5972: Get Your Headhunter Examined.

AdAge.com presented a fluff piece interviewing recruiters at headhunter firms and big advertising agencies, probing for insights and perspectives regarding the current job market. Not surprisingly, the +1,000-word report contained zero mentions of diversity. In fact, a few comments could actually be interpreted to mean shops are inclined to perpetuate the status quo:

“People are looking for mature, aggressive, in-command personalities. … I think when the economy suffers, they’re more concerned about stability and experienced management people who can command a presence automatically. It’s their safety net.”

Other comments hinted at new tactics, but probably weren’t directly addressing diversity:

“If we broaden our horizons, there are a lot of good people out there. We don’t put them in an old traditional role; we put them in roles that play to their strengths.”

If hearings and lawsuits move forward, someone must demand testimony from these recruiters. Granted, contrary to what the executives might think of themselves, most recruiters do not really influence hiring decisions. At big agencies, they tend to be screeners and/or supplemental human resources staffers. And lots of independent headhunters are failed pimps. The managers with hiring authority—creative directors and account directors—make the final calls.

Nonetheless, it’s imperative to discover what specific and deliberate efforts recruiters are promoting for diversity, especially in the big agencies. And more importantly, to hear how the people with hiring authority are supporting and complying with the initiatives.

Now that would be worthy of publication.

5971: Mad Men Emmy Report.

Is it ironic that AMC series Mad Men received 16 Emmy nominations—and somehow managed to nab six—but no actresses associated with the show received a single nod? Plus, were any minorities among the Mad Men winners—even the hairstylists and set designers? The one positive thing to come from the show’s Emmy victories: AMC opted against airing an original episode on Sunday.

5970: Gray Flannel Suit, Meet Diversity Lawsuit.

From AdAge.com…

Do-Nothing Execs Take One Step Closer to Diversity Suit
An Ad Age Editorial

We hate to say we told you so, but only two months ago in this space, we wrote the following about the lack of diversity in the advertising industry: “If agency executives don’t come to the table and start using their own sets of tools (and money) to unravel this mess, the next tool likely to be reached for will be lawyers.”

Of course, there is no lawsuit -- yet. But Cyrus Mehri, of the firm Mehri & Skalet, has commissioned his own study of the advertising industry. That study hasn’t been completed, but the preliminary findings aren’t a surprise to anyone. African-Americans account for 13% of the general population. By extrapolating from industries similar to advertising, they should account for 9.5% of the professional ranks and 7.2% of the managerial ranks. Instead they account for 5.8% of the professional ranks and a stunning 3.2% of the managerial ranks. And those figures include African-American specialty shops.

Mr. Mehri refused to comment on what exactly he planned to do with his findings, but one would have to assume that he didn’t commission this study out of idle curiosity.

“I want to be clear that our firm has commissioned this study because we do our homework before we come in with guns blazing,” he told Advertising Age, adding, “We’re serious players. … We’re going to build this up step by step. This is a world of difference compared to anything [the industry has] faced before.”

The majority of our readers may not think a lawsuit or the threat thereof will accomplish anything. But when one considers what lawsuits accomplished in the halls of Coca-Cola and Texaco and offices on Wall Street, it would have to be hubris -- or worse, absolute cluelessness -- to think that advertising agencies can somehow withstand this sort of assault.

Separately from the threat of lawsuit, the New York City Committee on Civil Rights has called a hearing this week. When a similar meeting was called two years ago, no one from the agencies showed up.

“What needs fixing isn’t the African-Americans; it’s the white guy running the agency. The leadership has to come from the top,” said Mr. Mehri.

Maybe some of those white guys could clear some time on their schedules to start leading on this issue.

5969: Spending Down, Racism Up.

Figuring it out in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• The New York Post reported the advertising industry is facing its worst slump since 2001. “No one knows the implications on corporate America of what transpired over the last week,” said chairman and CEO of MDC Partners Miles Nadal. “We still haven’t seen the bottom to all this.” Should make for a cheery time at Advertising Week in New York over the next few days. Plus, it gives executives the excuse they need to avoid Larry Seabrook. They’ll probably claim they couldn’t afford the cab fare to the hearings.

• A new poll showed one-third of White Democrats have negative feelings about Blacks, which could lead to problems for Barack Obama. Hey, has anyone ever conducted a similar poll among White advertising executives?

