not simply because of the size of its spending power, but because Black consumers are helping shape culture, entrepreneurship, and the broader marketplace every day.

17580: Outraged Public’s Not Clowning Around With Target.

 

People reported Target took heat for hyping a racist Halloween costume (depicted above).

It’s not the first time trick-or-treating at Target touched off trouble. It’s also not the first time “Black guests” have been personally and/or professionally disrespected by the mega-retailer.

Given Target was among the first to diminish DEIBA+ initiatives in recent times, the latest Halloween scandal is, well, scary.

Target Pulls Clown Halloween Costume After Backlash, Says ‘We Got This Wrong’ in Apology Note

The costume was called out on social media for being racially insensitive

By Madison E. Goldberg

 

Target has removed a clown Halloween costume following criticisms that it evoked blackface, minstrel shows and racist imagery.

 

“An apology from us: We removed an offensive Halloween costume that should never have been part of our assortment,” Target wrote in a statement shared on social media on Monday, Aug. 24. “It is no longer for sale. As a company, we got this wrong, and we are deeply sorry.”

 

“We know this is especially hurtful for our Black guests, team members and partners,” the statement from Target continued. “Removing the costume is an important first step, and we are looking closely at how this happened and what needs to change to ensure this won’t happen again.”

 

In photos of the now-deleted costume, sold as “Kids’ Glows under Blacklight Circus Clown,” a young Black boy modeled the outfit, which featured a black-and-orange printed bodysuit and hood with an exaggerated smile and mini top hat.

 

The model’s pose, in which he stands with one leg and arm raised in a waving gesture, particularly sparked criticism for its affiliation with Jim Crow-era negative depictions of Black people, according to The Cut.

 

“Target, for real? I’m not surprised, but this is a new low,” comedian LaTrez Anderson said in a now-deleted Instagram Reel about the costume, per the outlet.

 

“The amount of people this costume had to go through to get approved says A. LOT. WHAT YEAR IS IT!?” an Instagram user commented on Target’s apology post.

 

Blackface is defined as “dark makeup worn to mimic the appearance of a Black person and especially to mock or ridicule Black people,” according to Merriam-Webster. The use of blackface in the U.S. was initially recorded through “minstrel shows,” in which white performers would wear blackface and mock Black people based on negative stereotypes, according to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

 

The Halloween costume controversy comes nearly a year after Target rolled back Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Target CEO Brian Cornell later stepped down after 11 years with the company, it announced in August 2025. Target has faced consumer boycotts since early last year due to the DEI cuts, PEOPLE previously reported.

 

Anne and Lucy Dayton, the daughters of one of Target’s co-founders, called the company’s actions “a betrayal” at the time, CNN previously reported.

17579: New CMO Means WPP = Wendy’s Potentially Packing…?

 

Advertising Age reported Wendy’s hired a new Chief Marketing Officer—who just happens to be a former Mickey D’s CMO—to orchestrate a brand turnaround.

Um, hoping to emulate the Golden Arches is hardly a McRoad to success, as even struggling Ronald McDonald would admit.

If the new CMO takes a standard approach—i.e., launches an account review including former cronies and co-conspirators—it might mean trouble for longtime incumbent White advertising agency VML. The potential snowball effect could adversely impact WPP Creative, WPP Production, WPP Media, and the entire single White operating company.

In short, lots of WPP drones might lose their lunch—and be forced to seek employment as Wendy’s or Mickey D’s crew members.

Wendy’s hires former McDonald’s CMO Tariq Hassan

By Erika Wheless

Tariq Hassan, the former chief marketing and customer experience officer for McDonald’s U.S., is now Wendy’s chief marketing and customer growth officer, Wendy’s announced today.

Hassan, who joined the burger chain effective immediately, replaces Lindsay Radkoski, who has served as Wendy’s U.S. chief marketing officer since 2024. Radkoski will depart after a transition period over the coming weeks, ending a nearly 15-year career with the brand, Wendy’s stated.

Hassan’s appointment comes as part of Wendy’s ongoing “Project Fresh” turnaround, which was announced in November. The revitalization strategy started with looking at customer data to better inform marketing. Wendy’s has had a hard time winning back customers—its same-restaurant sales have continued to fall, down 7.8% in the first quarter of this year and 7% in the second quarter. In April, the chain awarded its U.S. media business to WPP Media to more efficiently work with the fast-feeder’s longtime creative partner, VML.

“My focus will be on reigniting that passionate connection with our brand to show up more powerfully in every experience, everywhere our fans meet us,” Hassan said in a statement regarding his new role.

