A MultiCultClassics visitor spotted “Cadillac Cancels Neo-Nazi Ad After Online Outrage” at Gizmodo. The luxury car brand took heat over a casting call for a Cadillac commercial that sought fill a “neo-Nazi” role. Cadillac responded to the public protest as follows:
Cadillac did not authorize or approve a casting notice for an “alt-right (neo-nazi)” role in a commercial. We unequivocally condemn the notice and are seeking immediate answers from our creative agency, production company and any casting companies involved.
According to the Gizmodo report, the casting company became the initial scapegoat, immediately firing an allegedly rogue employee and also blaming an “outside third party” for further altering the specs. Really? When has a casting company ever initiated a call without direct instructions from an advertising agency? The casting company will probably declare, “Sorry, we misinterpreted what the White advertising agency—Publicis Worldwide—originally requested. They were actually seeking a neo-Yahtzee enthusiast. Our bad.”
Interestingly enough, Cadillac Chief Marketing Officer Uwe Ellinghaus is of German descent. So maybe there was some subliminal intent. Plus, according to the casting specs, Publicis Worldwide was looking for neo-Nazis of all ethnicities. This is in keeping with the White advertising agency’s faux commitment to diversity; that is, Publicis publicly professes a dedication to inclusiveness—while privately maintaining an Aryan Race-like workforce.
A week or two after this happened, it's interesting to see how far everyone involved went to bury any hint of the agency and agency leaders responsible.
ReplyDeleteIt makes it seem as if General Motors didn't want to ruin the advertising careers of any of the white people that caused this.
I wonder why they broke out the hush-hush kid gloves on this account and issue in particular.