5968: More Multicultural BS From GM?

Can’t help but think the story above detailing General Motors’ multicultural marketing (Advertising Age, September 15, 2008) is a monster truckload of bullshit.

Less than a year ago, the automaker spun out and collided into arguably the most bizarre example of messed-up PR in recent history. It started with alleged misreporting from Advertising Age that announced GM was shifting its multicultural accounts to different shops, and even handing Black assignments to White agencies. Within days, minority media sources were criticizing the automaker. Rev. Jesse Jackson wrote a letter to GM Chairman-CEO Rich Wagoner. Rev. Al Sharpton broadcast concerns via his radio show. And consumers were organizing boycotts. GM ultimately tried to correct the alleged publishing mistakes—with GM North America Vice President Mark LaNeve granting interviews and posting online comments. Yet nothing was ever clearly resolved.

This latest piece of fluff inspires questions and contradicts earlier remarks.

In the story, General Motors appears to be boasting about its own diversity:

“We began to value the contribution of diversity to our business,” said Rod Gillum, VP-corporate responsibility and diversity, who has been at GM for 29 years. So from hiring a diverse group of engineers, designers and executives starting in the late 1960s, GM went on in 1999 to establish 10 affinity groups within the company, including African-Americans, Hispanics, women, people with disabilities, Chinese, Middle Eastern and more recently Native American.

The idea? “We need to hire people who could help us market to people like them, recruit people like them and retain people like them,” said Mr. Gillum, who also chairs the General Motors Foundation.

It’s always astonishing to see major advertisers embrace diversity while conspiring with White advertising agencies that have consistently failed to do likewise. Of course, companies like GM compensate by hiring minority agencies. But the minorities receive significantly less money. And in the end, GM perpetuates the industry’s segregation.

Regarding the scheme GM once dubbed as “a new approach to diversity marketing,” the specifics remain fuzzy. GM executive director-advertising and media operations Betsy Lazar supplied the standard corporate speak by saying, “The shift was part of a broader strategy to expand multicultural representation … aligning agencies with the retail channels.” Whatever.

GM claimed to increase its multicultural spending. However, the automaker won’t reveal the figures. In the minority world of advertising, increased funding doesn’t translate to proper funding. Plus, GM admitted to cutting its Asian-American agency—although the company insists the move “should not be construed as lack of interest in Asian-American marketing.”

It’s hard to determine how Black agencies benefited from the breakthrough strategy. When originally probed on the notion of giving Black assignments to White agencies, LaNeve declared, “…it will be an African-American agency that will get the Chevy business, and that will get the Cadillac-Saab-Hummer business.” However, the story above states, “Cadillac and Hummer moved African-American advertising to GM general-market shop Modernista…” LaNeve needs to wrangle his communications staff. Their interactions with the press are making him look like a liar.

The story above seems to indicate General Motors has essentially increased spending for Latino marketing. And increased the separate-but-unequal status of minorities in advertising. Ironically, the piece ends with a final nod to doing the proverbial right thing.

“As demographics shift, diversity becomes more and more important in getting your message out,” said GM’s Mr. Gillum. “Some people call it marketing. I call it value.”

Reading between the lines of this story, MultiCultClassics calls it business as usual.

5967: Fees And Taxes.

Checking in on the news with a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• News reports claim major airlines are allegedly seeking to improve customer service as they continue to boost fares and fees like second carry-on bag charges. The companies will probably impose a fee for every second positive customer service act.

• A Nevada judge dismissed the gun case against Jerry Lewis, who was packing a pistol in his luggage at a Las Vegas airport in July. Lewis claimed the gun was a gift that he had forgotten was in the luggage. Not sure what airlines would charge passengers for firearms in their second carry-on bag.

• Procter & Gamble is suing the government for $435 million, charging they were “erroneously and illegally assessed” in an IRS audit. That should make for a nice “stimulus” check.

5966: Wear your Brand.

Coke inspires homemade clothing…?

5965: There’s A New Mayor In Town.

From The New York Times…

New Mayor Takes Oath as Detroit Vows Rebirth

By Nick Bunkley

DETROIT — As workers on Friday finished restoring the Spirit of Detroit, the statue outside City Hall whose uplifting silhouette graces official business cards and letterhead, a new era began 12 floors above with the swearing in of an interim mayor who promised to remove the tarnish of his predecessor’s scandal.