Under Hassan, McDonald’s marketing mined so-called “fan truths” about the brand to help inform campaigns, including its celebrity meals, adult Happy Meals, the Grimace Birthday Meal and manga-inspired “WcDonald’s” campaign, all by Wieden+Kennedy New York. He left McDonald’s in early 2025 and was replaced by Alyssa Buetikofer, the former chief marketing officer of McDonald’s Canada.

17578: Another Perspective On Whistleblowers In Adland.

MediaPost published a perspective on the WPP whistleblower lawsuit that made one significant point:

Don’t rely on agency self-reporting. Demand log-level data for programmatic buys and contractually insist on third-party audits for all barter or non-transparent arrangements. If an agency claims an inventory pool isn’t auditable, treat that as a red flag.

This notion could be directly applied to the history of DEIBA+ in Adland.

That is, White advertising agencies cannot be trusted with self-reporting, as firms often inflated representation figures by counting minority employees like janitorial maintenance, security, and cafeteria workers.

Additionally, White advertising agencies cannot be trusted with self-regulation, as firms routinely engage in performative propaganda, heat shields, and delegating diversity.

Alas, no one ever succeeded in demanding third-party audits—or disputing White advertising agencies’ classic excuses for non-compliance, lack of commitment, and absence of accountability. Forget red flags—White flags are the weapon of choice.

BTW iconic DEIBA+ whistleblowers in Adland were never able to pursue a $100 million lawsuit.

The WPP scenario exposes schemes involving media, which mirrors Adland’s duplicity involving minorities.

The Foster Whistleblower Case: How Holdco Culture Enabled WPP’s $350M Mess

By Maarten Albarda, Featured Contributor

It has been a week of legal fireworks, relevant to day-to-day marketing management. No, I am not (yet) commenting on the federal trial brought by 29 U.S. states accusing Meta of designing manipulative features that addict children and harm teen mental health on Facebook and Instagram. That trial is underway in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in Oakland.

I am talking about Richard Foster’s $100 million wrongful termination and retaliation lawsuit against WPP, playing out in the Supreme Court of the State of New York.

The latest legal filings in this suit against WPP make for grim reading. Internal audit details from Sony allege undisclosed markups, shell brokers used as financial warehouses, and missing rebates disguised as principal media buying in China.

To understand the scope, let’s understand what happened. A 2023 Chinese government probe into GroupM (now WPP Media) executives over kickbacks led to criminal convictions. And now we learn that a Sony investigation alleges that WPP used 47 shell brokers to improperly retain $350 million in client rebates in 2024 alone. GroupM allegedly passed off proprietary media deals to launder those funds into corporate profit while pitching artificial “80% discounts” to clients.

I don’t think you can hold WPP corporate fully responsible for the rogue mechanics of a local scam. The individuals in China clearly acted for their own personal enrichment in a market where opacity is sadly often standard procedure.

Still, WPP corporate does not get off scot-free. It clearly missed the mark in governance. By aggressively pushing principal media trading across its network to juice corporate margins, WPP’s leadership set the tone at the top. They created an environment where local executives were guided into pursuing principal media income to bolster agency performance (and with that, their personal performance score).

If I were a juror on the Foster case, I’d view the Sony findings as a crucial signal. They show WPP built a culture where principal-beneficial buying was incentivized, leaving the back door wide open for local leadership to take it to extreme levels.

Which raises the question every marketer should ask: How many other “Chinas” exist in agency holding company networks? And why did it take a client audit by Sony to expose this?

It’s fair to say (again) that marketers should stop treating principal media as a harmless discount. When your agency buys inventory upfront and resells it to you, they aren’t your fiduciary agent anymore. They’re a vendor selling goods they own. If you don’t know the exact markup, you’re funding their profit margins (and executive bonuses).

To prevent this from happening, you should require explicit opt-outs for proprietary or non-transparent media, unless your C-suite approves a written business case. Demand clear visibility into media flowcharts and mandate proof-of-performance data down to a detailed performance level (and compare/contrast that against “normal” performance for “normal” paid media buys).

Don’t rely on agency self-reporting. Demand log-level data for programmatic buys and contractually insist on third-party audits for all barter or non-transparent arrangements. If an agency claims an inventory pool isn’t auditable, treat that as a red flag.

The agency model is shifting. Agencies need profit, but you need transparency. Set the rules in your contract now, or your media dollars will end up paying someone else’s bonus. 

17577: On Blowback For WPP Whistleblower Lawsuit.

  

MediaPost reported WPP made good on its promise to refile an updated motion to dismiss the whistleblower lawsuit.

Corporations typically decline from openly discussing pending legal disputes, yet the updated motion—which WPP surely knew would undergo online examination by news outlets—presented the single White operating company an opportunity to take its argument to the court of public opinion.

