14208: Account Reviews Reviewed.

MediaPost reported on a study showing nearly a third of creative and media account reviews lead to consolidating the work at White advertising agencies and White media shops within the same holding company. Duh. Shuttling business from one White sister firm to another and awarding assignments sans a formal review are other holding company by-products that have ultimately commoditized the industry. As MultiCultClassics has repeatedly pointed out, in today’s adland, Goodby Silverstein & Partners is of equal value to Fathom Communications. There are no discernible differences between WPP, IPG, Omnicom, Publicis Groupe, etc. It could be argued that the holding company model has perpetuated exclusivity too. Simply view the photo above featuring current and former holding company honchos—and realize the former honchos were replaced by fresh White men. Hell, Sorrell was replaced by two White men. Even the alleged leaders are interchangeable clones. So it’s easy for clients to simply dump all of their business into any generic trash can holding company.

Study Finds Nearly A Third Of Reviews Consolidate Creative/Media In Same Holding Co.

By Joe Mandese

In what appears to be a first-of-its-kind study, advertising account review tracker Comvergence analyzed two years of reviews involving both creative and media assignments and found that nearly a third were consolidated at agencies in the same agency holding company.

The study, which examined reviews assigned between April 2016 and May 2018, found 72 involved both creative and media, and 21—or 29.2%—were awarded to agencies operating inside the same holding company.

Among holding companies, WPP and Interpublic were the two greatest beneficiaries, with seven and six marketers, respectively, consolidating both creative and media.

Publicis had four such consolidations, Omnicom had three and Dentsu and Havas each had one.

14207: Different Days.

Adweek reported Netflix assembled 47 Black creators and actors to recreate the historic photograph titled, “A Great Day in Harlem.” The image is a sharp contrast to the photo of Omnicom being named Cannes Lions 2018 Holding Company of the Year.

Netflix Recreated a Historic Photo to Showcase the Diversity and Creativity of Black Creators

Featuring Ava DuVernay, Spike Lee, Lena Waithe and more

By Katie Richards

Netflix dropped an empowering new campaign during tonight’s BET Awards, celebrating the diversity of its black creators and actors, and championing all of the incredible creativity that each actor, director or producer has shared with the world.

The streaming service’s latest campaign, “A Great Day in Hollywood,” includes a 60-second TV spot directed by Lacey Duke and an incredible photograph by Kwaku Alston featuring 47 black creators and actors who work with Netflix on more than 20 different productions.

Stranger Things actor Caleb McLaughlin narrates the spot, and alludes to the versatility of black creativity and the limitless roles that members of the African-American community can both create and play.

“We’re not a genre because there’s no one way to be black,” McLaughlin says in the ad. “We’re writing while black. Nuanced and complex. Resilient and strong.”

Shooting the spot “was a pretty magical couple of hours,” director Lacey Duke said in a statement. “All these amazingly talented, beautiful individuals in one space being supportive and just looking stunning together, all here to pull off this one take wonder!”

The portrait (see above) is modeled after an historic, black and white photograph, titled “A Great Day in Harlem,” that dates back to 1958. That image was taken in front of a Harlem brownstone and features 57 black jazz musicians, including Lester Young, Buck Clayton and Coleman Hawkins.

Over the years, others have created their own homages to “A Great Day in Harlem,” including XXL magazine’s “A Great Day in Hip Hop” portrait from 1998 and a 2008 rendition called “A Great Day in Paris.”

Last year Netflix ran a similar message of black empowerment during the BET Awards, with the “It’s About Time” campaign. That 60-second ad featured clips of black actors from Netflix shows including Master of None and Orange is the New Black. This new ad drops just a few days after Netflix announced it had fired its chief communication officer, Jonathan Friedland, for using racial slurs.

Here is the full list of talent featured in Netflix’s “A Great Day in Hollywood” campaign:

14206: Cannes Cons XI.

Advertising Age published a blurb on the HP- and Omnicom-sponsored Cannes Lions event titled: “Diversity—a Values Issue and Business Imperative—Requires Bold Action,” starring HP CMO Antonio Lucio, Omnicom SVP CDO Tiffany R. Warren, British Vogue Editor-in-Chief Edward Enninful and British Actress Thandie Newton. Can’t help but think this panel had an ADCOLOR® scent; that is, feature the usual suspects (Lucio and Warren) and sprinkle in celebrities to spike audience interest. When discussing the alleged progress being made in adland, Warren remarked, “I’m not happy. I’m content, but not happy.” It’s difficult to accurately comment on the happenings at Cannes without having attended, and the reporting has been uneven and likely uninformed. So this blog will forgo contemplating Warren’s contented unhappiness. But it is worth noting how Warren had earlier claimed her focus for the year would be on intersectionality. IPG SVP Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Heide Gardner also claimed her company started talking about intersectionality last year, and continued the conversation at the IPG annual breakfast this year. Um, are Warren and Gardner really qualified, willing and able to effectively present the topic—and is Cannes the best environment to host the discussion? If addressing intersectionality is truly imperative, then Halle Berry, Thandie Newton and Gloria Steinem should have been replaced with Kimberlé Crenshaw, Brittney Cooper and Latoya Peterson. Seems like the subject matter is too complex—and too important—for sound bites over breakfast. Sorry, but HP, Omnicom and IPG are too polite, political and patronizing to legitimately tackle intersectionality. Hell, they can’t even legitimately tackle diversity.

Diversity (to be continued)

By Ad Age Staff

The persistent lack of inclusion in advertising and marketing can make panels about diversity sometimes rueful or even painful, but the long line for Tuesday’s session on the subject at least demonstrated continued interest.

The actress Thandie Newton of “Westworld” and “Solo: A Star Wars Story” was clearly part of the draw, but the audience clapped enthusiastically for the other panelists as well, at their introduction and at points throughout: Edward Enninful, editor-in-chief at British Vogue; Tiffany R. Warren, senior VP and chief diversity officer at Omnicom Group; and HP Chief Marketing Officer Antonio Lucio, who has been pushing agencies to diversify their teams on HP’s account.

There is actual progress to celebrate, the panelists said. “I’ve seen 3 decades of change,” Newton said. “When I started out it was me, Halle Berry and Naomi Campbell who I would see often at casting calls. In the end it’s about demand.”

