13497: Pharrell Williams Goes Platinum.

HYPEBEAST reported American Express named Pharrell Williams as Creative Director of its Platinum Card. Isn’t Ogilvy & Mather the AOR for American Express? Maybe Ogilvy Worldwide CEO John Seifert will try to count the appointment as a diversity win. Once again, it’s easy for Blacks to land a job in advertising—provided they have A-list celebrity status.

Pharrell Williams Is the New Creative Director of American Express Platinum Card

The versatile artist takes on another role.

By Joanna Fu

The multi-talented Pharrell Williams has many titles under his belt. In addition to musician, producer, fashion designer, CFDA style icon and Chanel model, the artist can now add creative director of American Express Platinum Card to his repertoire. Earlier this morning, American Express announced the news, commenting that Williams will bring “his creative vision and style to inspire and guide the global experiences, access and services that the Platinum Card is renowned for providing.” Having witnessed the success Pharrell has generated from previous business collaborations such as G-Star RAW, adidas Originals and many more, the multinational financial service corporation anticipates Pharrell’s professional experience and artistic vision to guide Amex user experiences and events that will help propel the premium consumer lifestyle. “Like many of our card members, he’s traveled the globe, he has an amazing imagination and he loves to discover and share new experiences,” commented Janey Whiteside of American Express. “I’m excited to be partnering with such a globally respected brand as American Express,” said Pharrell, in a statement.

12950: A Heritage Of Ignorance.

In keeping with the arguably dumb decision to celebrate Native American Heritage Month in November with Thanksgiving, MultiCultClassics presents advertising and marketing featuring descendants of the true founding fathers (and mothers).

Ralph Lauren displayed cultural cluelessness in classic style.

Victoria’s Secret exposed insensitive ignorance on the catwalk.

Folks were not feeling happy with Pharrell and Elle.

Natural American Spirit appears to be smoking something strange by insisting the brand shows its Native American spirit via philanthropic support.

The Washington Redskins fumbled by saluting Thanksgiving, prompting a salute from MultiCultClassics.

The Land O’ Lakes Indian Maiden escaped one White advertising agency, only to be taken captive by another.

All of which warrants closing out with a little cry.

12345: Creativity 50 Is 100% Crazy.

Advertising Age presented, “Creativity 50 2014: The Most Creative People of the Year” along with copy that read:

Presenting Our Annual Review of the Most Influential and Innovative Creative Thinkers and Doers

We examined a broad swath of disciplines, from art and advertising, to entertainment and technology, to pop culture and fashion, in order to pinpoint the individuals and teams—and even married couples—who have evolved the creative landscape over the last 12 months. Their art, ads, tunes, films and ideas got us thinking, connecting, singing and creating some more. We hope they'll provide all of you with inspiration for the year to come.

As the photos above and below illustrate, Creativity 50 2014 includes a hodgepodge of folks. Must admit to having not noticed this annual list in the past. Why does Ad Age deem itself qualified to pass judgment on such a collection of luminaries? Of course, the majority of Black honorees are noted celebrities and artists versus adpeople. Which begs the question, “How can you put Kara Walker and Pharrell Williams in the same company as David Droga and Ted Royer?” That’s like matching Marie Curie and Albert Einstein with Harry Dunne and Lloyd Christmas.

11902: What The Elle, Pharrell.

From DiversityInc…

Pharrell Williams Wears an American Indian Headdress on the Cover of Elle UK, Twitter Creates Hashtag #NotHappy in Response

By Julissa Catalan

Pop star and producer Pharrell Williams has had an amazing year in the public eye, with the commercial success of his single “Happy” and the countless other hits he’s produced—that is, until now.

Williams is featured on Elle UK’s July cover, with the magazine saying its choice of Williams for the cover is “continuing the tradition of featuring cult male icons.”

But photos of the singer wearing a traditional American Indian war bonnet have gone viral and sparked controversy, with the media condemning Williams for misappropriating another culture.

The #NotHappy campaign was created on Twitter within minutes of the photo’s release, where American Indians and fan voiced their disapproval.

