16028: The Metrics & Data To Execute Bloodbaths Quickly.

Thanks to Oracle NetSuite, CFOs can confidently and quickly decide to cut staff—at advertising agencies, Meta, Twitter and more. Hell, the creative team responsible for this social advertisement probably got canned too.

15272: Definitely Not A Run-Of-The-Mill DEI Defender…

Adweek reported The Mill terminated the Managing Director of its Chicago office for ripping Republicans who didn’t support the president’s election reversal schemes via Twitter—including tweeted insults involving age, gender, race and ethnicity. Oddly enough, the ex-Mill executive had served on the DEI Committee of the production company, which boasts a strong commitment to equality and inclusion. The committee experience probably means she’ll land as some agency’s Chief Diversity Officer soon. Of course she will. Expect industry conservatives to cry discrimination too. Such a pathetic prejudiced paradox.

 

The Mill Fires Chicago Managing Director Over Tweets Supporting Trump’s Election Reversal

 

Erica Hilbert targeted Republicans who refused to stand with Trump and included a post saying, 'Coming for ya DC!'

 

By Erik Oster

 

One of the ad industry’s leading production studios has fired a key leader—who also served on the company’s diversity committee—following a series of tweets in which she expressed explicit support for Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 Presidential Election results.

 

The Mill confirmed to Adweek today that it has fired Erica Hilbert, managing director of its Chicago office, over her tweets, which have since been deleted, along with her Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. Among her alleged infractions, Hilbert reportedly posted a photo with the caption “Coming for ya DC!” shortly before the Jan. 6 protest that escalated into an attack on the U.S. Capitol

 

The Mill said her tweets were in direct opposition to the company’s values around diversity, equity and inclusion and violated its zero tolerance policy for derogatory comments related to age, gender, culture and race.

 

Hilbert was briefly suspended while The Mill conducted an internal investigation of the tweets in question. She was ultimately terminated from her leadership role.

 

“On Wednesday evening of last week we were made aware of social media content on Chicago Managing Director Erica Hilbert’s personal Twitter account that directly contravenes our values of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion here at The Mill,” a studio representative said in a statement to Adweek. “We immediately placed Erica on administrative leave, without contact with Mill employees or clients, as we sought to confirm the origin of the comments. While our drive for inclusion will always allow for differing points of view, these posts were derogatory of individuals’ age, gender, culture and race—something we have a zero tolerance policy for. As a result, we terminated Erica’s employment with The Mill.”

 

Specious claims mixed with vituperation

 

According to a source with knowledge of her deleted tweets, Hilbert expressed her support for Trump’s baseless claims of election fraud and viciously criticized Republican leaders who did not stand by the president and his extremist supporters. While Hilbert posted that she was “Coming for ya DC” with the #StopTheSteal hashtag popular among Trump’s supporters, there were no subsequent posts documenting whether she participated in the “March to Save America” protest or the assault on the Capitol building that ensued and led to the evacuation of the U.S. Congress, the source told Adweek.

 

Adweek has been unable to reach Hilbert for comment, due to the deletion of all her social media profiles.

 

Taunting Graham, Rubio

 

In writing about Hilbert’s termination, production news site Reel360 included what it said were screenshots of her tweets before they were deleted. In a tweet to Sen. Lindsey Graham, a staunch Trump ally who eventually spoke out against overturning election results, she reportedly tweeted: “Good luck old man! You’re donezo! #patrioticparty is taking over so back TFO!”

 

To Sen. Marco Rubio, another Republican who opted not to side with Trump’s election reversal, Reel360’s screenshot shows Hilbert tweeting: “No assist, fake news, you are a sucker and week [sic] and a sad excise [sic] for a Latino. Acknowledge the crowd. Acknowledge the fraud. You pussy!”

 

Hilbert had served as a member of The Mill’s official DEI Committee. However, she did not lead DEI efforts in Chicago or more broadly at the time of her firing. In her role as managing director for The Mill Chicago, Hilbert helped initiate an internal forum in the wake of the killing of Minneapolis resident George Floyd. That discussion was formalized into a monthly conversation around issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion by The Mill’s wider DEI task force.