But Warren said she isn’t in any danger of succeeding her way out of a job. “I’m not happy,” she said. “I’m content, but not happy.”

Too often people rely on individuals to make change, Warren added. “Progress is made when every single person sort of stands up and says ‘I’m going to do my part.’”

“We’re all doing our best,” Enninful said, citing his project to depict a wide variety of people in his magazine, “but it will never be enough.”

14205: No-Bull Rodeo Star.

Texas Monthly spotlighted The Jackie Robinson of Rodeo in a lengthy write-up.

14204: Cannes Cons X.

A MultiCultClassics visitor pointed to a tweet (depicted above) from Free The Bid, celebrating the second annual gathering of Lionesses at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. It seems to be a pretty exclusive collection of cats. Are there no more Black panthers available?

Meanwhile, Adweek spotlighted another PR moment featuring Free The Bid, presenting additional imagery (depicted below) that appears to lack true diversity.

No offense to Free The Bid, but divertsity directs the focus away from true diversity—and it allows advertisers and White advertising agencies to prop themselves up as progressive while ignoring the bigger problems. The organization’s latest mantra reads, “Creativity is genderless, but opportunity is not.” Okay, but in adland, creativity is culturally clueless. It would be helpful to see a further breakdown of figures for female directors versus directors of color. Or even female directors versus female directors of color. Free the Facts.

After P&G and Publicis’ Support at Cannes, Free the Bid Worked With Twitter to Highlight Female Directors

‘Creativity is genderless, but opportunity is not’

By Kristina Monllos, Patrick Coffee

CANNES, France—Procter & Gamble, the world’s largest advertiser, plans to invest in nonprofit Free the Bid with HP and Publicis so that the companies can help double the number of directors and broaden the effort to 20 more countries in the next three years. That announcement could significantly change what the industry is like for female directors—and that was just one of the initiatives Free the Bid pushed to make sure female directors were seen and heard during the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity.

To combat the lack of women directors featured on panels, the group reached out to Twitter to see if the company would host a gathering at Twitter Beach on Thursday morning. After a quick yes from Twitter CMO Leslie Berland, who had already used the beach to give female voices—including actress Kerry Washington—a platform with #HereWeAre, the team was able to set up a space to celebrate female directors at Cannes.

“We created #HereWeAre to elevate and amplify women’s voices especially in industries where they’re not often enough seen, heard or recognized,” said Berland. “The #HereWeAre conversation ignited in January and grew organically. We recently held events in Canada and now here at Cannes, building on the momentum. We will continue to spotlight women who are both in front of the camera and behind, across industries and walks of life. We’re all in this together.”

Adweek caught up with Free the Bid executive director Emma Reeves at the event to learn more about the P&G support, what the nonprofit has accomplished with HP and its goals for the year ahead.

This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Adweek: What does the HP and P&G support do for Free the Bid?

Emma Reeves: That will open so many doors to other brands and, beyond that, to all their agencies. We will be strategically growing globally as part of our pledge to work with brands that produce globally, to find women in all corners of the world who will be able to compete and bid actively for commercial work. That’s our commitment—we want women to have a voice everywhere, and where there are fewer women available we will focus on those areas and mentor, educate and bring women up so they can also have a voice. Lucio, as someone who’s been committed for a year and a half, made very clear that diversity is better for business across the board.

What does that mean?

Specifically, he announced that, because of his commitment to Free the Bid, and because of all the agencies he works with were really monitored … [the company] got better and better at including women. He went from zero percent of his directors being women on his commercials prior to November 2016 [to having] from November 16 to May 18 [of this year] paid for 53 commercials, 59 percent of which were directed by women. He did not set a quota. This was a fair competition. Given that 85 percent of consumer decisions are made by women, you will make better marketing decisions when speaking to them.

That’s such a dramatic change.

That’s where we are; with advocates like that, we’re in a really good position for big expansion. Already we’ve had several brands emailing us since I’ve been here with Pritchard and Lucio, who are leading the way. Leslie Berland from Twitter has been involved for quite some time. We are grateful to be hosted here today [by Twitter].

Because women are so underrepresented in Cannes, I only now started to realize how many women directors are here. They are not visible. They are not being invited to present on the stages. I decided that I would start figuring out how many were here. More came forward, and our network was so strong that more women were able to turn up today at an event that Twitter has very graciously hosted at short notice. I can’t even count how many women are now in the photos.

Why do you think women—specifically female directors—aren’t represented at Cannes?

It’s part of the systemic bias in the industry … we hope more women are going to start winning the jobs and the awards. … It’s about the creativity and the quality of the work. … but it’s not really a level playing field. Creativity is genderless, but opportunity is not.

Winning an award doesn’t necessarily guarantee you anything. It does put a spotlight on you, but then the industry needs to step up and support that award winner. If we keep up the demand, the supply can actually survive—and the demand comes from the big brands, their agencies and their production companies. We have to systematically look at every part of the cycle.

What do you wish people understood about female directors and the importance of representation at Cannes?

There’s no unified way a man directs or a woman directs. No one wants to be thought of as a woman director. She’s simply a woman who is a director.

14203: Putting Pressure On Kids…?

Not sure what JWT in Argentina was attempting to communicate with this campaign, but the imagery is disturbing. Maybe the Philco pressure washers could have been used to douse folks like Gustavo Martinez, Duan Evans, Sir Martin Sorrell and the WPP executives attending the Presidents Club Charity Dinner.

14202: Flo, No!

Progressive is trying to be progressive with this commercial featuring an interracial couple. The idiots responsible for the casting and concept should inquire if Progressive covers acts of cultural cluelessness, as they’d be eligible to claim major benefits.

14201: Cannes Cons IX.