In a ceremony decidedly more modest than the galas held for previous mayoral inaugurations, Kenneth V. Cockrel Jr., a former City Council president, was sworn in as Detroit’s 61st mayor, a job thrust upon him after Kwame M. Kilpatrick resigned after pleading guilty to obstruction of justice.

After eight months of defiantly insisting he would be vindicated, Mr. Kilpatrick quit amid evidence that he had spent about $10 million in city funds largely to hide an extramarital affair with his chief of staff, who quickly resigned when text messages from her pager became public.

“This is that new beginning that people have been looking for,” said John M. Green, a Detroit resident who founded the Ralph Bunche Repository, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the Nobel Peace Prize-winning diplomat. “Despite what everybody says about Detroit going into the drain, we’re not.”

Mr. Cockrel told an overflow crowd in the City Council auditorium that “this is our time to breathe life back into the city.” He laid out an agenda that included expanding the city’s convention center, cleaning up trash and “coming after” criminals.

“It is critical that we find closure, mend our wounds, treat our bumps and bruises and heal as a city,” he said. “It is also important that after that healing, we get back to work.”

[Read the full story here.]

5964: Alas, Poor Yorick!

This ad could have been more interesting with gushing blood and brain matter.

5963: Legal Threat? No Sweat.

Playing off its recent story about civil rights attorney Cyrus Mehri, Advertising Age conducted a poll to see if ad people thought a lawsuit would work better than current efforts at solving the industry’s diversity dilemma. The final tally can be viewed above, with 57 percent voting no. The result is hardly surprising, demonstrating how Madison Avenue continues to pooh-pooh potential legal action or other intimidation tactics. Hell, ad men have been calling the bluff for over 50 years. Perhaps it’s time to make good on the threat and see what happens.

5962: Shopping For A Concept.

You don’t need an interpreter to understand this ad is dumb.

5961: Colored People Brought To You By Adwhite.

There’s something outrageous about Adweek boasting to offer “Everything you need to reach America’s fastest-growing markets.” For starters, the publication couldn’t be more culturally clueless. The paint can imagery couldn’t be more contrived and clichéd. And the belief that all you need to address four distinct, multi-segmented audiences is a $299 catalog couldn’t be more insulting.

5960: Knocking Out Believability.

Does anyone think this woman ever fought to squeeze into her jeans?

5959: Calling All Ass-Plucked Chickens.

From AdAge.com…

Diversity Hearing to Be Held Second Day of Advertising Week
Seabrook’s Committee on Civil Rights Back in Action

By Rupal Parekh and Ken Wheaton

The New York City Committee on Civil Rights is holding a hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 23, the second day of Advertising Week on the topic of diversity and the advertising industry. Advertising Age obtained a memo, issued by the office of Gary Altman, the legislative counsel for the City Council, to participants. It was dated Sept. 10.

It was unclear which agencies were invited to attend, though industry executives said that many of those who signed on to the agreement with the Commission on Human Rights were invited. A couple of those executives groused that the invite was sent out at the last minute and, scheduled as it is for Advertising Week, was part of an attempt to embarrass the agencies.

The Committee on Civil Rights is headed by City Councilman Larry Seabrook and is not to be confused with the New York City Commission on Human Rights that reached an agreement with 16 ad agencies regarding their minority hiring practices. The Committee technically has oversight power over the Commission.

Further, according to all sides involved, this meeting has nothing to do with recent news that attorney Cyrus Mehri has commissioned a study examining diversity in the ad industry. The memo was issued before news of the study broke.

The last time Mr. Seabrook’s committee involved itself directly with agency affairs was in March of 2006 when it vowed to hold hearings on the subject of diversity. Back then, he said he’d likely subpoena industry executives to testify. He also raised the possibility of asking clients for their positions on diversity.

But the deal worked out by the Commission on Human Rights and 16 agencies seemed to have eclipsed the hearings at the time.

During Advertising Week of 2006, Mr. Seabrook held hearings as to why minority-owned media outlets don’t get more advertising. No one showed up. The agencies, Mr. Seabrook said at the time, “ran like chickens with their asses plucked clean.”

Mr. Seabrook did not return calls by press time.

5958: Dreadful News.

