Looks like The Coca-Cola Company is trying to counter its performative pro-DEIBA+ promotion—which might have triggered the political wrath of President Donald J. Trump—by presenting itself as a major contributor to the US economy.
Trump, in turn, can spur the economy by pushing his Diet Coke button.
Advertising Age published yet another pro-DEIBA+ perspective bound to join all other advocacy rants in the literal and figurative trash bin. That is, the content presents more revolutionary rhetoric that’ll inspire disdain, disinterest, and indifference.
The Op-Ed’s title claims brands are botching DEIBA+—yet the viewpoint is unintentionally botching its defense.
To put a twist on the definition of insanity attributed to Albert Einstein, “Insanity is saying and/or publishing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Illustrating the exposition with royalty-free stock images doesn’t help either.
Brands and White advertising agencies have steadfastly ignored the passionate pleas for progress. Hell, even threats of boycotts and legal action have gone unheeded.
The root issue is not that anyone is botching DEIBA+; rather, it reflects the seemingly endless support and success of systemic racism.
How brands are botching DE&I—and what to do instead
By Lameya Chaudhury
Let’s call it how it is: Brands aren’t running out of values—they’re running out of nerve. Somewhere along the way, DE&I stopped feeling like a business driver and started looking like a PR liability.
Done badly, DE&I is theater
The term got hijacked, siloed and recycled into corporate diversity days, happy-clappy LinkedIn slideshows and echoed in branded panels that look like an Instagram carousel of performative allyship—the kind that mysteriously empowers only the speakers.
Let’s be clear, I’m not cussing out DE&I. It’s absolutely vital. I’m saying it’s been done badly, and when DE&I is done badly, it doesn’t shout progress, it signals risk. Remember Pepsi’s Kendall Jenner moment and the annual Pride Month panic-post? No brand wants to be the punchline.
This makes it very easy for brands to ditch when things get political. Because if your DE&I strategy doesn’t touch your actual work, your customers or your bottom line, then it’s scenery, not a strategy.
Walk the walk
The solution is not how your brand talks, but how it behaves.
It’s the unsexy stuff no one posts about: who gets paid, who’s in the room and whether you’re reshaping systems or just recycling stories. It takes hard work and a long-game mindset.
Because the brands that do this properly aren’t just more likable. They’re more bankable.
Don’t take my word for it
Spoiler alert: The brands doing this properly? They’re not just righteous, they’re also cashing in. And not in an abstract “hearts and minds” kind of way, but in real commercial terms.
When brands walk the walk, it fuels innovation, reduces reputational risk, builds brand resilience and unlocks growth in previously overlooked markets. It helps you attract top talent, retain loyal customers and get ahead of regulatory and cultural shifts before they become problems.
According to the Unstereotype Alliance (I know, it sounds like a Marvel spin-off, but trust me, it’s done the work), inclusive brands enjoy:
• 16.26% higher long-term sales
• 3.46% boost in short-term sales
• 54% more pricing power
• 15% better customer loyalty
• 33% more likely to be the first choice for consumers
That’s not fluffy “woke” fantasy. That’s cold, hard ROI.
You don’t have to choose between doing good and doing well. The data says you can do both, and frankly, in this economy, you should.
From DE&I to real impact
Here’s the shift clients can make:
Less “How do we look diverse?” More “How do we create systemic change through our actual business?”
That means asking:
• Are your ethics built into your supply chain or just your social feed?
• Are you creating change with communities or just marketing at them?
• Are you measuring outcomes or clinging to output?
And yet, while some brands are pushing forward, others are moonwalking backward, scrubbing public references to their DEI efforts, or renaming the program altogether.
Such changes prioritize optics over outcomes. But if advertising wants to keep its seat at the grown-up table, we need to do better.
The truth is: A diverse casting brief means jack if your exec team isn’t. And don’t even talk to me about your B Corp badge if your agency’s still pitching for fossil fuels.
Play the long game or get played
Things feel tense. The right is loud, the center is slippery and your legal team has just asked if the word “solidarity” could be replaced with “support adjacency.”
But backing away from impact won’t protect your brand; it will just make you forgettable. The real risk is not doing too much, but doing nothing at all.
Actions give brands a way to lead without shouting. To grow without exploiting. To connect without co-opting. It’s not a trend. It’s not a CSR rebrand. It’s a competitive advantage with a conscience.
So, if you want to get it right:
• Sort your own house out first
• Stop outsourcing the hard stuff to just casting briefs
•And commit for the long haul, not just the launch day
In the end, you’ve got two choices: Be part of the backlash or build the bounce-back.