Advertising Age reported Omnicom was named Holding Company of the Year at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, and BBDO nabbed its seventh Network of the Year honor. Based on the accompanying photographs depicted here, neither company will win any trophies for diversity—although BBDO collected a Film Grand Prix for “The Talk,” which was part of P&G’s My Black Is Beautiful initiative. This, incidentally, underscores the major hurdle to achieving true diversity in the advertising industry. In short, when it comes to the one thing that adland values most—winning awards—there’s no evidence to show diversity would benefit anything. White men and White women have gleefully collected their Lions throughout the years without much involvement from people of color. And integrating more White women into juries won’t change the status quo. Indeed, the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity actually perpetuates the dearth of diversity, as a candidate’s awards collection often influences hiring decisions. To sum: The people who dominate the field > dominate the award show juries > dominate the award winners > dominate the candidates pool > dominate the field. It’s a vicious winners circle.

Omnicom upsets WPP’s 7-year run as Cannes Lions holding company of the year

By Ann-Christine Diaz and Megan Graham

Omnicom took the top holding company prize at the 65th Cannes Lions International Festival at the final awards ceremony Friday night, unseating WPP, which has earned the honor since it was introduced in 2011.

Omnicom had an impressive showing at this year’s festival, bolstered in part by the success of Apple, a marketer that previously had lain low from events like Cannes, but had a big presence this year, with top execs Angela Ahrendts and Tor Myrhen appearing on the main stage. TBWA/MAL helped to create much of the company’s winning work. For Apple’s “Welcome Home” short film directed by Spike Jonze and starring FKA Twitgs, it earned six honors, including a Grand Prix and multiple Golds in Film and Film Craft. The agency also created the Gold Lion-winning “Welcome to @Apple,” campaign, which marked Apple’s debut on Instagram.

BBDO contributed significantly as well, with spots like Libresse’s “Blood Normal” from AMVBBDO London and “The Talk” from P&G and BBDO New York also earning Grand Prix.

WPP took second place in 2018 while IPG ranked third.

The long-reigning WPP had a tumultuous year. Its stock price suffered the worst drop since 1999 in March after former CEO Martin Sorrell predicted a year of no growth and slashed its profit outlook. (The company did report better-than-expected results in the first quarter.) Sorrell departed the holding company in April following an internal investigation, which reportedly looked into whether he used company funds for a prostitute. Since then, questions have lingered over whether WPP will offload assets, and major clients including Ford’s creative business and HSBC’s media account have gone up for review—with that last one heading to Omnicom-owned PHD following a review.

As for other big winners, BBDO earned its seventh Network of the Year honor, Ogilvy was second while DDB Worldwide ranked third.

London shops ranked favorably this year, with Agency of the Year going to Adam & Eve DDB London and AMV BBDO placing second. BBDO New York was in third place. Jung Von Matt Hamburg was this year’s top independent shop—earning the honor for the second time since 2010, when the award was introduced to the festival. Droga5 New York placed second while Wieden & Kennedy London ranked third.

MJZ, the company behind the Apple’s “Welcome Home” ad, among other spots, earned the Palme d’Or for the ninth time. The honor goes to the most awarded production shop. Revolver/Will O’Rourke Australia placed second and The Corner Shop London was third.

There was one category, however, where a WPP agency reigned supreme: Media Network of the Year.

GroupM’s MediaCom took top honors for media networks at Cannes, with work for Tesco in the U.K. winning the Grand Prix for “Excellence in Media Planning” for a campaign called “Food Love Stories,” which the agency says was the retailer’s most effective campaign ever. MediaCom worked with BBH London on the campaign with ITV Creative, Global Radio, Facebook and JCDecaux, according to a statement.

MediaCom Israel also won three Lions for its work with Prcter & Gamble’s Gillette — including for a campaign called “Babyface,” which encouraged new dads to form physical bonds with their kids by shaving their scratchy beards.

14200: False Pride.

Havas Chicago created posters and gave out free ice cream to celebrate Pride Month 2018. Can’t help but think this White advertising agency is more interested in patronizing self-promotion than progressiveness. Havas has a lot of self-pride, yet lacks self-respect.

14199: Cannes Cons VIII.

Adweek published a pre-Cannes Q&A session with IPG SVP Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Heide Gardner and Deutsch LA President Kim Getty, who droned on about diversity and divertsity, respectively. This is quite the odd couple. Gardner has served as IPG Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for nearly 15 years, while Getty’s agency dumped its Chief Diversity Officer about two years ago. Gardner tries to inject intersectionality into the global discussion, while Getty probably has no idea what the term means. The two spoke about the IPG breakfast held annually at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity featuring Tarana Burke and Gloria Steinem, which introduced more odd couples into the equation. Also on the breakfast agenda: Weber Shandwick President Gail Heimann and The New York Times General Editor Jessica Bennett, along with the unveiling of a propaganda campaign from MullenLowe for the Unstereotype Alliance. Wow, that’s a lot to digest during breakfast. It’s a safe bet the content didn’t stay with attendees much longer than the coffee and croissants consumed. Yet that won’t stop IPG from promoting the event as more evidence of its faux commitment to diversity and inclusion. Bon Appétit!

Q&A: Two Leading Adwomen Discuss IPG’s Upcoming Cannes Breakfast With #MeToo’s Tarana Burke

Kim Getty and Heide Gardner talk diversity and inclusion

By Lindsay Rittenhouse

IPG is continuing conversations around diversity and inclusion, leading the way for those on the MeToo movement to be sparked at the 2018 Lions festival by inviting a lineup of powerhouse female leaders to drive hard discussions on these topics at its eighth-annual Cannes breakfast.

This year’s program, “Women at Work,” will celebrate “sheroes” who have led the industry to change. Notable speakers will include Tarana Burke, civil rights activist and founder of the #MeToo movement; Gloria Steinem, writer, lecturer, political activist and feminist organizer; and The New York Times general editor Jessica Bennett, who will present research on the use of diverse imagery in media during a conversation called “You Can’t Be What You Can’t See.”

IPG chairman and CEO Michael Roth will host the breakfast with an introduction by Gail Heimann, president of the holding company’s public relations arm, Weber Shandwick. Heimann worked with Mattel to launch its line of “Shero” Barbies which featured Fencing champion Ibtihaj Muhammad, the first Muslim-American female athlete to win an Olympic medal. Muhammad will also be on the panel.

During the “Women at Work” portion, IPG will unveil a public service advertisement created by MullenLowe for the Unstereotype Alliance, a global effort aimed at diminishing stereotypes in advertising. Roth is vice chair of this movement, which was first formed in Cannes last year.