A stylish MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• A Manhattan nonprofit organization is being sued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for ordering Rastafarian workers to hide their dreadlocks under uniform caps. The EEOC says the workers are being discriminated against because of their religious beliefs. However, the nonprofit insists they tried to resolve the matter, even offering the workers larger hats. Looks like they’ll have to offer dreadfully larger sums of loot instead.

• A Florida judge dumped a law banning saggy pants after a kid was busted for violating the mandate. The kid’s lawyer persuaded the judge to nix the law by arguing, “Your honor, we now have the fashion police.” Guess hip hop enthusiasts now have the right to remain stylish.

• Home Depot hopes to stimulate sales by cutting prices on certain items up to 50 percent. The savings will be totally negated by the cost of gas for driving to Home Depot.

• R. Kelly insisted in an interview that he doesn’t chase after underage girls and declared, “I don’t like anyone illegal.” He then probably rushed to Home Depot to pick up new paneling for his hot tub room.

5957: Madison Avenue And The Color Line—9. Charting A Course For The Future.

The chart above appears in Chapter 4 of Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers. It says a lot about diversity in the advertising industry during 1970—and 2008 as well. In some instances, Black representation at the top agencies was better then than now, and folks were making progress. So what happened? Well, as the chart displays, self-regulation led to inconsistent results. Plus, a lack of official enforcement meant shops could cease any positive efforts with no fear of penalty. Finally, a recession gave ad executives the excuse they needed to focus on other matters.

Is the chart above a historical record—or a prediction of the years ahead?

This is the tenth installment of MultiCultClassics’ running review of Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers. See the previous posts here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

5956: Peppering The Ad With Cultural Cues.

As if depicting a Latina watching telenovelas wasn’t targeted enough—Coke felt the need to show her making salsa too. And she sure made an awful lot for a single gal.

5955: Names In The News.

Taking names in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• The Detroit Zoo removed the name of former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick from its water tower. Officials will probably offer the name to a local circus instead.

• Linens ’n Things may become a things of the past as a buyout plan fizzled last week. The retailer must now consider liquidating its business during the holidays. Talk about throwing in the towel—and bed sheets too.

• A new study shows overweight kids may be more prone to headaches. Wonder if the research included ice cream headaches.

5954: Mad Ave More Racist Than Ever?

Adweek recently published the bizarre page depicted above. The bizarreness comes from the loaded question that implies guilt. It’s akin to asking, “Are you beating your spouse more than ever?” Plus, it’s pretty hilarious to quiz Joyce King Thomas, as her agency is facing a $30 million age discrimination lawsuit. Like the company lawyers would have permitted her to speak the truth. Anyway, given the latest hoopla surrounding diversity on Madison Avenue, it seemed appropriate to present another page. All remarks are actual quotes—nothing’s been made up!

5953: Next Time, Boost The Budget.

Guess Boost couldn’t afford to translate the illustrations, as the words are in English.

5952: Calling For Assistance. Or 911.

A heart healthy MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• A star witness at the O.J. Simpson trial appeared to suffer heart problems during his testimony yesterday. While facing questions from Simpson’s lawyer, the witness clutched his chest and called for medical help. As if O.J. needs another death on his hands.

• Best Buy reported 2Q profits dropped 19 percent, citing the dip was related to company spending connected to rolling out its Best Buy Mobile cell phone service. They should have just gone with T-Mobile instead.

5951: Madison Avenue And The Color Line—8. Affirmative Action. And Inaction.

Chapter 4 of Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers is titled, “Affirmative Action and the Search for White Collars.” Chambers continues to do a stellar job of presenting the details, showing how various civil rights groups, activists and professionals sought to solve the diversity problems rooted in exclusivity and discrimination. Many political organizations convinced clients and agencies to depict more Blacks in ads and to hire more Blacks, hoping to transform society and inspire desegregation. Diversifying Madison Avenue was just part of a much bigger goal.

Ironically, while Blacks’ presence in advertising messages has arguably improved, the advertising industry has grown more segregated than ever. And this week, Advertising Age announced prominent attorney Cyrus Mehri is on the case.

It should be interesting to see if history repeats itself. The 1960s-1970s efforts were ultimately hampered by a weakened economy. Today’s recession will certainly serve as an excuse for further inaction.

Although even the most cash-strapped agency leaders should still invest about $40 and pick up a copy of Madison Avenue and the Color Line.

This is the ninth installment of MultiCultClassics’ running review of Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers. See the previous posts here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

5950: No Country For Ugly Men.