Advertising Age reported McCann Worldgroup “has been quietly trimming its workforce” in recent months—a RIF supplemented by key senior-level departures.
That’s a sharp contrast to loud layoffs and lunacy in recent years. Guess the White advertising agency is executing more preemptive pruning in advance of the impending Omnicom acquisition of IPG.
McCann’s “Truth Well Told” tagline clearly does not apply to staff communications.
McCann Worldgroup lays off staff while some leaders choose to exit
By Ewan Larkin and Brian Bonilla
McCann Worldgroup has been quietly trimming its workforce over the last few months and has parted ways with several senior executives ahead of Omnicom Group’s acquisition of Interpublic Group of Cos., Ad Age has learned.
Since February, the IPG agency network has been reducing its workforce in small waves, with one source estimating the cumulative number to be about 120 people. Those affected appear to be employees in duplicative or non-revenue-generating roles, including staffers in corporate communications, creative and social. Several high-level executives have also departed on their own amid these changes.
McCann did not comment on the number of job reductions and referred calls for comment to IPG, which provided this statement: “Earlier this year, Interpublic announced that we are embarking on a transformation process. On our recent earnings call, we shared that we are centralizing corporate functions and accelerating investment in central platform capabilities like production and analytics through greater consolidation into centers of excellence, while also streamlining across the organization.”
It continued, “While these actions enhance service delivery, the composition of our workforce and our agencies is also impacted. It’s never easy to take these kinds of actions, but they are due to the transformation and restructuring we announced in February, and not part of the proposed transaction with Omnicom.”
The reference is to an IPG restructuring announced by CEO Philippe Krakowsky in February, in which it promised to save $250 million through restructuring within its agencies this year.
The pending merger is anticipated to yield $750 million in annual cost savings, which are also widely expected to result in layoffs. Omnicom Chairman and CEO John Wren has repeatedly emphasized that roles tied to client service and revenue will be safe from cuts. “You’re gold,” Wren has previously said of such staffers.
High-level departures at IPG’s McCann Worldgroup
McCann Worldgroup said it has 12,000 employees, so the cuts would amount to about 1% of its total workforce. Agencies within the network include McCann, CRM agency MRM, production shop Craft and FutureBrand, whose specialties include design and brand architecture. McCann Worldgroup has a presence in more than 100 countries, according to its website.
Among the senior execs leaving or who have already left McCann are Stephanie Nerlich, McCann Worldgroup’s first global president, along with Pete Johnson and Cinzia Crociani, both global executive creative directors based in New York. Johnson and Nerlich could not be reached for comment and Crociani said she resigned to pursue another opportunity.
Other departures include Scott Berwitz, senior VP and global director of marketing communications; McCann New York Chief Creative Officer Shayne Millington, whose role is being eliminated; and New York Chief Growth Officer Suresh Raj, who said he recently resigned to join M+C Saatchi. Berwitz and Millington could not be reached for comment.
McCann Worldgroup has faced challenges in recent years, including the loss of longtime client Verizon, which shifted its consumer account to WPP’s Ogilvy in late 2023. The network took another hit last June when General Motors pulled significant business from Chevy-focused Commonwealth/McCann and MRM, prompting layoffs at both agencies.
McCann Worldgroup ultimately decided to do away with the Commonwealth/McCann brand name in October, parking those employees under McCann Detroit instead. That move followed the March 2024 closure of its San Francisco-based McCann 215 office, whose biggest client was Xbox. Xbox recently launched a campaign with Droga5.
Earlier this week, Ad Age reported that HomeGoods, a McCann client of seven years, is also looking for a new creative agency. (McCann New York remains the creative agency of record for TJ Maxx, another TJX Cos. brand.) McCann Worldgroup’s losses have been partly offset by wins such as Ikea’s global brand marketing account and creative duties for Kinder and Tic Tac across Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa.
Is The Coca-Cola Company concealing its DEIBA+ heat shields by renaming the performative initiatives “empowerment programs”?
If the patronizing promotions are pro-DEIBA+ stunts, President Donald J. Trump might rethink his Diet Coke button.
Via Bronzecomm, Lowell Thompson—aka RaceMan—announces his latest venture…
An Ad Agency for the Human Race
After a career of creating ads and commercials that sell products and services, I want to sell something much more important. I call it “humaneness”.
I’ve been talking about my idea for years, but the recent turn of political events force me to put up or shut up. I think the pure, unadulterated embrace of hate, cruelty, bullying and greed is the culmination of the gradual, almost imperceptible dehumanization of humans in America. And I think my lifelong profession — advertising — has had a huge hand in this. So I want to use my hand, mind and heart to undo some of the damage. I’m inviting other advets to join me.