Williams has especially become a fashion icon over the last year for popularizing his signature Vivienne Westwood Buffalo hat, aka the Smokey the Bear hat—which he explains is actually an ode to Malcolm McLaren’s Buffalo Gals’ video.

In fact, the singer insists he wore, and was photographed in, that same hat years ago, but that “no one was paying attention at the time.”

Many have been quick to assume Williams is the latest pop star to join the ranks of celebrities like Heidi Klum—who was recently called racist for posting photos of a ‘Redface’ photoshoot—as well as Katy Perry, Avril Lavigne, Nick Cannon and Macklemore, who were also under fire for using another culture’s garb as a costume.

However, in an interview with O Magazine back in 2012, Williams was quoted as saying he has “Native American and Egyptian heritages.”

But according to Indian Country, having native ancestry is not enough, because “not all Indians wear feather headdresses” and “feathers are earned over the course of one’s lifetime.”

The artist released a statement addressing the headdress controversy, simply saying: “I respect and honor every kind of race, background and culture. I am genuinely sorry.”

9232: Pharrell Williams Starts Pure Bullshit.

Pharrell Williams blathers on about starting pure with a blank canvas in this Smirnoff commercial. The spot starts by drawing a blank in the conceptual department and turns into pure bullshit. Williams looks like he wishes he could snap his fingers and disappear, which he actually does—although nearly 58 seconds too late.

9025: Pharrell Williams Is Serving Drinks.

Add Pharrell Williams to the hip hop artists hawking booze. Snoop Dogg has Colt 45 Blast, Diddy does Cîroc Vodka, Jay-Z handled Budweiser Select—and the list goes on. Williams’ drink, called Qream, targets women. The artist declared, “Qream was created for contemporary women who work hard and want to relax with friends at the end of the day. I want them to reward themselves deliciously. Women make up half the population and Qream is about celebrating that power.” Works every time.

Here’s the news story from NME:

Pharrell Williams launches ‘women’s only’ alcoholic drink

The N.E.R.D man announces ‘Qream’

Producer and N.E.R.D man Pharrell Williams has launched an alcoholic drink just for women.

The drink, called Qream, is being launched in conjunction with drinks giant Diageo. As well as developing the cream liqueur’s flavour, the producer is said to be designing the bottle along with having a hand in marketing and advertising.



He told Allhiphop:

“Qream was created for contemporary women who work hard and want to relax with friends at the end of the day. I want them to reward themselves deliciously. Women make up half the population and Qream is about celebrating that power. To work with Diageo in bringing something original like Qream and the notion of delicious living to market has been a thrill.”

The drink is set to come in two flavours; Strawberry Qream and Peach Qream. Diageo’s Director of Liqueurs Marketing, Anna MacDonald said: “Williams’ ability to interpret and deliver memorable experiences has the potential to allow Qream to become synonymous with women celebrating life with style, class and quality.”



The news comes after Elbow announced that they are currently brewing their own real ale.

8941: Cannes Color Commentary.

Closing Cannes Comments Collection:

• A White agency scored big with hip hop, as “Decode Jay-Z with Bing” secured Lions for Droga 5. The agency boasted phenomenal responses for Bing as a result of the campaign. Really? A few Facebook posts and Tweets by Jay-Z and his wife likely would have generated the same results. Regardless, it’s just another example of White agencies’ obsessive love for Black culture—which never seems to translate to hiring Black candidates.

• The most prominent Black Americans at Cannes were Pharrell Williams, Will.i.am and Jay-Z (represented by Droga 5). And CP+B probably held a special event in honor of Dr. Dre. Over the years, Will.i.am, Jay-Z and Sean Combs have been named creative directors for various brands. Even Steve Stoute’s career is rooted in urban recording arts. Guess the easiest way for Blacks to get promoted on Madison Avenue requires first becoming a premier hip-hop star.

• LatinWorks grabbed a couple of Lions, and other Latino shops reportedly shortlisted in categories. Did any Black shops come close?

8925: Pharrell Williams At Cannes Lions 2011.

Catch Pharrell Williams speaking on brands, entertainers and creativity.