Is this some sort of tribute to Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh?

5949: Mad Men Suffering From Schizophrenia.

AMC series Mad Men continued its schizophrenic depiction of minorities. Last week, the staff completely ignored the Black woman selling coffee. The latest episode featured another appearance by Carla, the Draper’s Black housekeeper. She not only delivered dialogue, but the Drapers treated her with politeness and even a modicum of affection. In fact, Carla probably received more legitimate respect than any woman—or any man, for that matter—on the show to date. Go figure.

5948: Living Long And Prospering.

Trekking through the news with a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• George Takei, aka Sulu of Star Trek fame, married longtime partner Brad Altman on Sunday in a multicultural ceremony including a Buddhist priest, Native American wedding bands, a Japanese Koto harp and a bagpipe procession. However, there were no alien guests like Klingons, Romulans or William Shatner.

• United Airlines doubled the fee for a second piece of luggage to $50, blaming the move on rising fuel costs. It may soon be cheaper to just buy a ticket for your luggage.

5947: Insert Minority Model Here.

It’s a wonder Maybelline didn’t just lighten and darken one model’s skin tone to create both ad versions.

5946: Sorry, No Embryos.

It’s always interesting to see the range of definitions for titles in the advertising business. For example, this actual job listing seeks a Creative Director with excellent graphic, Web and writing skills; plus, familiarity with Quark, Photoshop, Illustrator and pre-press. No experience necessary. Ironically, over the course of their careers, most ad people will work for quite a few Creative Directors who seemingly have zero credentials.

CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Job Category: Advertising/Public Relations; Management/Executive
Location: West Palm Beach, FL
Position Type: Full-Time, Employee
Experience: 0-1 Years Experience

CREATIVE DIRECTOR-Top ad agency, F/T, excellent graphic, web & writing skills, Quark, Photoshop, Illustrator, pre-press.

5945: Mad Men, Meet Mad Lawyer.

From AdAge.com…

Top Lawyer Preps March on Mad Ave
Man Who Beat Coke and NFL Starts to Study Diversity in Ad Agencies

By Ken Wheaton

NEW YORK — Cyrus Mehri, one of the nation’s top civil-rights attorneys and a man who has been dubbed one of Washington’s most feared lawyers, has turned his attention to the ad industry’s woeful diversity record.

Blacks in advertising
Mr. Mehri declined to discuss whether a lawsuit was in the works but said his firm was behind the preliminary results of a study obtained by Ad Age. Any way you look at it, the fact that a top civil-rights attorney has commissioned a survey of diversity in ad agencies does not bode well for the agencies whose ranks are still overwhelmingly white.

The study, which isn’t complete yet, is being conducted by economist Marc Bendick Jr. on behalf of the firm. According to the summary, Mr. Bendick looked at census data and figures for similar “persuasion” industries (media, law, philanthropy, high-end sales) and came up with benchmark percentages of minorities one could expect in an industry such as advertising. Whereas, according to the benchmarks, African-Americans would be expected to make up 9.5% of the professionals in advertising (a number even lower than the 13% in the general population), it turns out they make up only 5.8%. On the executive and managerial side, African-Americans make up only 3.2% compared with an expected 7.2%.

That amounts to a 39% shortfall in African-American representation among the industry’s staff and a 56% shortfall among managerial employees. Unlike previous efforts, this study takes into account the entire ad industry, not just a handful of agencies operating out of New York. The figures include employees and managers at African-American-owned shops; Mr. Mehri said he expects the numbers to be even worse when those agencies are not factored in.

‘Purposeful discrimination’
“If this was 1970 and they had this shortfall, I could be sympathetic,” he said. But, he added, “the preliminary results [of this study] are showing shortfalls that are rare to have in this magnitude in this modern day and indicate purposeful discrimination.” He went on to say that the industry won’t resolve this issue until it stops focusing on a false “supply” argument (not enough African-American candidates) and starts focusing on the people in charge.

Nancy Hill, president-CEO of the American Association of Advertising Agencies, declined to comment on the matter.

Mr. Mehri, a partner at Mehri and Skalet, wouldn’t disclose the firm’s long-term plans in relation to the ad industry, but he made it clear he is not working with the New York City Commission on Human Rights. He did attend a forum held by the commission earlier this year on behalf of ad-industry employees who’d contacted him.

