Oh look! Others noticed the exclusivity displayed in the previous post spotlighting an Adweek report on White women as account directors. The witnesses include former 4As President-CEO Nancy Hill, former Omnicom Group SVP CDO Tiffany R. Warren, and Hustle-Knocker Hadji Williams—three prominent figures who’ve consistently called out the industry’s systemic racism yet have been unable to affect it. In Adland, anti-racists are waaaaay outnumbered by pro-racists.
Here’s a belated MLK Day perspective:
In the advertising industry, awards, applause, and accolades are bestowed upon “leaders” in White advertising agencies and holding companies for their faux commitment to diversity. The faux adjective, incidentally, is used to note that—despite persistent public pontificating—the Caucasian corporations have little or no authentic progress to exhibit. That is, EEO-1 data shows non-Whites remain woefully underrepresented. The diversity trophy winners are not living up to their revolutionary reputations.
Meanwhile, non-Whites actively advocating for change are covertly or blatantly criticized, condemned, cursed at, cold-shouldered, crapped on and cut from the industry. To make an ironic—and perhaps inappropriate—observation, the true leaders for equality get shot down.
What would Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have to say about that?
ADCOLOR® celebrates its 10th year of Pollyannaish partying. Ironically and appropriately, the traditional 10-year anniversary gift is tin or aluminum. The original 2007 press release—which inspired MultiCultClassics commentary—declared the following:
ADCOLOR™ is a first of its kind cross-industry collaboration on the issue of diversity. The Coalition hopes to combine the energies of the marketing, media and advertising communities to stimulate ideas, discussion and solutions to advance diversity goals.
Seems as if the only noticeable accomplishment from the “cross-industry collaboration” is transitioning from a trademarked logo to a registered trademarked logo. Whatever. This year, the conference theme is: Challenge Now. Feel free to peruse the details in the image below.
The full price of admission is $1395, putting the soiree on par with The 3% Conference, in terms of tax-deductible—and arguably societal—contributions. Actually, The 3% Conference might be more successful, as the girl group takes credit for boosting the alleged underrepresentation of White women in creative departments from 3% to roughly 11% over just a few years. Minority underrepresentation, in contrast, has worsened over the past decade.
Then again, has ADCOLOR® ever been honestly dedicated to pushing for progress versus partying? The organization has honored diversity trailblazers like Magic Johnson, Queen Latifah and Nick Cannon, while ignoring legitimate diversity champions like Harry Webber, Sanford Moore and Hadji Williams. Hell, Dan Wieden picked up a trophy instead of the aforementioned trio—which is pretty fucked up. Annie the Chicken Queen and Gustavo Martinez have a better shot at ADCOLOR® recognition than Messrs. Webber, Moore and Williams.
So here’s some unsolicited advice to ADCOLOR® cheerleaders: Challenge yourself now to stimulate ideas, discussion and solutions to advance diversity goals and establish true commitment—and maybe credibility will follow.
The theme for Blog Action Day 2015 is Raise Your Voice.
If you raise your voice for the alleged plight of White women in the advertising industry, expect to receive respect, reverence, rewards, kisses, kudos, compliments, applause, accolades, acclaim, praise, prestige and payouts—even if you’re a pathetic and patronizing douchebag.
If you raise your voice for the acknowledged plight of Black people in the advertising industry, expect to be blacklisted, blackballed, black eyed and blacked out—unless you’re a White, wonderful, wise, witty, worldly douchebag. Or a Chief Diversity Officer.
It’s time to raise your voice over such disparities in raising one’s voice on Madison Avenue.
According to Wikipedia, Labor Day “honors the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of their country.” It also leads campaigning politicians to write stuff like the following:
Labor Day is a time for honoring the working people of this country. It is also a time to celebrate the accomplishments of the activists and organizers who fought for the 40-hour work week, occupational safety, minimum wage law, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and affordable housing. These working people, and their unions, resisted the oligarchs of their day, fought for a more responsive democracy, and built the middle class.
Yet what does Labor Day mean to the advertising industry? It might underscore the field’s hypocrisy similar to the way MLK Day does; that is, White advertising agencies are awarded time off despite operating in violation of Dr. King’s dream. With Labor Day, we enjoy a holiday thanks to the accomplishments of people who fought for fairness in the workplace—despite our dismal failures in the area of diversity. Then again, it’s a wonder no one has taken the opportunity to cheer the amazing progress experienced by White women in our ranks.