Adweek chatted on the phone with Heide Gardner, IPG’s svp and chief diversity and inclusion officer, and Deutsch L.A. president Kim Getty, who will serve as emcee for the breakfast, about #MeToo and how they plan to discuss diversity and inclusion with a global audience.

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Adweek: How are you looking to bring topics around diversity, inclusion and the #MeToo movement to a global audience?

Heide Gardner: This event is a continuation of the themes we’ve been surfacing for several years now. So last year, we started to talk about intersectionality, and this year, with Gloria Steinem and Tarana Burke, we are continuing the conversation, even about #MeToo and Time’s Up Advertising from an intersectional standpoint. This event isn’t just focused on those two movements; it’s also a platform for us to at least reinforce awareness around the Unstereotype Alliance. So I think we’ll do a good job in connecting the dots globally.

Kim Getty: The #MeToo movement is a global movement. Women in over 85 countries are using that hashtag, so we do anticipate global connections to the idea.

But surely every country has their differences when it comes to stereotypes and these types of issues. Are there any challenges you face in approaching them on a global scale?

Gardner: The challenge that we have is putting on that lens and maintaining an awareness that there is no monolithic women’s experience; there is no monolithic men’s experience. This is a continuing theme. We use our breakfast and forums as platforms to keep reminding the industry that we can’t just see things through a U.S./U.K. white-male-centric point of view.

Is it frustrating that you do have to keep having these discussions around diversity?

Gardner: I’ve been focusing on this for 22 years, so as you can imagine [laughs], there are times when you wonder why we’re constantly having this conversation and repeating this message. Then I think about what it is that we do as marketers. We’re constantly having to repeat messages.

Having said that, the industry, I believe, is at a pivotal moment where we have more momentum. We have women leaders who have stepped up and said, “Move over, everybody else.” We’re going to drive the train not just to address sexual harassment, not just for the benefit of women—we’re talking about changing agency culture so that everyone can thrive. That’s new. And in this case, Gloria Steinem has a wealth of insight, experience and understanding of how you make a movement work. So our whole intent there is, yes, you repeat the conversation, but you take it to a higher level based on informed reflection.

Getty: At our best, we’re all constantly striving to get better. That’s what Cannes should be about—making our industry better, making our agencies better, not drinking rosé. I just can’t imagine a more important area of focus than working on these issues together. That’s why I’m really excited for this breakfast and this conversation.

Gardner: I’m going to piggyback on that—we’re doing this because we’re frustrated. This is a constructive way to deal with the frustration.

Can you discuss some of the obstacles you overcame as minorities in the ad industry and how it feels presenting at such a big event for IPG at Cannes today?

Gardner: My greatest obstacle has never been being a woman. It has been being black. And my frustration—and that of many women of color in this industry—is that the agenda for inclusion and gender equality has largely ignored race and ethnicity. I am absolutely blessed that IPG’s leadership are woke to this, and work with me to use our platforms to say what needs to be said.

What do you hope young women take away from seeing you guys doing this?

Gardner: What I want young women to take away from my example is that you can and absolutely should use whatever influence you have.

Getty: I want young, talented women to feel confident shaping their workplaces and the work they create through their authentic individual lenses. It’s the biggest opportunity we have to unlock more creativity in our industry.

14198: Cannes Cons VII.

Advertising Age interviewed Sir John Hegarty at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, which the old man has been annually attending since 1989. Hegarty griped about the entries on display and stated, “Most of the print work is scam, you can tell it, you can see it a mile away. … I didn’t come here to look at somebody’s portfolio. I mean, fine, if you say to me, ‘This is the portfolio section,’ then fine I’ll go and have a look at it. But when you pretend that this is a piece of advertising that had an impact on the marketplace, forget it.” The other scams present at the exclusive event? All the executives—Hegarty included—falsely claiming to have a commitment to diversity. You can spot them a mile away.

14197: #AssumeNothing At Cannes.

A MultiCultClassics visitor pointed to a Stylist story starring Pitch Editor Sherry Collins, who attended the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity three years ago, where an executive presumed she was a prostitute. Nice. Collins launched a campaign—#AssumeNothing—after learning that other Black female creatives had experienced similar bullshit at the annual event.

Hey, if Collins were to describe the scumbag who harassed her, would the artist’s sketch look like the image below?

14196: Sci-Fi Classic.

Science Fiction Writer Octavia Butler is being honored with today’s Google Doodle. Hey, Google’s commitment to diversity qualifies as science fiction.

14195: Cannes Cons VI.

Oh look! Adweek published a blurb featuring P&G Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard:

“In the United States, if you’re not doing multicultural marketing, you’re not doing marketing,” said P&G chief brand officer Marc Pritchard during a panel discussion at the Dutch Embassy of Creativity. Pritchard noted that he’d like marketers to find a way to measure racial equality in their ads, similar to the ANA’s SeeHer movement for gender equality.

Don’t mean to sound redundant, but it’s just amazing how guys like Pritchard will promote White women by demanding quotas, calling for the end of stereotypes and throwing total support behind every pro-White-women initiative out there. Yet people of color are afterthoughts—or not thought of at all. BTW, when P&G created multicultural marketing messages in the past year, the assignments were given to White advertising agencies. And it’s a safe bet BBDO and Wieden + Kennedy weren’t working with the crumbs typically tossed at minority shops. Pritchard declared, “In the United States, if you’re not doing multicultural marketing, you’re not doing marketing.” Additionally, in the United States, if you’re not discounting, disregarding and disrespecting minority advertising agencies, you’re not doing multicultural marketing.

P.S., Is the Dutch Embassy of Creativity run by Zwarte Piet?

14194: Cannes Cons V.