My answer is to create communications in all media that promote human kindness, decency and respect for all living things, especially our fellow humans. My first product will be my “The Humane Race” T-shirt. By buying and wearing it, you say to the world that you are humane. You prove it by your actions.
Right now, my Humane Initiative is still in its embryonic stage. I’m still working out the details. I’m asking others to join me. I’m looking for partners who can help me plan its structure, build a website and other marketing materials, contact potential private and public members and basically build a brand-new type of communications company that’s “like an ad agency…for the human race”.
Interested? Contact Lowell Thompson at lowelltho@gmail.com. If you’re on Facebook, search for my HUMANE group and join it.
Mediapsssst reported Havas CEO Yannick Bolloré pocketed a significant compensation bump in 2024, despite the White holding company’s organic revenue decline.
Bolloré’s response was probably, “Thanks, Dad.”
Havas CEO Bollore’s Compensation Soared 2.7 Times In 2024
By Richard Whitman
Havas Group didn’t grow last year—its 2024 organic revenue decline was 0.8%—but CEO Yannick Bollore’s compensation grew by a lot.
According to the company’s recently issued annual report Bollore’s total compensation last year was nearly 10 million euros (about $11.4 million). That included a 1.5 million base salary, long and short-term incentive bonuses and other benefits.
By comparison, in 2023 Bollore’s total compensation was about 3.7 million euros. The company grew 4.4% that year and has projected it will grow 2%-plus in 2025.
WPP lost ground last year as well with an organic decline of 1%. CEO Mark Read took a 15% cut in total compensation.
Bollore’s pay is just a small portion of the value he derives from Havas. He owns 3% of company shares—making him one of the largest single shareholders—and other Bollore entities own an additional 31.05 of company shares.
The company returned to the public markets late last after being a subsidiary of Vivendi since 2017. Shares are down 22% on the Euronext Amsterdam stock exchange since trading began on December 16.
At its annual meeting in May the firm will propose a 1-for-10 reverse stock split as part of a plan to boost the stock price. It also plans to buy back up to 10% of outstanding shares over the next 18 months and offer a dividend (0.08 euro per share).
The theme for Earth Day 2025 is Our Power, Our Planet—calling for people to unite for renewable energy.
In Adland, the anti-DEIBA+ vibe dramatically affects any power non-Whites might feel, requiring renewed energy just to sustain second-class status.
What on Earth?
Advertising Age published yet another pro-DEIBA+ perspective that regurgitates failed arguments and appeals, including:
• DEIBA+ isn’t a social and/or moral imperative—it’s a business imperative
• Non-White segments represent big spending power—and potential profit
• DEIBA+ covers more than race, ethnicity, and gender
Recent critics suggest DEIBA+ must be redefined and rebranded.
Perhaps it’s also time to demand anti-DEIBA+ enthusiasts clearly articulate and publish their persistent resistance to progress.
Now, that would make for attention-grabbing content that bears repeating.
DEI isn’t a brand statement—it’s a business strategy
By Chad Hickey
Recent headlines suggest that corporate America is abandoning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), but the broader reality tells a different story. While a few high-profile companies have made changes, many organizations maintain DEI commitments, albeit under rebranded or softened language.
According to a March analysis by The New York Times of 10-K filings from S&P 500 companies, 78% still address diversity initiatives, despite the narrative that DEI is in retreat.
While the assault on DEI might have some frozen advertisers in their tracks, there is no evidence that abandoning DEI has led to increased sales. In some cases, weakened commitments to inclusivity have weakened brand relationships with customers, employees and investors.
The biggest driver behind brand DEI rollbacks is fear of backlash, fear of political noise and fear of being too bold or progressive. However, making decisions based on fear instead of data is just creating self-inflicted wounds. Isn’t it better for a brand to take a stand than to roll back DEI and be accused of opportunistic inconsistency?
Some brands believe they can sit out the DEI conversation, yet silence can be one of the loudest decisions of them all. A brand that steps back from DEI in 2025 is not maintaining political neutrality, it’s signaling to diverse consumers that it does not value them or their money. In today’s landscape, where brand loyalty is fragile, that’s a dangerous game for advertisers to play.
Industry leaders such as Apple, Cisco, Costco, Delta, JPMorgan Chase, McKinsey & Company, Microsoft and the NFL have publicly reaffirmed their DEI commitments. These companies understand that diversity isn’t just about social responsibility; it’s a proven driver of better advertising decision-making and long-term business success.