On Labor Day, advertising industry laborers should salute the people who have legitimately strived to bring change to the field. For the overwhelming majority who can’t even begin to identify the activists, here are a few names for starters:
Feel free to add more names via comments.
Hat tip to Hadji Williams for pointing out @AFFRM—African American Film Festival Releasing Movement—originally launched by Ava DuVernay. The website states: Anchored by the passion + prowess of a collective of black film organizations, @AFFRM + Array Releasing empower black independent filmmakers with theatrical and multi-platform distribution.
@AFFRM is definitely worth watching—and supporting.
The New York Times also posted about culturally clueless IAC Chief Communications Director Justine Sacco, and the piece included a tweet from Hadji Williams, author of Knock The Hustle.
Blog Action Day 2013 is focused on the topic of Human Rights. For a quick primer, scan The Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations in 1948.
Has the dearth of diversity on Madison Avenue ever been properly framed as a human rights issue? Certainly not in recent years, despite the occasional intervention of the New York City Commission on Human Rights. Rather, today’s diversity discussions tend to dwell on the standard “it’s a good business decision” angle, emphasizing the importance of building staffs that reflect and relate to the U.S. audiences targeted by most major advertisers. Unfortunately, the popular, polite and passive route doesn’t succeed for a couple of reasons.
First of all, the standard “it’s a good business decision” angle has not been proven. In fact, Whites might argue that based on indicators like awards and account assignments, exclusivity works just fine. Because the advertising industry has been predominately Caucasian forever, it would be extraordinarily difficult to demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that a diverse company could produce better creative.
Secondly, in situations involving human rights, politeness has never led to dramatic progress. This has been proven time and again. Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stressed non-violence; however, they were not polite in their protests. Polite people are not typically thrown into jails or assassinated. On Madison Avenue, politeness will get you promoted to Chief Diversity Officer or elected to Diversity Advisory Committees—plus, you can win prizes like ADCOLOR® Awards and Pioneers of Diversity honors—but you won’t truly impact change.
The second point is particularly sobering and even offensive when considering the advertising field. The greater society usually comes around to showing respect to rabble-rousers such as Gandhi and Dr. King; conversely, adland has traditionally blacklisted (pun intended) revolutionaries while crowning Whites who essentially expressed the same opinions.
For example, Dan Wieden exclaimed the industry was fucked up in the area of inclusiveness, and he ultimately nabbed an ADCOLOR® trophy. Harry Webber pretty much said the same thing in 1969 and hasn’t been welcome in a White agency since. And although he’s made unprecedented contributions for diversity and equality, as well as produced award-winning campaigns, Webber has yet to be invited to an ADCOLOR® gala.
Jeff Goodby wondered, “Where Are All The Black People?”—and he received praise and accolades for asking. Sanford Moore has posed the question for decades and is still waiting to be thanked for his inquiries and groundbreaking achievements.
John Wren, Michael Roth, John Seifert and other advertising leaders have admitted there’s a lot of work to do in order to end the separate-but-unequal conditions. Lowell Thompson and Hadji Williams offered identical observations and suddenly found a lot less work.
Shunning the industry’s real heroes for human rights makes us look a little inhuman—and it definitely ain’t right.
MultiCultClassics read Mad Man by Jim Glover over eight months ago, yet never got around to posting a review. Apologies extended to Mr. Glover. At the same time, it was challenging to think of a unique critique, as Pepper Miller had already published a thorough and thoughtful perspective—prompting provocative comments from professionals including Derek Walker—and Harry Webber also offered a compelling viewpoint on the book. Anyway, that’s the lame excuse for any fuzziness or rambling that may follow here.
It’s important to first recognize that Jim Glover has done what only a handful of adpeople have accomplished in history: specifically, the man has thrived in multicultural/minority advertising agencies and general-market/White advertising agencies. Plus, Glover arguably realized greater success in the White shops (not to downplay the minority efforts). This is an achievement that probably no one can fully appreciate unless you’ve done it too, but the feat is definitely worth noting. While the notion of cross-cultural communications has suddenly become a new idea, Glover has always generated authentic messages that play across multiple audiences. Mad Man is a fresh example of Glover’s mastery of crossover appeal, as the book has the power to resonate with different audiences in different styles for different reasons.