 

Others have been fired across multiple industries since reportedly participating in the pro-Trump protest and ensuing riot at the Capitol. Maryland-based Navistar Direct Marketing announced Jan. 7 it had fired an employee shown wearing a company badge in photographs taken during the assault on the Capitol.

 

Last June, Publicis Media fired data analyst Stephanie Camello in response to tweets advocating for violence against Black Lives Matter protesters.

15100: Nathan Young Tweets And Tweaks ADCOLOR® With Truths.

Advertising Age reported 600 & Rising Co-Founder Nathan Young took heat for criticizing ADCOLOR® via Twitter, calling the organization “an awards ceremony completely divorced from reality that sells the story that progress is being made on diversity in advertising and buys cover for holding companies.” Hey, it should be interesting to see how Young fares at the upcoming virtual gala, as his efforts to date surely warrant an ADCOLOR® trophy nomination. Then again, has the organization ever really saluted revolutionary figures? Young’s commentary holds validity, given that Omnicom—the owner of ADCOLOR®—just admitted its Black representation is, well, light. Plus, ADCOLOR® honorees like John Siefert—as well as the numerous patronizing sponsors—have not exactly brought meaningful or measurable multicultural change to the industry, supporting Young’s perspective on buying cover via tax-deductible donations. And despite its self-promotion as a force for progress, ADCOLOR® did come to prominence with an awards ceremony. Sorry, but the organization has always held a Pollyannaish view on reality, arguably divorced from the cold truth of EEO-1 data. In the end, Young delivered old observations.

 

600 & Rising President Stumbles With Criticism Of ADCOLOR

 

By Ann-Christine Diaz

 

Since Nathan Young and Bennett D. Bennett founded 600 & Rising in June, their nonprofit has made considerable headway in encouraging agencies to take concrete action toward addressing systemic racism in the industry. The organization’s #CommitToChange campaign has prompted a number of agencies and holding companies to share their diversity data—not just for overall staff, but also for leadership positions. Such information is crucial to holding the industry accountable on its promises to increase equity for people of color. 

 

But yesterday, the organization stumbled when Young, its president, tweeted a criticism about the ADCOLOR awards, the advertising fete that has long celebrated the achievements of diverse industry professionals as well as work that has promoted diversity and inclusion. 

 

“@ADCOLOR is an awards ceremony completely divorced from reality that sells the story that progress is being made on diversity in advertising and buys cover for holding companies,” he wrote.

 

*whispers*@ADCOLOR is an awards ceremony completely divorced from reality that sells the story that progress is being made on diversity in advertising and buys cover for holding companies

 

— Nathan Young (@notnathan) July 29, 2020

 

The ADCOLOR organization was founded in 2005 by Tiffany R. Warren, who since February 2009 has also served as SVP-chief diversity officer at Omnicom. ADCOLOR has also strived to promote diversity and inclusion through mentoring programs including FUTURES, geared toward identifying and nurturing promising diverse talents. 

 

Young’s tweet sparked blowback from the industry, including those asserting that their careers have thrived thanks to ADCOLOR. Those include veteran media exec Michele Thornton Ghee, an ADCOLOR board member and former winner of the organization’s “Change Agent” honor.

 

“The work that the people of Adcolor have put in to clear a path for POC’s is undeniable,” she wrote. “I’m one of them. Then I hired people who look like me. Oh and now I have a firm that demands equity in the marketplace.”

 

Others saw a point to the issue Young brought up. 

 

“I mean ... you’re not wrong,” wrote Jennifer Ekeleme, founder of JennZen Co-Creation Studio. “This is a HARD conversation b/c I think we all like to believe that the celebration of survival in the industry solves problems ... but we know it doesn’t. I’m open to having a town hall about this.”

 

Ad Age reached out to ADCOLOR founder Warren, who declined to provide comment. 

 

By yesterday’s end, Young was apologetic about his statement in multiple subsequent tweets. “I didn’t make my critique of @ADCOLOR in the right way,” he wrote in one. “It felt like an attack, and of all orgs, @ADCOLOR doesn’t deserve that.”