Adweek reported on another divertsity display presented at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity: #WriteHerRight sponsored by the Association of National Advertisers. The new initiative is designed to erase gender stereotypes and ensure authentic depictions of women in advertising. The stunt has the support of major advertisers including AT&T, Coca-Cola, Ford, General Motors, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg, L’Oréal, PepsiCo, P&G, Verizon and Walmart. In short, #WriteHerRight is another example of lazy and biased prioritizing. That is, racial and ethnic inequality in adland is a much bigger problem than gender inequality. Yet patronizing organizations like the ANA opt to promote White women with quotas, deadlines, omnichannel programs and hearty backing from top clients. For minorities, the ANA uploads homemade videos and assembles an “army” that ultimately showed all the aggressiveness and might of The Salvation Army. The latest effort is reportedly finalizing the development of “a dedicated metric focused on the portrayal of multicultural women in storytelling”—demonstrating again how people of color take a back seat on the White women’s bandwagon. Plus, how will the “dedicated metric” record stereotypical portrayals such as Annie the Chicken Queen, the Pine-Sol Lady, the Honey Bunches of Oats Lady, Aunt Jemima, etc.?

ANA Takes Vow at Cannes to Erase Gender Stereotypes From Ads

#WriteHerRight pledge has support from major brands including P&G, PepsiCo and Walmart

By Lindsay Rittenhouse

CANNES, France—The Association of National Advertisers’ SeeHer movement, which formed in 2016 as an advocate for gender equality in ads, unveiled a new program to ensure storytellers have the means and knowledge to depict women in authentic ways, and major brands including Walmart, Microsoft and Procter & Gamble have pledged their support.

With #WriteHerRight, the ANA’s SeeHer created a platform to fuel discourse on gender inequality in storytelling with showrunners, actors and network executives—putting the issue in front of those who can facilitate change, Stephen Quinn, ANA’s SeeHer chair and former CMO of Walmart and PepsiCo, announced during a Cannes Lions presentation.

The ANA noted in a statement this initiative highlights an expanded partnership between SeeHer, content creators and media partners to drive more accurate portrayals of women in ads across all platforms. The #WriteHerRight platform will also partner with 2018 Adweek Disruptor Alma Har’el’s Free the Bid to help it place more female directors behind the camera and therefore reduce unconscious bias in storytelling, according to Quinn.

“The average age, race and body type of the women depicted in content today represent just a small fraction of the female population,” Dr. Knatokie Ford, SeeHer advisor on STEM & Entertainment Engagement, said in a statement, “That means most women and girls have likely never seen themselves reflected in the media.”

SeeHer’s research shows that unbiased ads increase return on investment by 30 percent, and 90 percent of parents have reported their number one concern with TV shows is the lack of authentic role models they see for their daughters.

As part of the #WriteHerRight outreach, SeeHer produced a “tip sheet” for storytellers featuring statistics on media representation and a list of 10 questions designed to raise awareness and diminish unconscious bias. SeeHer said the sheet was derived from a recent event the group hosted with television writers. It will be distributed to showrunners and SeeHer’s network partners.

SeeHer added that #WriteHerRight will specifically showcase TV writers who have developed strong female characters, void of stereotypes. An interactive #WriteHerRight blog will also be deployed on SeeHer’s website in the coming months to serve as a forum for writers to share their advice on how exactly to write women accurately into stories.

After the unveiling of #WriteHerRight, Quinn told Adweek during a phone conversation from Cannes that he is “excited and surprised” by the support he’s received so far today from producers, writers, showrunners and others in the media industry.

“I didn’t know what kind of reaction we would get,” Quinn said. “We thought some [critics] might be like ‘we don’t need you to tell us how to produce our content’ … which we’re not.”

In an additional statement, Quinn explained, “We are not looking to control creativity or solicit story ideas. We believe that by inviting storytellers to join our movement, we are that much closer to the day when all the images that women and girls see in the media not only mirror the real world but reflect a society they want to live in—and that is good business.”

Quinn said SeeHer measures gendered stereotypes in storytelling by rating content, including ads and TV shows, against its “Gen score” metric. He added that broadcasters, publishers, media agencies and other member organizations have “adjusted their content” based off SeeHer’s findings.

The organization is in the final stages of developing a dedicated metric focused on the portrayal of multicultural women in storytelling, as well, Quinn added.

SeeHer has the support of more than 70 sizable brands including AT&T, P&G, CVS, Coca-Cola, Kellogg, Georgia-Pacific, Ford, General Motors, Verizon, PepsiCo, L’Oréal, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, Walmart and Weight Watchers. According to the ANA, this is the first time in which U.S. advertisers have united to address the issue of gender-biased storytelling.

“At Weight Watchers, we aim to inspire healthy habits for real life, which means representing people and life authentically, reflecting diversity of the community we serve,” Gail Tifford, SeeHer co-founder and chief brand officer for Weight Watchers, said in a statement. “We believe content creators and brands are all storytellers and that the tools provided by SeeHer can move us from being aware of biases to actively making changes to be more inclusive.”

In an Adweek contributor piece, P&G chief brand officer Marc Pritchard explains his rationale for supporting SeeHer and #WriteHerRight in depth. P&G has come out with some of the best examples in recent years of ads that authentically showcase female characters including the “#LoveOverBias” iteration of “Thank You, Mom” from Wieden + Kennedy and “The Talk” from BBDO New York.

SeeHer launched in 2016 in partnership with the Female Quotient with the goal to see a 20-plus percent increase in the accurate portrayal of women and girls in ads by 2020, the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote in the U.S.

14193: Standout Stereotypes.

This campaign from India seems to rely on stereotypical gender roles while promising your child will become extraordinarily unique.

14192: Cannes Cons IV.

Adweek published a dungy divertsity dissertation from P&G Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard, calling on everyone to become creative change agents by jumping on the White women’s bandwagon. Sorry, but Pritchard is a stereotypical, culturally clueless client. And a political grandstander too, given his manifesto was unveiled during the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. The man knows that the underrepresentation of racial and ethnic minorities in adland is a far bigger problem than gender equality. Indeed, P&G requires its advertising agencies annually provide figures regarding diversity and the use of minority vendors—so Pritchard is absolutely aware of the dearth of true diversity in the field. Yet he chooses to conspire with other patronizing clients and White advertising agencies in focusing on the promotion of White women. Pritchard wrote:

Now, some may wonder, why are we still talking about gender equality? We have indeed been talking about it for years, but while it may feel like a lot is happening, the actual progress is frustratingly slow … even glacial.