On the most basic level, Mad Man can be categorized in the action/suspense genre, as lead character Randall Joseph winds through a complex maze of mystery, mishaps and adventure. The story features plenty of twists, turns, treachery, sex, schemes, guns, explosions and car chases. So for the casual and/or culturally clueless reader, the book will provide decent entertainment value.
Mad Man serves as social commentary on a number of levels. It’s a rant against toxic workplaces and asshole supervisors, which will certainly please enthusiasts of vehicles like Agency Spy, Horrible Bosses or even Glassdoor. Why, everyone enjoys fantasizing about exacting revenge on moronic managers. Glover’s piece reflects elements from works such as Knock the Hustle by Hadji Williams and The Spook Who Sat By The Door by Sam Greenlee too. Mad Man also probes the inequities and insults faced by minorities in the predominately White advertising industry. Hence, anyone concerned with the dearth of diversity on Madison Avenue will experience intellectual stimulation throughout the roughly 300 pages.
On extra levels, Mad Man is a generational account. AMC series Mad Men spotlights Madison Avenue in the 1960s, and Mad Man stars adpeople who ignited the 1970s and 1980s. Yes, the characters and situations are set in modern times, but there are underlying currents on aging in a business often deemed a young person’s game. Additionally, the book promotes factual and fictional components like a cross between Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers and Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow. (Okay, maybe the Turow comparison is not perfect, but it’s hard to name contemporary fictional works centered on the ad field.)
Mad Man straddles the fence of rumors and gossip as well. The book jacket positions it as “The Exciting New Thriller That Madison Avenue Doesn’t Want You To Read.” Certain agency bigwigs may not want the story perused either. People familiar with the Chicago advertising community will have little trouble identifying the real honchos who influenced the fabrication of key figures in the tale. Can’t imagine the book will help Glover land future gigs at Leo Burnett or DDB, provided he ever wants to return to his previous employers.
In some respects, Mad Man appears to be a form of therapy for the author, exploring and exposing a range of feelings covering family, career, self-worth, dignity and human existence. The advertising business introduces a unique series of trials and tribulations that constantly test one’s spirit. From the opening scene of an associate’s suicide to the afterword that reveals personal inspirations, Mad Man allows Randall Joseph and Jim Glover to contemplate the meaning of life as an adman.
It’s hard to guess what’s next for Jim Glover. Will he continue to invent campaigns, join the copywriters who became authors or land somewhere else entirely? For now, Mad Man is another terrific milestone in a great career—and a special book that will delight a variety of readers in myriad ways.
Coke Taps Mutt for Mello Yello
The shop was formed by ex-Wieden staffers
By Noreen O’Leary
Mutt, a Portland, Ore., startup launched by three ex-Wieden + Kennedy execs, has won Coca-Cola’s Mello Yello brand after a review. It could not be determined which other agencies participated in the pitch.
Mutt’s founders are former Wieden executive creative director Steve Luker; creative director Michael McCommon and director of planning and research Scott Cromer.
Mello Yello, a citrus-flavored soft drink, has not been advertised in 17 years. Mutt’s first work is expected in March.
Mutt, which opened its doors on Feb. 14, also works for Paciugo, a Dallas-based gelato chain, and a local architect, Skylab.
“We started in the middle of this recession but there are still so many opportunities in this economic landscape,” said Luker. “Clients are really up for change: Look at Mello Yello taking a chance with a startup. We’re very optimistic.”
At Wieden, Luker worked on Nike in the U.S. and Latin America, Coca Cola, Starbucks and Target; McCommon was on Nike and Electronic Arts; and Cromer led strategy in new business efforts, helping the agency win the Coke, Diet Coke, Heineken and CareerBuilder accounts.
Before Wieden, Luker and McCommon worked together at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, where they relaunched HP after its merger with Compaq. Prior to Goodby, the two teamed up at Hal Riney & Partners on clients like Discovery.com, HP, Sacramento Kings and Saturn.
Quick: What do you call five White ad pros starting an agency? A boutique. What do you call five Black ad pros starting an agency? The boutique's Black subcontractor.
“[The issue of diversity] continues to gnaw at me because, like it or not, in this business I essentially hire a bunch of White, middle-class kids, pay them enormous, enormous sums of money to do what? To create messages to the inner-city kids who create the culture the White kids are trying like hell to emulate. But if you go into the inner city, odds are these kids aren’t even going to see advertising as a possibility, as an opportunity for them. Now that’s fucked up.”