 

Criticism is something I both dole out & take in daily. I believe that critique important, and that done the right way, it can accelerate conversations.

 

I didn’t make my critique of @ADCOLOR in the right way. It felt like an attack, and of all orgs, @ADCOLOR doesn’t deserve that

 

— Nathan Young (@notnathan) July 30, 2020

 

Ad Age reached out to Young for comment today but he deferred to a statement provided by 600 & Rising’s PR.

 

“As a co-founder of 600 & Rising, I am holding myself accountable to the Black talent and non-Black allies in the advertising and public relations industries who have trusted us to fight for change,” he said. “Our initial Call for Change open letter would not have been possible without their voices and support, and it is critical that we make space for them to be heard, reflected and respected in everything we do on our journey to battle systemic racism in the industry. I also want our peers—especially, the Black womxn who have been fighting this fight long before 600 & Rising was created—to know that I admire them and only hope to be able to add to the meaningful progress they’ve made. The extensive work and contributions to the cause by Black womxn cannot be erased nor overlooked.”

 

The organization this afternoon also sent out an email to its 3,800 Black and non-Black signatories, assuring that it supports “true equality and equity,” gives “space to intersectional experiences,” is collaborative and believes in transparency and real action.

 

Earlier this morning, 600 & Rising’s Bennett released his own apologetic statement on Twitter, saying he could not stand by his co-founder’s actions and asking the community “to continue to challenge us two Black men and the people standing with us on our board and advisory council to do right by you.”

 

It’s been a while, and I can’t be silent about what went down yesterday. So, my only statement about the issue on behalf of my peers at 600: pic.twitter.com/0TvkLOrYsb

 

— Bennett D. Bennett ♠️ (@BennettDBennett) July 30, 2020

 

Young’s admitted misstep brings to light the challenge of unifying diversity, equity and inclusion efforts—any social justice efforts, for that matter—among people and organizations of differing approaches and backgrounds who are striving for the same goal.

 

But from dialogue can come progress. As Curaleaf CMO and former Apple/Beats by Dre exec Jason White tweeted, “Lots of us old folks here to help. Hit me. We need the energy. We just need it pointed in the right direction. Let’s build.”

 

Lots of us old folks here to help. Hit me. We need the energy. We just neee it pointed in the right direction. Let’s build.

 

— Jason White (@jwhitelikes) July 29, 2020

 

Contributing: Lindsay Rittenhouse

15098: COVIDiots And Twits On Parade In Adland.

Advertising Age reported on Publicis Groupe Global Head of Futures and Insights Tom Goodwin, who tweeted insights on COVID-19 that might impact his future with the White holding company. Goodwin’s gripes included, “I find the total obsession with Covid deaths over all other deaths entirely gruesome.” The remarks inspired gruesome outrage from pseudo thought leaders like Kat Gordon and Wieden + Kennedy Co-President Colleen DeCourcy, who condemned Goodwin as a ‘splainer and declared, “There are not enough days in life to care about Tom Goodwin.” Of course, DeCourcy found enough time to deliver follow-up quotes to an Ad Age scribe. At his website, Goodwin explains, “It’s my job to understand how the world is and isn't changing and advise our Clients and our Worldwide Agency network what it means and how to best change for the future.” Okey-doke. Based on the story, Goodwin appears to be a bona fide douchebag. Gordon and DeCourcy, on the other hand, established their world-class stupidity long ago. Somebody should put all of these fools on lockdown already.

 

Publicis Groupe Exec Sparks Twitter Backlash After Criticizing ‘The Total Obsession With Covid Deaths”

 

By Lindsay Rittenhouse

 

Tom Goodwin, the head of futures and insight for Publicis Groupe, ignited a heated Twitter debate on Sunday involving some well-known industry executives after he criticized “the total obsession with Covid deaths over all other deaths” as “entirely gruesome.”