Um, some may wonder, why has a global advertiser like P&G stopped talking about racial and ethnic equality (besides an occasional contrived commercial or Fill-In-The-Minority History Month print ad utilizing royalty-free stock imagery)? Why does Pritchard openly recommend quotas to boost White women, suggest 100% elimination of gender stereotypes in advertising and rally all professionals to join the cause? Where are such bold demands for people of color? Hell, P&G won’t even commit to increasing the crumbs allocated to minority advertising agencies.

For Pritchard and P&G, My Black is Beautiful—but the actual support for Blacks is downright ugly.

Marc Pritchard: Gender Equality Needs Creative Change Agents to Make Real Progress

P&G chief brand officer calls for action as a force for good and growth

By Marc Pritchard

What if we all became agents of change by using creativity to accelerate gender equality? I want to challenge us to consider this question as we gather this week at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity.

Now, some may wonder, why are we still talking about gender equality? We have indeed been talking about it for years, but while it may feel like a lot is happening, the actual progress is frustratingly slow … even glacial. For example, the ANA #SeeHer movement recently studied 40,000 ads and media programs and found that 29 percent of women are still inaccurately or negatively portrayed through some form of objectification, stereotyping or diminished character.

That is not surprising when you look behind the camera—only 32 percent of chief marketing officers are women, 33 percent of chief creative officers are women and a mere 10 percent of commercial directors are women. It is quite clear that we do not have gender equality in the creative pipeline.

And progress is slow despite evidence that business results are better when gender equality is reflected in creative work. Gender-equal ads perform 10 percent higher in trust and 26 percent higher in sales growth, according to the same ANA #SeeHer study. McKinsey estimates that closing the economic gender gap could add $28 trillion to the world’s economy—that’s a lot of purchasing power. And we’ve seen it ourselves, as some of P&G’s best performing brands have the most gender-equal campaigns: Always’ “Like a Girl,” SKII’s “Change Destiny,” Olay’s “Live Fearlessly,” as well as Tide, Ariel, Dawn and Swiffer which show men sharing the load in household chores. It’s clear that promoting gender equality is not only a force for good, it’s a force for growth.

Although good examples exist, we all know we’re not where we want to be yet. But I’m optimistic, because it feels like we’re getting close to a tipping point. We’re having different conversations about what’s right, what’s wrong, and what must change. So it’s time to come together to be agents of change, and push beyond the tipping point to achieve gender equality in the world of creativity.

Here’s a path forward.

Aspire to change

Let’s get 100 percent of advertising and media accurately portraying women and girls. To help us get there, let’s aspire to achieve equal representation between women and men behind the camera in the creative pipeline—50/50 among CMOs, CCOs and commercial directors in five years.

Join the movement

Marketers and agencies have to join the moment. Join the ANA #SeeHer movement and the UN Women Unstereotype Alliance which aim to accurately portray women and girls, and eliminate stereotypes in advertising and media content—80 companies have already joined. We all compete on innovation and creativity, but we’re all united behind a common brief to be a force for gender equality.

Build the pipeline

We simply need more women commercial directors. Take the Free The Bid pledge and level the playing field so, over time, women are hired as directors for half of ads and creative content. Alma Har’el’s team has identified several hundred directors in nine countries, with more than 100 agencies and marketers involved. Over the next three years, P&G, HP Inc. and Publicis have invested to double FreeThe Bid’s number of directors and expand to 20 countries.

Fuel the pipeline

We must champion content developed by women. P&G has joined forces with Queen Latifah, HP Inc., Smirnoff, MMC and Ketchum, United Talent Agency, Tribeca Enterprises and Wieden + Kennedy, to fuel the pipeline of women directors with The Queen Collective—greenlighting creative projects and mentoring aspiring women directors. And P&G is partnering with Katie Couric Media, Katie Couric’s new production company that will create smart, innovative and thoughtful content developed and produced by women, focused on empowering women everywhere.

Finally, share the success

Madonna Badger is joining forces with Cannes Lions to curate a “Creative Showcase” at the #SheIsEqual Summit, co-hosted by Global Citizen and P&G during UN General Assembly Week in September. This will highlight and celebrate the best work from women creatives around the world and telling their backstories for inspiration.

What if we all became agents of change? We could move past the tipping point to an equal and better world with equal representation, equal roles, equal pay and equal respect. Society would be better, and business would be stronger. So please step up, be an agent of change and be a force for good—and a force for growth.

Marc Pritchard is the chief brand officer of Procter & Gamble, the world’s largest advertiser.

14191: Cannes Cons III.

Campaign reported on David Droga opening the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity with navel-gazing that showed his cultural cluelessness exceeds his creativity. Droga shared a personal story about being subjected to cursing by an advertising agency executive while serving as a mailroom attendant. The scenario apparently provided a leadership lesson that Droga summed up as follows: “How you carry yourself and lead is how you treat people who are junior than you.” Heaven forbid Droga might also consider, “How you carry yourself and lead is how you treat people who are different than you.” Additionally, Droga touched on the expulsion of CCO Ted Royer by remarking, “For the first time, our culture has been challenged. I’ve had to look at who we are. I used to say that great work covers the cracks… but it doesn’t cover all of them.” Ironically, Royer likely got himself canned for the way he covered the cracks. But was Droga essentially saying that great work justified overlooking great misdeeds against staffers? It’s hard to believe Droga was unaware of Royer’s bad behavior. According to Campaign, Droga “cautioned creatives to not become too obsessed with their own hype.” Hey, Droga needs to become more obsessed with the factual reality of his agency and its culture versus hiding behind the hype.

David Droga: Great creative work doesn’t ‘cover the cracks’

By Brittaney Kiefer

Droga5 founder David Droga opened the Cannes Lions festival by warning creatives to not become obsessed with their own hype.

David Droga, the founder and chairman of Droga5, is one of the most celebrated creative leaders in advertising. But a few decades ago, he was just a mailroom boy being shouted at by an agency boss.

The executive cursed at the young Droga after finding out he had accepted a job as a junior copywriter at another agency. Droga says that experience taught him a valuable lesson about leadership:

“How you carry yourself and lead is how you treat people who are junior than you,” he said.

