15942: Staying For Breakfast With Mrs. Butterworth’s.

 

Okay, it’s already been established that the Mrs. Butterworth’s brand is not racist. But the old lady does get around—cavorting with Colonel Sanders and now Fred Flintstone. Aunt Jemima was much more dignified in her personal affairs.

15941: Overreaction Of The Week.

 

EY in London presented its ‘new DE&I ambassador’—Hazel the Labrador. It’s a safe bet that the company checked off the maneuver as a double diversity hire—female and Black. What’s more, Hazel will likely accomplish greater feats than the average Chief Diversity Officer.

15940: Dentsu To Take Advantage Of Developing Countries…?

Campaign reported that Dentsu envisions ‘tremendous competitive advantage’ by offshoring 10,000 jobs. Didn’t bother reading the details—but expect Wendy Clark to leverage any hiring of non-White people from developing countries as a diversity scheme. And don’t be surprised if Ted Royer quietly emerges among the 10,000…

15939: Outsourcing Out Of Africa.

 

Digiday reported that Africa is becoming an attractive option for outsourcing technology jobs. The article presents cheery examples of people benefiting from economic opportunities via companies such as Meta, Colgate-Palmolive and AARP.

 

Can’t help but wonder if it’s truly a progressive scenario or simply a maneuver by White corporations to satisfy diversity vendor initiatives and allocate crumbs on a global scale.

 

Africa emerges as hot spot for outsourcing tech jobs

 

By Denny Alfonso

 

There is competition among the top global hot spots for outsourcing: Africa has edged closer to India and China for providing top tech outsourcing services to major western corporations.

 

Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria and South Africa have all been tagged as outsourcing hot spots by African business community Empower Africa, particularly for business process outsourcing. Egypt, often referred to as an “African tech hub,” is expected to see venture capital investments there top $1 billion this year. Meanwhile, the Ghanaian and Kenyan governments promote the outsourcing industry through tax breaks and infrastructure development.

 

Outsourcing jobs is a controversial topic that is often criticized by politicians and those who might lose work and income due to outsourcing. But in some countries, it’s become a lifeline for people with poor job prospects.

 

Ronnie Kwesi moved to the U.S. from Ghana to make a better life for himself, but also to help people across the continent of Africa make more money without having to leave behind their homes, communities, countries and sometimes even families.

 

In 2019, he set up Meaningful Gigs — an exclusive African designer platform — in Washington, D.C., with the goal of connecting skilled digital designers across Africa with top enterprises experiencing resource shortages to create 100,000 skilled jobs for Africans by 2028. “By giving people access to consistent wages that they can thrive on, we are helping people help themselves,” said Kwesi.

 

Kwesi said Meta, Colgate-Palmolive and AARP are among Meaningful Gigs’ roster of clients, and pricing for a senior designer starts at $65.00 per hour.

 

According to the United Nations, Africa has the youngest population in the world, with 70% of those living in sub-Saharan Africa under 30. Kwesi said he believes that is an important reason to send work to Africa. “There is a young, hungry and resourceful workforce there that also has a cultural competency that companies generally have difficulty accessing,” he said.

 

He cited a recent example of how a Meaningful Gigs designer was later hired full-time by Meta because he was able to streamline part of the engineering process behind some design work, which Kwesi said helped save Meta time and money.

 

Meanwhile, Liz-Marie Dryer, who lives in South Africa, was able to secure a mortgage for her first home after joining Meaningful Gigs. “MG gives us access to lots of gigs with lots of top companies that are looking specifically for African talent,” she said. “I’ve finally been able to move into my new home and this has helped me live a happier, more stable life with a consistent income and housing security.”

 

For Kenyan Kenn Njuguna, working for global brands through Meaningful Gigs has helped him become more confident in his skills, while also providing better support for his family. “I’ve had lots of companies come to me for additional work, and with the extra income I’ve been able to do things like take out insurance for my wife and new daughter,” he said.