 

Goodwin wrote in the tweet, “I find the total obsession with Covid deaths over all other deaths entirely gruesome. 7500 Americans die every day but only the ones with this precise new Virus matter. (& excess mortality is now near zero).”

 

He continued in a thread, “Still finding it totally baffling that someone who dies from Covid is more preventable & thus more tragic than someone who dies of delayed cancer diagnosis or delayed surgery because of the lockdown, which is just how life is. & 2019 Influenza B deaths are less tragic why?”

 

A Publicis Groupe spokesperson said only, “His views are not reflective of the company’s.”

 

His tweets sparked a Twitter firestorm, though. R/GA U.S. Chief Strategy Officer Tom Morton was quick to respond to Goodwin, stating in a tweet: “Because it’s a new disease with no vaccine and no cure and 150,000 Americans are dead. Please no more clickbait contrarianism. You’re better than this.”

 

According to the latest figures from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been 154,471 deaths in the U.S. related to coronavirus.

 

Goodwin then went off on Morton, who subsequently retweeted the Publicis exec’s response with the statement: “I guess this is the end of me and Tom Goodwin’s professional correspondence.” Several industry executives then jumped into the debate and to Morton’s defense, including Wieden + Kennedy Chief Creative Officer and Co-President Colleen DeCourcy, The 3% Movement Founder Kat Gordon and Stink Studios CEO-Partner Mark Pytlik.

 

Morton did not respond to a request for comment. Goodwin, though, told Ad Age that Morton blocked him on Twitter following the argument and that he would “welcome the chance to talk to him about any aspects of what he’s put, either in public or private.”

 

Goodwin had responded to Morton with a series of tweets including: “Apologies for caring about the thousands dying from suicide, delayed cancer treatment, delayed ‘elective’ surgery etc, its not fucking contrarianism, is basic morality. Get off your lofty perch & give a shit about the vulnerable— Your sourdough baking homeschooling works well for YOU.”

 

“Seriously Tom, your double income, working from home, moral high ground judgment makes me fucking sick,” Goodwin continued in his Twitter thread response which was retweeted by Morton. “Do you think I’m trying to jerk off to the S&P500 or do you think maybe I have a little more empathy &can see life in tatters in all directions, well beyond the Hudson valley.”

 

Goodwin concluded in his tweets against Morton, “By all means think I’m wrong, argue with the data, but never ever doubt my intentions and NEVER think this is simple.”

 

“I’m a big believer in conversations about vital topics and to learn from the debate,” Goodwin told Ad Age. “Changing your own opinions from conversation is better than maintaining it, it means you’ve learned something.”

 

“Rest assured I mean nothing personal. I, like many of us, am just painfully aware a lot of people are really really suffering right now,” Goodwin continued in an email. “We use lines like ‘we’re all in this together’, and I’m not totally sure we’re doing our gifts of empathy justice. The homeless around Penn Station grow ever more gaunt, drug addiction hotlines get overwhelmed, the elderly are feeling more isolated by the day, kids below the digital divides see their chance of changing generational wealth gaps evaporate. The value we bring to our clients comes from understanding the world and most from REALLY understanding people. It’s our job to see why people would vote for Trump when it seems illogical, to see why people don’t want to wear masks, to drink with Border agents, to do trends decks from Dollar General and from Hudson Yards.”

 

‘Not leadership’

 

DeCourcy, one of the execs who came to Morton’s defense, argued though that the way in which Goodwin responded to Morton was “not leadership.” 

 

“Everyone is entitled to their opinion and debate can be a productive tool,” she told Ad Age. “Tom Goodwin’s ego takes those things to ugly places.”

 

DeCourcy noted that she does not personally know Goodwin but called Morton “a kind and thoughtful member of the advertising community.”

 

Goodwin has never seemed to shy away from voicing his opinion publicly and often his tweets can be seen as incendiary. On July 30, for example, he commented on companies’ ineffective ability to “sell” via Zoom: “I don’t really care why you started the company, who you are, who backed you, just show me the thing. It’s not rocket science.”