At its core, DEI reflects the American consumer. As Operation Hope Founder John Hope Bryant put it, “there are simply not enough successful white men to carry the weight of America’s economic future.” The same principle applies to advertising. Brands cannot afford to overlook the diversity of their customer base. Ignoring this reality is like cutting off your legs in the race for consumers’ wallets.
Black Americans alone are projected to have $1.7 trillion in spending power by 2030, while Hispanic Americans already contribute $3.2 trillion annually to the economy. Women control $10.9 trillion in U.S. household financial assets and influence most U.S. consumer spending. These are not niche or vocal minority audiences; they are the marketplace.
It’s important to note that DEI is more than just race and gender, but includes age, disability, neurodiversity and sexual orientation. It’s about a mother reentering the workforce after years of caregiving, the veteran navigating civilian employment and countless others who have had to push harder just to access the same opportunities. For me, as a queer man, it’s about building a profitable business in the advertising industry that historically keeps its doors too closed.
It’s not about questioning whether people in these spaces deserve their positions or worked hard to build a business. The reality is that the system wasn’t designed for us, so we had to work even harder to get here. I’ve been fortunate to have many supportive straight white men help me along the way, and I’m certainly not trying to vilify them. It’s about being honest about the barriers that still exist and the work that still needs to be done.
From an advertising perspective, DEI is about resonating with your audience, understanding what matters to them and connecting them with brands that share their values. In today’s marketplace, responsibility is essential for maintaining brand loyalty amidst rising conscious consumerism.
Consumers, particularly Gen Zers and millennials, are aligning their daily purchasing decisions with their values. A recent Harris Poll found that 40 percent of Americans have shifted their spending habits based on moral views. Twenty-four percent of consumers have stopped shopping at their favorite stores because of a failure to align with their values, according to the study. They aren’t just buying products; they’re buying into brands’ stances on sustainability, social justice and inclusivity.
Right now, there is an opportunity for brands to lead with hope instead of fear. Consumers are looking for brands that reflect their values, not just in moments of crisis, but in everyday business decisions. The smartest brands in 2025 will not be debating whether DEI belongs in their advertising strategy; they will be too busy integrating it. These brand leaders will recognize that inclusivity means making savvier business decisions in the diverse world we live in. It should never have been about checking a box or reacting to the latest social movement. The full spectrum of consumers deserves better.
Success in advertising has always hinged on understanding the audience. And the reality is, your audience is diverse. The question is not whether DEI belongs in advertising—it’s whether your brand belongs in a marketplace that demands it.
In 2025 and beyond, the most successful advertisers will recognize that the key to serving up great ads is satisfying audiences’ insatiable appetite for hope.
MediaPost reported TRG continued its evolutionary leadership progression by promoting 30-year veteran Terence Reynolds to Chief Creative Officer.
Hey, it would demonstrate revolutionary change if the firm’s name transitioned from The Richards Group to TRG to The Reynolds Group.
More Change At TRG As Reynolds Is Upped To Chief Creative Officer
By Steve McClellan
Dallas-based advertising agency TRG has promoted Terence Reynolds to Chief Creative Officer, effective immediately. He’s been with the agency for 30 years, most recently as executive creative director and creative council member. He succeeds Sue Batterton, who left earlier this year for ad agency Archer.
Reynolds’ appointment follows last month’s news that another longtime agency veteran, Pete Lempert, was promoted to CEO, succeeding Glenn Dady who retired after 39 years at the agency and six years in the CEO role.
Reynolds has led creative teams for national and international brands like Alfa Romeo, Jeep, Charles Schwab, Flowers Foods, and Metro by T-Mobile.
In addition to overseeing the agency’s creative output, Reynolds will also focus on attracting and nurturing diverse talent at the agency.
“Terence has been a force throughout TRG, mentoring teams and pushing our craft to new heights,” said Lempert. “He’s always finding new ways to shape what’s next.”
Reynolds’ work has been recognized by the Clios, Communication Arts, The One Show, the ADDYs, the New York Art Directors Show, and ADCOLOR. Earlier this month he was inducted into the American Advertising Federation Southwest Advertising Hall of Fame.
Before joining TRG, Reynolds worked at GSD&M on the Southwest Airlines and Walmart accounts.
Adweek published a pathetic perspective bemoaning the lack of discussion on creative in the impending Omnicom acquisition of IPG.
The author appears to be out of touch at least, and likely soon to be out of the industry—if they aren’t gone already.