Quaker Awards $110M Account to Juniper Park
Capping Bad Day for Goodby, Incumbent Shop Loses Business After Just One Year
By Rupal Parekh
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Quaker Foods has shifted creative duties on its $110 million portfolio of brands—including Quaker Oats, previously handled by Goodby Silverstein & Partners—to roster shop Juniper Park, Toronto.
The news comes as Goodby today lost out on its bid for the $204 million Volkswagen account, which went to Interpublic Group of Cos.’ Deutsch, Los Angeles.
The move is the marketer’s second agency shift within a year, though it has remained within the Omnicom Group family of agencies. The holding company’s Element 79, Chicago, was founded in 2001 to handle the Quaker business, and the shop hung onto it until it shifted one year ago to sibling Goodby in San Francisco. Juniper Park is an offshoot of Omnicom’s BBDO Worldwide.
In a statement, Kirsten Lynch, chief marketing officer at Quaker, said the new agency brings “strong strategic skills, a deep understanding of our consumer, and a track record of outstanding creative for PepsiCo.” Representatives for Goodby and Juniper Park could not be immediately reached.
For Juniper Park, the win further solidifies its relationship with Quaker parent PepsiCo; the shop has been working with the beverage and food giant since 2007, handling work for brands under Pepsi’s Frito-Lay North America division, including Lay’s potato chips and the SunChips brand.
Earlier this year, Juniper Park picked up creative for a couple of Quaker Foods brands such as Rice-A-Roni side dishes and Quaker rice snacks. Now it will assume ad duties for the full portfolio, which includes the famous Quaker Oats brand, Cap’n Crunch and Life cereals, and Chewy granola bars.
PepsiCo spent more than $110 million in domestic measured media on its Quaker Foods portfolio in 2008, down from about $140 million in 2007, according to TNS Media Intelligence.
Why Can’t Ethnic-Owned Shops Be Agencies of Record?
Hadji Williams Offers Six Popular Excuses
By Hadji Williams
Since the 1930s there’s been one major yet unspoken requirement for U.S.-based agencies to become an agency of record for a general-market client: Your agency must be a majority White-staffed and -owned shop.
With a couple of exceptions, a Fortune 1,000 company will almost never retain an ethnic-owned shop as its AOR for general market pieces of business. Furthermore, few ethnic shops have ever even been allowed to compete for the chance.
Now this wouldn’t be so bad except for the fact that general-market spend nearly 95% of their budgets with White-owned agencies, which relegates Black-, Hispanic- and Asian-owned shops to beg/fight over the remaining 5% slice of the pie.
So why the disparities? Well, the excuses have been numerous. Here’s a look at the Top 6:
Excuse No. 1: Black Ad Agencies are too small to be AORs.
Quick: What do you call five White ad pros starting an agency? A boutique. What do you call five Black ad pros starting an agency? The boutique’s Black subcontractor.
I’ve worked on over 60 new-biz pitches over my career. New business is about getting laid—and everyone lies on the first date. For most White agencies, touting global capabilities is like Paris Hilton saying she owns hotels—her daddy owns hotels, she’s just the name. Secondly, some of the creative work that helps land accounts is often done by hired guns (like me). As for their “core competencies,” you can thank their holding company’s roster or so-called strategic alliances for the extra muscle.
Every big shop is just a small shop that won a couple AOR gigs. Unless you’re a Black small shop, in which case you don’t get that chance.
Excuse No. 2: Black agencies aren’t good enough to be AORs.
Black agency creative sucks. There, I said it. Most won’t, fearing being labeled “racist,” but it’s true (and I’m Black, so I can say it and you can’t. Deal with it.). But seriously, a lot of work that comes out of Black agencies just isn’t very good. (God knows I’ve done some crap. But I’ve done great work, too. So have a lot of Black creatives. And Latinos and Asians…)
A big reason most Black creative work is so bad so often is that Black agencies are forced to translate and adapt general-market executions and strategies to their audiences whether the strategies are relevant or the work’s any good or not. (Nothing creates crappy creative like having to boilerplate someone else’s idea with a fraction of the budget in a fraction of the time.)
But despite all those handicaps, the crap coming out of ethnic shops doesn’t hold a candle to the sheer volume of garbage cranked out by general-market shops.