 

Pytlik, in defense of Morton, had wrote in a tweet: “Ah yes, all that grandstanding and extreme whataboutery was merely the sign of *checks notes* a more empathetic man.”

 

DeCourcy wrote, “There are not enough days in life to care about Tom Goodwin.” Gordon wrote, of Goodwin, that she “dropped him recently when he parentsplained me and he has no kids,” to which DeCourcy responded: “He’s a ‘splainer.”

 

Seemingly in response to the debate he sparked, Goodwin tweeted out a series of posts on Monday stating, for example, “Not sure what the point of a voice is if you are not going to use it for what you believe to be right,” and affirming his views are his own and “not representative of a Publicis POV.” Goodwin was named head of futures and insight for Publicis Groupe in January after having served four years as executive VP and head of innovation for the holding company-owned Zenith Media.

15033: Industry Voices Tweet In Style On Racism.

Adweek spotlighted industry opinions regarding the responses—or lack of responses—from White advertising agencies to the racism-rooted events roiling the nation. Derek Walker tweeted his perspectives in his spirited style. Meanwhile, Cindy Gallop jumped on the bandwagon in her opportunistic style—hey, where was her bravado back in the day when she actually had hiring authority? Cue chirping crickets.

14909: When Donny Met Katty—An Exhibition Of Stupidity.

AgencySpy posted about Kat Gordon getting catty with Donny Deutsch by tweeting, “Donny Deutsch is Exhibit A for why @3PercentConf exists.” Okay, but Exhibits B-Z include generating revenue and attention via certification stunts, patronizing promotions and endless opportunities for the self-absorbed Gordon to demonstrate she’s a pseudo thought leader.

14502: BHM 2019—Republicans And Democrats Display Bipartisan Bullshit.

The GOP took heat for its Black History Month tweet. The Democrats’ inadvertent BHM message wasn’t much better.

14479: Jayanta Jenkins Jumps To HP.

From Adweek…

Jayanta Jenkins Joins HP as Global Executive Creative Director

Former Twitter marketing lead will work across all business units

By Doug Zanger

Long-tenured agency and brand creative leader Jayanta Jenkins has joined HP as its global executive creative director. The role will see him work across all of HP’s business units to develop continued continuity in the brand’s communications. Jenkins will report to Karen Kahn, HP’s chief communications officer.

Jenkins, who started his career on the agency side with The Martin Agency, Wieden+Kennedy and TBWA\Chiat\Day, most recently served as global group creative director at Twitter for just over two years and spent a year in a similar role at Beats by Dre. Additionally, Jenkins is a co-founder of the Saturday Morning collective that includes 72andSunny ecd Keith Cartwright, former R/GA Los Angeles ecd Geoff Edwards and Amusement Park founder Jimmy Smith.

According to Jenkins, the opportunity to join the brand came about organically and made sense as he “has been a big fan of HP for quite some time.” He noted some standout work including past campaigns featuring Jay-Z and more recent work such as “The Wolf” with Christian Slater, as well as the tech giant’s consistently impactful “Reinvent Mindsets” diversity and inclusion marketing.

“I love the emotional storytelling [HP] does, and it’s exactly where my heart is,” he said.

On the latter, Jenkins feels that inclusion is “built into the culture [at HP], and … there’s no box-checking. It’s an approach and behavior” as opposed to some other companies that are “saying the right things, or putting the right things on the walls as a veneer.”

“I think organizationally [in Silicon Valley], there are still a lot of challenges that are very well alive when it comes to embracing inclusion and diversity,” he noted. “But the good news is that it comes down to the output of the work and then being able to show up and demonstrate. I’ve been able to see some things, informed some discussion, raise bars and open doors in a wonderful way.”

Much like his time at Twitter—where he moved from sports and product marketing to technology—Jenkins says that this latest role is filled with the unknown, yet he believes it to be more of a strength and an enhancement to his long creative career.

“I think that’s where the spark of growth happens,” he said. “And my biggest asset in this experience in looking forward is, ultimately, being willing to embrace an uncomfortable feeling while being curious. I’ve found a really comfortable place for myself in tech by being uncomfortable. That’s what I’m thriving on, and I love these types of challenges.”