Droga, who opened the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity today, was reflecting on his career after a year when the industry has gone through its own reckoning, with issues such as diversity and the #MeToo movement taking the spotlight.

Droga’s agency has not been exempt from that; in the US, creative chief Ted Royer left after an internal investigation, and executive creative director Rick Dodds exited the London office.

“For the first time, our culture has been challenged. I’ve had to look at who we are,” Droga said. “I used to say that great work covers the cracks… but it doesn’t cover all of them.”

Droga’s words were a timely reminder at the world’s biggest advertising awards show. As the trophies get handed out this week, he cautioned creatives to not become too obsessed with their own hype.

“You can enjoy it, but don’t believe the hype,” he said.

Much of Droga’s career has been a story of never resting on his laurels, of taking risks as soon as things got comfortable. He left his first job at FCB after three months to join a start-up, explaining: “Choosing mentors over safety and security was important to me.”

When that shop merged with Omnicom, he gave up his financial stake in the company to take a job in Singapore, where he had never been. His career then took him to London and New York. Years later, he traded his prestigious role as the first-ever worldwide chief creative officer of the Publicis Network to start his own agency.

“As a creative person, you can’t bullshit yourself that you’re happy… no matter the perks,” Droga said. “If you’re not having an impact on the work, it’s not worth it.”

Droga chased his dream and his agency became one of the most successful in the world. The key, he said, was staying true to their ideals: “Every time we’ve tried to be someone we’re not, it hasn’t worked.”

Since his days in the mailroom, the advertising industry has changed enormously. But Droga said that the “purity” of what agencies do—creating ideas—has not.

As Droga arrived in Cannes this weekend, he said he was reminded by a large, ugly billboard of why people hate advertising: “It serves no purpose, it’s selfish and interrupting.”

Advertising isn’t going away, but the “shitty” kind is, he said. His final words were a rallying cry to a festival that, despite so much upheaval, still claims to cherish creativity.

“The best advertising is visceral,” he said. “Our job is to move people and do extraordinary things.”

14190: Mansplaining Moron.

Adweek published divertsity directives from Women in Digital Founder and Executive Director Alaina Shearer, who listed six ways men can help fuel the White women’s bandwagon. Shearer sought to educate men on the concept of “mansplain”—which she seems to believe is a common phenomenon in adland. Sorry, but Shearer’s perspective is ignorant and insulting. Perhaps her career path has driven through one lousy shop after another, where the men were misogynistic, condescending assholes. If so, that’s unfortunate. It’s patently pathetic, however, for Shearer to brand most of the males in the field as cavemen who: 1) presume women are clueless; 2) provide unnecessary direction; 3) take credit for women’s ideas; 4) exclude women in meetings; 5) fail to acknowledge women’s contributions and; 6) sit silently when gender discrimination happens. Yes, there are admen displaying one or all six of the characteristics. But to proclaim, “Sadly, there are very few men who aren’t offenders,” is sadly stupid. The truth is, the type of men described by Shearer are waaaaay outnumbered by the culturally-clueless White men and White women dominating the industry—a group in which Shearer is likely a card-carrying member. Of course, she probably doesn’t even realize it.

6 Ways Men Can Support Their Female Colleagues

Being mindful of the women in the room will create a balanced environment

By Alaina Shearer

From ad agency execs to movie moguls and members of the media, men across all industries are under a spotlight for their behavior toward women in the workplace. While some giants fall, most men—like the good guys—are wondering what they can do to help stop the systemic gender bias that’s plagued the advertising industry since its inception.

If you are one of these good guys, read on. I’m hoping to shed some light on the agency mansplain and how to correct your behavior or the behavior of men on your team. Having worked at agencies for most of my career and then starting my own while also leading a national movement for women in digital fields, I have heard and seen it all.

Some good news: The fact that you’re even wondering if you or your team is inadvertently, or perhaps deliberately, preventing women from reaching their true potential is a positive sign. Your awareness alone is a significant first step in the right direction.

To most women, the word “mansplain” is a catch-all for the ‘splain, but also the interrupting, presumptions, sexism, mistreatment and behavior that flat out offends many women at most agencies.

Sadly, there are very few men who aren’t offenders. Most of you can’t help it because you were raised to be more confident, to not shy away from any challenge, and you were most likely—along with the rest of us—programmed with stereotypes about women’s intelligence and place in the workplace.

Sometimes the very best of men may not know when they are mansplaining, interrupting or treating women with bias, but what’s the difference between the good and the bad? The good guys change their behavior without resentment or a poor attitude. The bad just don’t give a damn. So, what can the good guys do to make sure they’re not inadvertently offending or dominating over women in their office? Here are six ideas.

Don’t presume she is clueless

This is perhaps the most common. But men fighting their own gender bias are naturally apt to presume we women don’t know what we’re talking about when we likely do. Men, you must not presume we don’t know what you’re about to teach, show or explain to us.

Ask first. Then explain

Before you dive into a ‘splain of some kind, ask if we are already familiar with whatever it is you’re about to discuss. For example, if you’re about to tell a project manager how she should manage a client budget, first ask, “Are you good with this budget?” or, “Can I give you some background?” Compare that to this version: “This budget is confusing. Let me show you how to manage it.” In a real-life version of this exact mansplain, that woman’s manager would spend minutes explaining how to manage a client budget when the woman had 20 years of project and budget management experience. You have assumptions about women, and those assumptions affect how you may be communicating with us. Just be aware, and you’re halfway there.

Never take credit for her idea

This is a big one. And so common. Guys, listen—I’m not blaming you for any of this. I am an optimist, and I always see the good in everyone. I am willing to bet you don’t even realize you’re doing it, but you steal our ideas all of the time. Sometimes right in front of everyone else in the room. Again, you may not even consciously be doing it, so just be aware. If a woman comes up with an idea in a meeting, credit her and build upon her idea with your own.

Err on the side of inclusion in meetings

A very easy way to lift women up (in spirit and financially) is to invite them to key meetings. In most cases, women are less likely than men to edge their way into a key internal or client meeting. Get her in there. This is the opposite of mansplaining and a fantastic way for you to earn some major respect from the women on your team. When in doubt, invite her to the meeting. And when she’s there, let her fly.