 

Richard Muuo also lives in Kenya, and his outsourced job income allowed him to help out in his neighborhood after a local community center closed. “Because of the work I did for MG, I was able to open a gym and create a gathering space where we talk about critical issues for our community such as peace-building, sexual health and mental health,” said Muuo.

15938: Vaccination Ad Inspires, “Ouch.”

 

Veterans Coalition for Vaccination is doing great work. Its advertising, however, is not great work.

15937: Better Together, Beyond Repair.

This Sikabond campaign from Chile can’t be fixed—and the responsible creative team should be beaten with broken furniture.

 

15936: Help Wanted By Jobseekers…?

Well, at least Jobcase avoided stereotypes by depicting the White woman as an ex-convict…

 

 

15935: The One Club Creative Hall Of Fame Adds Color.

 

AgencySpy posted on The One Club 2022 Creative Hall of Fame inductees, including Cheryl D. Miller, Janet Kestin, Nancy Vonk and Carol H. Williams. Wonder what Neil French would say about the induction of Kestin and Vonk. Meanwhile, Miller and Williams join Tom Burrell as the only Black Creative Hall of Famers—inadvertently spotlighting how The One Club has failed to recognize iconic trailblazers like Georg Olden, Roy Eaton and Caroline Jones. The One Club for Creativity should be renamed The One Club for Exclusivity.

 

The One Club Announces Latest Inductees Into its Creative Hall of Fame

 

By Kyle O’Brien

 

The One Club for Creativity has announced the latest group of advertising, design, marketing and education innovators who will be inducted into the Creative Hall of Fame in October, and it includes a diverse mix of innovators.

 

The non-profit that supports and celebrates the global creative community through efforts including creative boot camps, the One Show and One School, has named eight new inductees to add to the list of creative luminaries in advertising and design, which started with the induction of Leo Burnett in 1961.

 

The latest inductees to join the hall of fame are:

 

• Joe Duffy, branding and design innovator, Founder, Chairman, Duffy & Partners;

 

• John Hunt, co-founder of internationally recognized South African agency TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris, global creative chair, TBWA\Worldwide;

 

• Cheryl D. Miller, graphic designer, writer, artist, theologian, and decolonizing historian known for her contributions to racial and gender equality in the graphic design field;

 

• Nancy Vonk and Janet Kestin, former co-chief creative officers at Ogilvy Toronto, co-founders of the Swim leadership lab;

 

• Carol H. Williams, president, CEO, chief creative officer and owner, Carol H. Williams Advertising, the longest-running U.S. independent multicultural agency

 

Educators Hall of Fame

 

• Ron and Pippa Seichrist, co-founders, Miami Ad School

 

The black-tie Creative Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which is a fundraising gala to support The One Club’s many global DEI programs, will take place on October 27 at Tisch Skylights at The Shed, Hudson Yards in New York.

 

Inductees are nominated and voted on by The One Club board of directors. Those chosen must have proven their impact, influence and inspiration on the industry.

 

“The Creative Hall of Fame is the ultimate recognition of a storied career of a visionary creative professional,” said Kevin Swanepoel, CEO, The One Club in a statement. “More importantly, this newest group of inductees transcend advertising: they influence pop culture, uplift underrepresented groups, and inspire the next generation of creative thinkers and doers.”

 

Additional inductees will be announced soon. Event and ticket details are available [at The One Club website.]

15934: Poaching, Puffery And Perpetuating Poop.

 

Advertising Age reported 72andSunny hired CPB Global CEO Marianne Malina to serve as its first-ever North American president, charged with running the White advertising agency’s New York and Los Angeles offices. What makes the news dizzyingly dull is the way that players have drifted around via mergers and job shifts—essentially perpetuating Adland’s commoditization of creativity and talent. Can anyone really discern any difference between White holding companies (MDC Partners or Stagwell), White advertising agencies (72andSunny or CPB or GSD&M) and the White men and White women shuffling between it all? Stagwell Media Network should be renamed Stagwell Mediocre Network.