Jenkins will continue to work on Saturday Morning projects with Cartwright, Edwards, Smith and recent addition, Deja Cox, a brand agent at Observatory (formerly CAA Marketing). The group is planning to release a new campaign for P&G that has been in the works and continues to seek other partnerships to add to the roster that includes Twitter and Spotify.

14361: CUL8R VMLY&R—God-Is Gone.

Advertising Age reported VMLY&R Director of Inclusion and Cultural Resonance God-Is Rivera will join Twitter as Global Director of Culture and Community. The lengthy job titles make it tough to tweet a suitable announcement in 140 characters.

“Her efforts will live on and thrive,” said VMLY&R Global CEO Jon Cook, viewing Rivera’s departure as an opportunity to evolve her role. “The replacement could come in all sorts of forms. I’m excited about the possibilities. What God-is and all the teams around her have created give us so many options on what’s next.” Yes, the mashup of one of the first White advertising agencies to gain certification from The 3% Movement and the White advertising agency responsible for “A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste” should make for a diversity and inclusion breakthrough in adland. Then again, the new brand experience shop just lost a minority and a woman—a double whammy—which technically offsets any alleged progress.

God-is Rivera departing VMLY&R to join Twitter

By Megan Graham

God-is Rivera is leaving WPP agency VMLY&R to join Twitter as its global director of culture and community, a new role at the company.

Rivera — herself a prolific tweeter with an impressive command of GIF reactions — will be responsible for ensuring Twitter’s campaigns and programs are “connective, inclusive and reflective” of communities it serves, Twitter said in a statement. She’ll also be working on relationships and programs with outside individuals and organizations — projects like #HereWeAre, which kicked off early this year at CES after the tech conference had not featured any solo female keynotes.

The departure comes a month after WPP merged VML with sibling shop Y&R.

Bronx native Rivera joined VML in 2016 in a social media strategy role (she’s also worked at iCrossing and Austin-based T3), but after trying to get her agency to talk more openly about issues of inclusion and diversity, her role eventually evolved into the director of inclusion and cultural resonance. She’s been a frequent speaker at industry events on those topics.

Rivera told Ad Age she’s had a relationship with Twitter for some time; she took part in a panel on #BlackTwitter at Advertising Week NYC last year and spoke at Twitter’s #OneTeam summit this summer.

She says the new gig is somewhat of a “graduation” of what she was doing before.

“I feel that although the challenges are much bigger in scale, [Twitter has] a larger platform to address them,” she says.

Rivera describes her new role as an interaction between brand communications and experiential — “so that we can bring the energy of Twitter communities and their voices both on and off the platform,” she says. She hopes to use that to connect with communities on topics like voting or the Flint water crisis.

VMLY&R global CEO Jon Cook says Rivera “selflessly advanced a progressive mindset and approach to belongingness and personal expression to the benefit of VMLY&R and our entire industry.”

“Her efforts will live on and thrive,” he says. Cook says the agency will use her departure as a chance to doing a next evolution of the role. “The replacement could come in all sorts of forms. I’m excited about the possibilities. What God-is and all the teams around her have created give us so many options on what’s next.”

Rivera adds that her appointment is a reminder that tech companies can look to people from different industries or who have different backgrounds, not just those already working in the sector. “I’m really proud to be a black woman leading this effort at Twitter,” she says.

14211: Cannes Cons XIII.

A MultiCultClassics visitor pointed to this tweet featuring Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity winners celebrating the Film Grand Prix and Titanium awards for the “It’s a Tide Ad” campaign. Based on the diversity of the group, maybe it’s a Tide with Bleach ad.

14169: Don’t Sleep On This.

Roseanne Barr’s “Ambien tweeting” excuse takes unconscious bias to a new level. Employees at White advertising agencies should be cautioned to avoid using Ambien while attending mandated diversity training.

14089: No Chance For Heineken.

Advertising Age reported Chance the Rapper was offered a Global Brand Ambassador-Creative Director position with Heineken—and the artist graciously declined, bucking the trend of Black recording artists landing advertising roles.