Brag her work

The first four on my list ask you to modify your existing behavior. But ideally you can add something to your repertoire by bragging her work. Go out of your way to make sure the upper management suite (the C-level you as a man statistically have more access to) know about a female colleague’s contributions to the project or the company as a whole.

Call out the other guys

Once you have become the master of mastering not mansplaining, keep your eyes out for offending male counterparts. When you catch a mansplainer, call him out. Confront him privately (or publicly, depending on the circumstance—no one wants a fight to break out at the agency). Also, don’t contribute to or participate in sexist behavior or comments at work. I know this is perhaps easier said than done, but it would be a huge step toward creating a more equal and fair work environment.

Easy enough, right, guys? And what can the women do? A lot.

As Joanne Lipman points out in the newly released book on corporate gender bias, That’s What She Said, “Women need to change their behavior, to act like men in order to be heard.” For example, she recommends women learn how to interrupt back.

And if we don’t, then how will our mansplaining agency friends ever improve? They will—and they must. But it may take them longer, so call those guys out, ladies. Give them a fighting chance to change, and we’ll all be better off.

Alaina Shearer is the founder and executive director of Women in Digital. She also founded Cement Marketing, a digital agency based in Columbus, Ohio.

14189: Cannes Cons II.

Quartz reported on a Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity event featuring Goodby Silverstein & Partners Co-Founder Jeff Goodby interviewing former Adweek Editorial Director Michael Wolff on his latest book, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House. Who thought this discussion would be of relevance and importance to advertising enthusiasts? Sure, Wolff likely turned it into a pseudo-case study on PR, sales and social media. Yet the spectacle really showcased old-fashioned hucksterism, given Wolff’s first visit to Cannes in 2011 left him looking disinterested and out of place. Seven years later—and seven years removed from the advertising industry—Wolff is suddenly a celebrity at the industry’s premier awards gala. On the other hand, Goodby has already publicly displayed his disdain for President Donald Trump, so his participation in hyping Wolff’s book isn’t surprising. Although it is disturbing to see Goodby continue to share his political perspectives in a professional setting. Maybe Carl Warner was right after all in his contention that Madison Avenue presents a hostile work environment for allegedly underrepresented conservatives.

14188: Cannes Cons.

Adweek reported Ogilvy staged a PR stunt at Cannes, declaring the company would hire 20 women into creative leadership roles by 2020. Plus, the White advertising agency will allow Kat Gordon and The 3% Movement to monitor the progress, undoubtedly also leading to tax-deductible donations to the White women’s group—as well as more PR opportunities for all patronizing parties. The self-promotional act is similar to Omnicom President-CEO-Pioneer of Diversity John Wren vowing to double the number of female creative leaders at BBDO in 2016. It’s funny how no one bats an eyelash when quotas are introduced to boost White women. Yet applying numerical goals to increasing the representation of colored people is met with outrage and resistance. Ogilvy and Gordon added faux inclusiveness to the scheme by claiming the Ogilvy empire is “going to be developing a pipeline for senior women of color globally and making key hires in the next 24 months.” Again, there are no specific details or figures attached to the planetary plot for non-White women. Expect the agency to promote an administrative assistant in Bangladesh and declare, “Mission Accomplished!” Ogilvy Worldwide CCO Tham Khai Meng gushed, “We are big believers in metrics. And the big reason we have to put our heart and our head and our gut to this and commit to this publicly is [that] we want this to be measured.” Okay, but the man is ignoring the metrics of a 2017 Cannes study that showed these exclusive maneuvers—which are falsely heralded as fostering diversity—do not benefit women of color. In the end, culturally-clueless con artists like Khai and Gordon will collect multiple Glass Lions before true diversity is addressed in adland.

Ogilvy Commits to Hiring 20 Women Into High-Level Creative Roles by End of 2020

Announced at Cannes, the goal will be monitored by 3% Movement

By David Griner

CANNES, France—Saying that there’s often much talk but little accountable action on gender balance in the creative industry, Ogilvy’s global creative chief announced today the agency network will hire 20 women into its highest-level creative roles by the end of 2020.

At the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Tham Khai Meng, Ogilvy’s worldwide CCO, said in addition to the commitment to hire women into 20 “senior creative roles,” the network is “going to be developing a pipeline for senior women of color globally and making key hires in the next 24 months.”

While Ogilvy did not release a specific set of titles that it will consider senior creative roles, the agency did send this statement to Adweek: “We define senior as executive/senior-level managers. This category is reserved for the highest level within the organization. This level includes individuals who plan, direct, formula policies and set the strategy.”

Khai said the agency is already in discussions with three women for these high-level roles, but he did not identify any by name.

Helping monitor the agency’s progress toward the goal will be the 3% Movement, one of the industry’s most high-profile groups advocating for gender balance in agencies—especially in creative roles. The organization’s name stems from the time of its founding, when only 3 percent of creative directors were women.

“We are big believers in metrics,” Khai said. “And the big reason we have to put our heart and our head and our gut to this and commit to this publicly is [that] we want this to be measured. That’s why we’re partnering with Kat (Gordon) and the 3% Movement.”

“We’ll keep you honest,” said Gordon, who joined Khai and other Ogilvy leaders for the announcement at a discussion on diversity at Cannes.

Gordon said she was especially glad to see the agency’s commitment to creating a better pipeline for minority women to advance in the network and in the industry at large.

“Diversity is not a headcount issue,” she said. “If you hire a bunch of women or leaders of color and they don’t feel they belong and are prized, they’re going to leave. And I don’t want to see that happen at Ogilvy or anywhere.”

Ogilvy New York creative director Della Mathew, who attended the announcement, said she was proud of the agency’s commitment, which she sees as a starting point.

“I think it’s amazing,” Mathew said. “You have to start somewhere. If 20 is the number we’re going to start with, then we start with 20. Making the move to make the commitment is what is impactful and meaningful.”

14187: Dos Equis + Droga5 = 4Shit.

This new Dos Equis campaign from Droga5 is awful shit. The White advertising agency fired former CCO Ted Royer to ensure a safe environment for employees. But the shop is not a safe environment for iconic brands.