But truth be told, general-market shops have turned brand-killing, clutter-creating and off-base strategies into sweet sciences—out of sheer trial and error, if nothing else. Yet general-market shops will continue getting the chance to jump every shark and miss the broadside of as many barns as they want mainly because they’re not Black.
Excuse No. 3: Black agencies lack the mainstream insights/connections needed to be AORs.
No minority survives without being able to understand and adapt to the majority’s cultures, standards and values. That’s true of every aspect of any society—and the advertising industry is no different. People of color have survived and thrived in America since Day One because we’ve had no choice but to understand and adapt to White America’s ideas, ideals, values, mores, etc. But somehow once we hit the doors of an ad agency, that skill set goes away?
Also, lemme get this straight: General-market shops and clients can jack everything including the kitchen sink from Black culture for profit and cool points, then claim Black shops filled with the same folks who create the culture they ripped off can’t do the same?
In 2009, clients and general-market shops alike still rationalize making Black agencies translate often-irrelevant general-market campaigns for Black audiences and call the process “integrated.”
Conversely, recent industry studies have shown that more and more work created by Black agencies targeting Black audiences actually resonates equally well with White consumers.
Excuse No. 4: Black Agencies are too “unprofessional” to be AORs.
Heard it. Seen hints of it, too. Funny thing is, when White shops dress in non-business attire, rock faux-hawks, goatees and pepper their pitches with mood boards and silly buzzwords, they’re labeled as “hip.” When Black shops rock trendy clothes, use insider-ish lingo and nontraditional work approaches, they’re labeled “unprofessional.” When general-market shops fail it’s “the consumer didn’t get it” or “but the research said…” If Black Agencies were afforded half the excuses general-market shops are allowed to make, they’d enjoy twice the billings they have now.
Excuse No. 5: Black Agencies are too “race obsessed” to be AORs.
Working at general-market shops and dealing with general-market clients always reminds me of one thing: Most White people still think the world revolves (or should revolve) around their view of it. For example:
When a general-market shops say “18- to 34-year-olds,” unless ethnicity is specified, they mean White 18- to 34-year-olds and whoever else follows suit. It’s why we use handles like Soccer moms, Gen-Xers, X-Gamers, Tweeners, Baby Boomers, Nascar Dads, etc., and claim we’re targeting everyone. But when you note that ethnic consumers of color might be overlooked by these efforts, out comes the hand-wringing, backtracking and occasional crocodile tears and confused stares.
Why?
General-market shops are still largely filled with and run by White liberals who, like the Democratic Party, take Black folks for granted (beyond talking about how rotten their alternatives are), while general-market clients seem content to treat Black agencies as tax write-offs. The process creates ad efforts that are more remix-the-GM shop’s work and pseudo-kumbaya PR ploy than legit partnership. And with 40-plus-million Hispanics to court, this biased indifference now has a lucrative backdoor to snake out through.
Excuse No. 6: The economy/changing landscape is tough …
I know, I know, money’s tight and budgets are being cut across the board. Plus the internet is killing everyone, too. Cuts have to be made.
So why not start with the companies and communities you don’t respect as equals and take for granted? After all, if you can keep the consumers and cut the agencies, vendors, media outlets out of the equation, that’s “good business,” right?
In the end, Black Agencies and marketing/PR firms (the good ones, at least) don’t want (or need) to be handed their crowns in the manner Donny Deutsch and other Whites got theirs. All they need and deserve is to have their insights and talents respected enough to be taken seriously—first as human beings; second as professionals, and thirdly, as assets to the brand-building process.
Also, if Blacks can dedicate nearly 85% of their some $700 billion in annual spending power to general market companies (nearly 85% of every Black dollar goes for non-Black businesses) and endorse general-market products on camera, then why can’t Black professionals get an equitable shot at building those brands behind the scenes?
Lemme leave you all with a challenge:
If general-market shops are really so great, then why not end the White-skin privilege and start developing work that doesn’t co-opt cultures of folks you won’t even hire? Why not open up the pitch process across the board and let the best shop, regardless of color, win?
Otherwise, let’s just re-post the Whites Only signs at the receptionists’ desk. At least then, we’d be putting some truth back into advertising.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hadji Williams is a 17-year advertising industry vet and author of ”Knock The Hustle.” As a copywriter, he’s built brands, helped win and maintain accounts … and has even managed to tell the truth. He can be reached at: hadji@knockthehustle.com