“I think some companies are purposely hiring Black artists so they can get more street cred. And that shit is racist/bogus, so I guess I shouldn’t help by playing along,” tweeted the rapper. “But I gotta just say tho. Heineken is terribly racist omg.”

Heineken responded to the rejection quickly, offering the same position to MC Hammer, although for considerably less money.

Meanwhile, White advertising agency Publicis has pledged to continue looking for Blacks to hire too.

13844: Tweeting For Diversity…?

Campaign reported on an Advertising Week panel spotlighting the power and influence of Black Twitter. Is this really a new discussion topic? For many decades, Black advertising agencies especially have stressed how Blacks create culture and originate trends in society at large. The panel also stressed that Black Twitter could be a recruiting source for White advertising agencies seeking to diversify. Maybe. Creating content via social media does not necessarily translate to producing advertising—hell, the two disciplines are almost in conflict with each other. Perhaps it would be simpler for every White holding company to commit to annually integrate 140 characters of color into their ranks.

Advertising won’t get better until it stops ‘sleeping on’ Black Twitter

By Zoë Beery

Five panelists at Advertising Week weigh in on a talent-rich community too long ignored.

Few communities drive culture faster right now than Black Twitter. The large, amorphous community of social media users who filter the world through the black experience have given us now-ubiquitous words like “fleek” and “bae” and memes like the Mannequin Challenge, helping to create the digital-first language we now all speak. They’ve been here, creating culture, for years. They’re just not getting credit for it. And they’re certainly not getting paid.

At Advertising Week’s “Woke, Lit & Ready” panel on Tuesday afternoon, black executives and creatives from five companies sat down to talk about how the overlooking of Black Twitter by agencies has created an atmosphere of failed campaigns, underserved markets and all-white teams—and why advertising, in the words of McCann’s Chief Diversity Officer Singleton Beato, “has to stop sleeping on this talent.”

The first point of business was to define what Black Twitter is. First off, it’s not a separate app called Black Twitter, and not everyone who is black and on Twitter is part of Black Twitter. “It’s a group of people who identify with the black experience and come together to analyze, strategize and mobilize black culture and identity,” explained God-Is Rivera, VML’s director of inclusion and culture resonance. “If you don’t know it, you can’t find it, and it’s really pushed forward culture” over the last few years.

Moderated by VML global CEO John Cook, who wondered aloud why he, a white man, was heading the panel, the discussion moved to advertising’s failure to include black voices in projects. Without this, said GIPHY’s Culture Editor Jasmyn Lawson, a campaign is almost guaranteed to fall flat. “We know when we’re an afterthought. We can tell when it’s real, not a response or reaction or trying to play us.” She pointed to the many makeup brands who, following the unprecedented success of Fenty Beauty, scrambled to promote their darker foundation shades after years of entirely ignoring that market. “If you make one post with a dark-skinned girl but the rest of your Instagram feed is all white women, it’s obvious. Admit you’ve missed a market and ask what you can do for a whole campaign, rather than one post or one mention to cover your ass.”

Even worse than a campaign that transparently falls flat is one that tokenizes its target market—which, the panelists again stressed, happens when members of that demographic are excluded from the development process. “Think about what tone-deafness is: it’s laziness. It shows to the community that you didn’t even try,” said Tiyale Hayes, the SVP of consumer insights at BET. “That’s where the insult is. I’m giving you my money, and the best you could give me was chicken?”

Exacerbating that insult are the rising number of good campaigns, like Pantene’s Gold Series and Hamburger Helper’s Twitter account, that nail it. “When [a bad campaign] is juxtaposed against someone who got it, you look even worse. The fact that people are finally doing it right raises the bar,” added Hayes.

Several times, the conversation returned to the failure of agencies to draw from Black Twitter’s vibrant talent pool despite industry hand-wringing over its deep lack of diversity. These users have demonstrated track records of content creation and engagement across a variety of formats, but firms won’t consider hiring them based on such clearly successful executions because they lack traditional resumes and portfolios. That has to change, the panelists agreed.