WPP is seeking to seal an investigation by Sony Pictures alleging WPP Media—i.e., the former GroupM firm—engaged in global improprieties involving rebates.

The motion states, “The fact that Sony has never publicly disclosed this information, and Plaintiff’s refusal to name his source, strongly indicates that he obtained the information by improper means.”  

Um, doesn’t that fall under the definition of a whistleblower—to access insider information to expose wrongdoing?

In a court of law, sealing such data from the proceedings might be a legitimate tactic.

In the court of public opinion—and coming from a single White operating company boasting to be “the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands” and whose CEO consistently stresses the word trust—it’s just bad optics.

WPP Demands Court Seal Foster’s Sony Probe Details

By Steve McClellan

Last week former GroupM executive Richard Foster filed an amended complaint in his wrongful termination lawsuit against WPP that alleges he was dismissed illegally for exposing the company’s improper withholding and use of rebates that belonged to clients.  

In the amended complaint, filed in New York State Supreme Court, Foster detailed a separate (and up to that point not publicly disclosed) investigation by WPP client Sony Pictures that Foster said supported his own claims about the firm’s illicit handling of rebates. According to Foster, that probe found that in 2023 in China WPP returned approximately $110 million in rebates to clients while it wrongfully retained $350 million in discounts from sellers. Foster asserted that WPP engaged in similar practices in other countries. 

Yesterday WPP filed court papers demanding that all of Foster’s references to the Sony probe be sealed, arguing that the investigation was confidential and that Foster’s refusal to state how he obtained the report suggests that he may have done so illegally.  

“The fact that Sony has never publicly disclosed this information, and Plaintiff’s refusal to name his source, strongly indicates that he obtained the information by improper means,” WPP stated in its motion.  

The firm also cited a nondisclosure agreement that Foster had signed prohibiting him from disclosing confidential information related to his employment at the company. 

Foster’s amended complaint also alleged that executives within the company agreed with him that GroupM/WPP Media’s rebate policies were in some cases illegal and unsustainable. Those executives, per the complaint, included Nicola McCormick, general counsel at WPP, who previously was general counsel at GroupM.  

In its motion this week, WPP also demanded that references to conversations Foster had with McCormick as outlined in his complaint also be sealed.  

WPP argued that those discussions “are obviously protected by the attorney-client privilege. Even the most junior practitioner knows that that privilege belongs to Defendants; it was not Plaintiff’s to waive.” 

Nevertheless, WPP added, Foster “violated the privilege to prejudice and disadvantage Defendants in these proceedings. The addition of salacious, muckraking allegations and disclosure of highly sensitive and/or privileged information in the Amended Complaint cannot change the brutal truth: Plaintiff is not and never has been a whistleblower, and this entire lawsuit is nothing more than a disgruntled employee’s naked attempt to leverage an exorbitant payout.” Foster is seeking $100 million in damages. 

WPP said it would “address the deficiencies” in Foster’s amended complaint in a forthcoming motion to dismiss the case. 

“In the meantime,” WPP added, “Defendants’ and their clients’ privileged and confidential information remains on the public docket. This information must be sealed to prevent further prejudice to Defendants and harm to nonparties who have nothing to do with this Action.”  

17576: Does Coca-Cola & WPP Open X Create An Exclusive Hilltop?

   

More About Advertising panned a Coca-Cola advertisement created by WPP Open X featuring a Muslim family and Cat Stevens (aka Yusuf Islam) soundtrack.

The work demonstrates WPP Open X is consistently capable of generating lame creative—and probably preventing multicultural marketing practitioners from gaining opportunities to collect crumbs.

MAA Ad of the week: Coca-Cola from WPP Open X

By Stephen Foster

Coca-Cola is, or should be, the gold standard for advertising although every so often it slips off its perch. Its most famous efforts have encapsulated Americana in a way that would make even Donald Trump blush, “I’d like to teach the world to sing.”

Now, with WPP Open X, (have to make sure you don’t close the gap with the X) it’s gone well and truly global, Cat Stevens, alias Yusuf Islam, on vocals and a clearly Muslim family sitting down to enjoy dinner and with a gallon or so of Coke. Doesn’t look right somehow.

But where’s the magic, that sprinkling of stardust that got “I’d like to teach…” into cynical old Don Draper’s head? Too many boxes to tick maybe.

17575: Help Wanted—Human Heat Shields.

 

This actual job listing seeks a partner for an executive search firm specializing in DEIBA+ candidates.

The base salary is $175k; plus, incentives could escalate income to greater than $750k annually.

Given the current anti-DEIBA+ vibe—especially in the US—it seems like a dead-end role. Yet the posting quickly lured over 100 Human Heat Shield applicants.

Probably lots of former Chief Diversity Officers from White advertising agencies.