 

72andSunny Hires CPB’s Global CEO To Lead North America

 

Stagwell chief Mark Penn says plans for CPB will be ‘shared soon’

 

By Brian Bonilla

 

Stagwell’s 72andSunny has named its first-ever North American president to oversee both its New York and Los Angeles offices: CPB’s Global CEO Marianne Malina.

 

Malina, who will start her new role on Sept. 6, wasn’t immediately available for comment. It was unclear who, if anyone, will take her position at CPB, which Malina assumed 16 months ago with the goal of turning around the agency. As announced earlier, CPB will become part of the Stagwell Media Network.

 

When asked about plans for CPB, Stagwell Chairman and CEO Mark Penn said, “CPB is having a great summer as it integrates into the Stagwell Media Network, which reinforces CPB’s legacy as tightly connecting the creative idea with the media plan. We look forward to sharing more soon.”

 

The hiring of Malina is part of a new leadership structure that 72andSunny has been building with the goal of appointing more senior leadership positions to serve clients.

 

“I was always impressed with how she [Malina] sees the business and what she’s doing,” said Evin Shutt, global CEO of 72andSunny. “It was just a moment of like [Malina] set the table for CPB and kind of this new innovation and where they’re headed and what does she want next? What’s the growth opportunity for her?’ As I was sharing what we’re doing, she had interest and I had interest.”

 

Currently, 72andSunny’s New York office has around 150 employees. Its clients include Hubspot, Carl’s Jr. Legal Zoom, Comcast and Footlocker. The agency’s LA office has 250 employees and works on clients such as United Airlines, the NFL, Indeed and Marriott.

 

As part of 72andSunny’s work from home model in North America, Malina will remain in Austin but will travel to LA, New York, and client locations “frequently,” according to Shutt.

 

‘Disruptive time’

 

“This is a disruptive time in the world and we know that our value as a company is using who we are and creativity to give clients guidance and partnership and help them thrive and not just survive,” Shutt said. “As we’re doing that and as we’re going through change, we took a moment to be like, ‘What do clients need? What does the market need?’ And we think they want more senior leaders and marketers. We hear it time and time again.”

 

The move is a step away from 72andSunny’s prior structure, which involved president roles that were less “client-facing” and more internally focused, according to Shutt.

 

As a result, the agency is replacing its former New York and LA presidents, Brett Edgar and Teri Miller, who joined VCCP and Mother respectively, with managing directors. Laura Likos, who previously served as head of brand management, will now serve as the managing director of the LA office. A managing director for New York has yet to be named.

 

“In our old structure, the office president role was very much pulled internally into operations, into the deployment of talent and involved with clients but not as client facing as we’d like,” Shutt said. “The North American president role will be more outward-bound; that’s why we wanted a marketer like Marianne there. The managing director roles now get to really focus on the clients and the people doing the client work to make sure we have the right people in the right place and they’re growing.”

 

And one of those needs is high-level access and strong leadership.

 

“Look at what some of our clients have been through in the last few years,” Shutt said. “The NFL during the social justice and racial reckoning of the U.S. required senior leadership [that was] highly engaged. United Airlines is another one with the pandemic and airlines. That was hard. So again, it required the breadth of leadership to get deep and partner with clients.”

 

Struggles at CPB

 

Malina joined CPB in April 2021, after spending 16 years at GSD&M, with the hopes of turning around the once iconic agency that had been declining for years.

 

“I’m a builder. I’m not a manager,” Malina said in April of last year about her appointment. “The bigger the problem, the more I’m interested. What CPB has done for the ad industry in this century is epic. Every single person in this industry is using a page from their playbook. An agency that changes the way we do business, that’s what’s at the core of this brand. You put that into today’s culture, what’s going on now, this is an opportunity of a lifetime.”

 

However, CPB has continued to struggle, losing a number of its leadership team and clients like Hotels.com, Fruit of the Loom, and VRBO. In October 2021 Buchanan’s Scotch Whiskey tapped CPB to launch a Hispanic heritage Month campaign called “What Glory We Are.”

 

Currently, the agency, which once rented spaces in Boulder and Denver, is “100% remote” according to its website, and there are no job listings on LinkedIn.