“Someone’s funny, quick and acid-tongued? That’s a copywriter,” said VML’s Rivera. “All the fan artwork for things like ‘Black Panther’? Those are art directors. They just look different than what we’re used to seeing.” Worsening the problem are outdated ideas about how to engage with consultants and form relationships, she continued. “Does everyone have to be an FTE or already have a specific piece of business? No—[we should] partner with people to create relationships with communities. Don’t wait for business, don’t wait for an open spot.”

And even if those creatives are brought onboard, they won’t want to stay if the atmosphere is still hostile. “There’s a responsibility we have as an industry to create an internal culture where people who can speak to these audiences feel they have a safe environment to share so we get the messaging right,” said Beato.

The payoff, panelists said, is clear: hire authentic black voices and you’ll get authentic campaigns that drive enthusiastic engagement. Creators get credit for their work, and brands develop a reputation for understanding how to connect with an audience like Black Twitter. It all starts, reiterated Hayes, with a shift in perspective.

“You have to check yourself and ask yourself if you’re seeing beauty in people. When you see the black woman working in [your firm’s] cafeteria, do you see beauty in her? Because if you’re not seeing beauty in the cafeteria woman”—or the thousands of other working-class people who fuel Black Twitter—“you’re not seeing the community.”

13816: Surveying Failure.

A MultiCultClassics visitor pointed to an Advertising Week 2017 tweet inviting people to take a survey allegedly designed to assess how far the advertising industry needs to go in terms of diversity and inclusion. The survey inadvertently delivered on its objective, as the questions are primarily focused on diverted diversity—that is, the promotion of White women—and essentially ignore the racial and ethnic inequality that has forever plagued adland. In short, the survey perfectly reflects the industry’s true interest in diversity and inclusion. It’s also important to remember that Advertising Week 2006 served as a backdrop when the New York City Commission on Human Rights sent subpoenas to agency executives as part of an investigation into the lack of Blacks on Madison Avenue. The decline of Black representation in the field underscores the “progress” made over the past decade—and ultimately shows how far the advertising industry needs to go in terms of diversity and inclusion. But hey, survey participants can provide data to confirm the obvious and receive a $5 Starbucks Gift Card for their efforts, which is $5 more than the average Black person will ever see from Madison Avenue.

13786: A Trumpeting Twit.

Bloomberg News reported Merck CEO Ken Frazier bailed out of President Donald Trump’s Council of Manufacturing Executives to protest Trump’s slow response in condemning the racism behind the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia. Trump immediately dissed Frazier via Twitter by declaring, “Now that Ken Frazier of Merck Pharma has resigned from President’s Manufacturing Council, he will have more time to LOWER RIPOFF DRUG PRICES!” Classy. If Trump ever resigns the presidency, he will have more time to LOWER RIPOFF HOTEL & CASINO PRICES!

Merck CEO Quits Trump Council Over Response to Charlottesville Violence

Merck & Co.’s CEO resigned from President Donald Trump’s council of manufacturing executives Monday, saying “America’s leaders must honor our fundamental values” by rejecting expressions of hatred, bigotry and group supremacy. He was almost immediately attacked by Trump on Twitter.

Following a weekend of violence in Virginia involving white supremacist groups that Trump has been criticized for not taking a forceful enough stand against, Merck CEO Ken Frazier said “as a matter of personal conscience, I feel a responsibility to take a stand against intolerance and extremism.”

Less than an hour later, Trump tweeted in response, “Now that Ken Frazier of Merck Pharma has resigned from President’s Manufacturing Council, he will have more time to LOWER RIPOFF DRUG PRICES!”

The council has included top executives from Boeing Co., Dow Chemical Co. and Johnson & Johnson. Frazier’s resignation from the group—the latest CEO to quit one of Trump’s high-profile executive advisory groups—comes after a weekend of violent clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia, following demonstrations by white supremacists that resulted in one death.

Other brands have tangled with the president, his supporters or his opponents, with a variety of results.

Bloomberg News