As regularly recognized by this blog, the holding companies have fueled a commoditization of people, processes, and places. Talent is replaceable, platforms are generic, and White advertising agencies are modular.
Anyone who has extensively worked in Adland would be hard-pressed to distinguish the differences between enterprises within the holding companies.
Omnicom has already officially blended its ‘creative’ companies into a single entity: Omnicom Advertising Group. Acquired IPG shops will presumably be absorbed into the muck—or unceremoniously pruned from of the system.
Longing for the mythical Golden Age of Adland is pointless in times where corporate leaders receive golden parachutes and workers get golden showers.
IPG-Omnicom’s Silence on Creative Is Deafening
Their merger will radically change the industry. Just not the way they think it will
By Patrick Simkins
This is a big week for people who love cost synergies—IPG and Omnicom have gotten a step closer to conglomerating with yesterday’s thumbs-up from shareholders.
Every time I see an update to this story, I scan for mentions of anything creative hidden away in all the exciting new capabilities that InterpubliCom will offer. It’s not in their statements; it’s barely mentioned on investor calls. Unless I missed a memo since I left an IPG agency, isn’t that what we do? Use creativity to solve problems for brands?
So if I’m an employee, or a client, what is there to be excited about with a merger like this? Efficiencies? Data? AI? Shareholder value? I remember the first time I knew I wanted to increase shareholder value for a living. It’s why I get out of bed in the morning!
I’m not sure why we’re all treating the data and AI-ification of creative as a foregone conclusion instead of the giant, waving red flag that it is. Since no one seems to be offering a defense of creatives, I felt compelled to write about this. (But I’m an art director, so god help us.)
Omni-Public says we can expect annual savings of $750 million. Better data, some AI efficiencies, some redundancies. Sure, but my guess is that doesn’t get you all the way to the big number. Based on my own proprietary and highly accurate “mentions of creative per investor call” analysis, I can guess which areas will make up the balance of these savings.
The creative process is slow, inefficient, and as we write, design, and test out our thinking, it sometimes reveals flaws in the work that preceded it. We solve problems, but we also cause them. I’m starting to wonder if the silhouette from the Mad Men intro was actually thrown from the roof.
Look, I get why creative is an easy target. If you think of us as just “words and pretty pictures” people, then of course our numbers on the balance sheet are hard to justify. Forget that brands are bringing creatives in-house at record numbers, and that new, brand-forward category entrants are causing major headaches for companies like Coca-Cola. (And Pepsi can’t just acquire every new Poppi.)
The industry, it seems, has decided that this is the way advertising needs to be. Taking our time to think was an error. Personalization is king. And our abilities should be measured by the quantity and speed of our output.
But these holding companies are building on shaky ground. We’re one weird billionaire takeover, one social media ban, or one class action AI lawsuit away from major changes to the ad landscape. And in reducing creativity to an afterthought, they risk making themselves obsolete.
First, they’ll accelerate consumer fatigue with a glut of content. Does a brand really need 500,000 customized images to share on social media? I’m not arguing against AI or efficiency here (I started in studio—do you know how much time I’ve wasted cutting out people’s hair for comps?) but we make more content because the platforms tell us we need more content, and we trust their black-box algorithms to balance the stuff audiences don’t want to see with the stuff they do.
The more low-quality content we pump out, the more we tip that scale in the wrong direction. And personalization won’t matter if no one is paying attention. (If I were a strategist, I’d put a killer stat here.)
Second, they’ll either overwork or lay off the very people who can save them. A Wall Street Journal article from back in December cited one brand using AI to reduce a three-week storyboard process to three days. That speed could mean creatives will have more time to iterate and explore concepts, but my gut says these already overworked teams will just be expected to manage more projects with less time to properly execute each. And, be honest, despite the proliferation of all these cool new tools, does anyone really think we’re experiencing a creative renaissance?
As the head-rolling continues, we’ll see burned-out, disenfranchised talent continue to change the industry from the outside. Holding companies will lay off creatives who will start agencies. They’ll fire strategists who will build their own brands.
And finally, with everyone gone and InterOmniGroup having achieved peak efficiency, some lone executive will look up and say, “Wait. If my agency’s process is based on tools that brands also have access to—or can build themselves—why on Earth do they need us?”
Will any of that happen? Who knows, I’m just a creative. But we’re in a time of major uncertainty, and I don’t think success will come from rewiring our entire processes to have less time to think.
For now, out here on the front lines, the discarded and disillusioned are getting work in whatever ways they can. Former big agency talent and brands that recognize that the job is about more than “pumping out content” are finding one another, and we’ll continue to run circles around the big shops.