 

Other new executive moves at 72andSunny include the promotion of Janisse Wong to head of finance and operations of 72andSunny North America and Keith Jamerson, formerly head of U.S. production at Stink Studios, being named an executive production director at 72andSunny’s content and media studio Hecho Studios.

 

The agency has been bringing on new talent over the past couple of years, including Damaune Journey as global chief growth officer; Heat alumna Elaine Cox as the ECD of 72andSunny New York; Lauryn Nwankpa as managing director of the agency’s purpose and impact consultancy Brand Citizens; and Ogilvy alum Simon Usifo as president of 72andSunny Amsterdam.

15933: General Motors Adds NBA All-Star To Team Roster.

 

AgencySpy posted on General Motors selecting Majority Agency—a multicultural marketing shop co-founded by NBA icon Shaquille O’Neal—to help promote electric vehicles. The newbie joins three other ‘diverse’ agencies—two of which are Black-owned enterprises—vying for crumbs from the automaker. The fourth shop, Casanova//McCann, is a Latinx firm obviously connected to White advertising agency McCann, a lead AOR for GM.

 

It's a safe bet that each of the ‘diverse’ agencies receives a lot less loot from GM than McCann; indeed, the White ad agency might be getting more money than all four minority companies combined.

 

No disrespect to Shaq, but why not simply allocate a bigger slice of the marketing budget pie to the other Black-owned agencies versus introducing an extra ‘diverse’ player? Providing additional revenue to the minority shops on the current roster would award them greater power and influence, no?

 

Or maybe this is the true goal—to ensure that the minorities maintain minority status in every way, shape and form.

 

It all feels like the same old ride with General Motors.

 

P.S., Why did AgencySpy post this news under the ‘Revolving Door’ banner? Is the implication that minority-owned firms have limited lifespans?

 

General Motors Selects Majority Agency as Diverse Creative AOR

 

By Kyle O’Brien

 

General Motors has chosen Majority Agency, an Atlanta based culture creative agency co-founded in 2021 by Shaquille O’Neal and Omid Farhang as its creative agency of record for branded diversity marketing initiatives, making it GM’s fourth diverse agency of record.

 

The announcement comes as GM looks to become one of the top inclusive companies in the world with an all-electric future.

 

“Majority shares our belief that this is a cultural inflection point, not just for EVs, but for multicultural marketing,” said Tarshena Armstrong, GM director of diversity marketing and development in a statement. “It’s about authentic connection, community, and a commitment to drive cultural awareness through inclusive marketing practices that earn cultural capital for GM and our family of brands.”

 

Majority joins General Motors’ current list of multicultural agencies: Carol H. Williams Advertising, Spike DDB and Casanova INC. Together, these diverse-owned agencies will work with existing GM media, marketing, and experiential agencies McCann/Commonwealth, Jack Morton and Carat to help increase EV adoption, amplify cultural moments and social injustice, and elevate the GM brand.

 

“Today we are in the infant stages of a perception shift around EVs. But we need to make the category more inclusive,” said Brandon Butler, chief content officer at Majority in a statement. “That means multicultural marketing can’t just be an exercise in consulting, versioning and micro-targeting. It must be a leading conduit to the popular culture that transcends our differences and connects us all.”

 

Armstrong added: “Investing in sustainable growth and fostering equitable representation extends our reach and strengthens the communities where our customers live and work to ensure education about the transition to EVs.”

15932: Multicultural Marketing As Easy As 1-2-3.

 

Need to create cross-cultural design? There’s an app for that.

15931: Hootsuite Is Not Wise With Its Advertising.

 

This shitty banner ad for Hootsuite appears to be based on a shitty video. Give a hoot! Don’t pollute—the Internet.

15930: Lift Every Gut…

 

This MiraLAX banner is the shit. Actually, it’s just shit.

15929: White Women Run DMC…?

Wondering about the unintended accuracy of this callout—that is, does the Diversity Marketing Consortium primarily promote White women? Maybe the organization should revise its name to the Divertsity Marketing Consortium.