A look at Mr. Mehri’s case history should worry the industry. His firm was behind suits against Texaco and Coca-Cola Co. that resulted in the largest discrimination settlements in history — $176 million in the Texaco case and $192.5 million in the Coke case — as well as dramatic reforms in both companies’ employment practices. His firm was also behind recent gender-discrimination suits in the financial-services sector. The so-called Women on Wall Street Project has resulted in, among other things, a $46 million settlement against Morgan Stanley and a $33 million settlement from Smith Barney. Even when lawsuits aren’t filed, Mr. Mehri leaves his mark. He, along with Johnnie Cochran, released the report “Black Coaches in the National Football League: Superior Performance, Inferior Opportunities.” That report, backed up with the threat of a major lawsuit, led to the hiring of numerous African-American coaches.

“We’re serious players,” Mr. Mehri said. “We’re going to do our homework. We’re going to interview everybody who contacts us. We’re going to build this up step by step. This is a world of difference compared to anything [the industry has] faced before.”

Economist’s perspective
Mr. Bendick, who's conducting the study, is an economist who specializes in employment and human-resource management at Bendick and Eagan Economic Consultants. He’s done work for both employers and employees, the departments of Justice and Labor, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Most of his work doesn't involve litigation.

Mr. Bendick wouldn’t comment for this story, but in previous studies — such as “Changing Workplace Cultures to Reduce Employment Discrimination” — he’s touched on types of discrimination that may sound familiar to those toiling in the ad world. “They often derive from social relationships that informally limit access to information about job opportunities. They may reflect issues of ‘social comfort’ and personal style that affect whose comments get listened to, who is perceived as competent and who gets credit for accomplishments.”

On the other hand, he told The Washington Post in January of this year, “If you ask what is the impact of diversity training today, you have to say 75% is junk and will have little impact or no impact or negative impact.”

According to Mr. Mehri, the study won’t be ready for several weeks. “I want to be clear that our firm has commissioned this study because we do our homework before we come in with guns blazing,” he said. The study is meant to offer raw data, a look at causes behind the lack of diversity and, hopefully, remedies.

Leadership problem?
While Mr. Mehri wouldn’t disclose what shapes those remedies might take, he was clear that the answer isn’t more internships, scholarship programs and diversity initiatives — which he sees as “rope-a-dope” schemes designed mostly to make it look like the industry is doing something about the problem.

“It’s not a matter of forming affinity groups among the excluded,” he said. “What needs fixing isn’t the African-Americans; it’s the white guy running the agency. We want to relentlessly focus on not the excluded groups but the excluding groups, the people who control the power and make the decisions. That’s where people are running into barriers. The leadership has to come from the top.”

He went on: “We know the industry has had various diversity efforts over the years. However, these efforts are going to continue to fall short until they understand they're operating under a false premise — that the problem is the supply of African-American talent — when the real problem is the lack of leadership at the top and their exclusionary policies and practices.”

Mr. Mehri countered the argument that the problem is a lack of interest in the industry among African-Americans or a simple lack of candidates. “Supply is important. But you also have to shift the focus to a level playing field. So you can applaud the work that they’re doing, but there’s still going to be this revolving door unless there’s this tenacious focus on a level playing field.”

Contributing: Rupal Parekh

5944: Old Standby Scores With New Media Twist.

AdAge.com presented a Special Report on the 2008 Hispanic Creative Ad Awards. The Best of Show went to Conill for its nontraditional media integration for Toyota. During the telecast of the Copa Libertadores soccer championship, Conill inserted 15-second videos that appeared to be part of the actual game. OK, it’s a breakthrough idea. At the same time, it doesn’t exactly support the contentions of former Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies Chairman Carl Kravetz. When Tommy Thompson posted a perspective at The Big Tent that argued Hispanic ad agencies rely too much on things like soccer (or fútbol), Kravetz declared, “The only people ‘selling’ these insights [like fútbol] are pretenders to Hispanic marketing expertise.” Um, looks like Conill just scored a major “Goooooooal!”

5943: Headlines And Heads.

Figures rising and falling in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Hitler is back. The wax figure from the Madame Tussaud’s museum in Berlin has returned rebuilt after a visitor tore its head off two months ago. Maybe the museum should hire neo-Nazis as added security.

• Alaska Airlines plans to cut up to 10 percent of its workforce and trim capacity by 8 percent. Airline officials stated the actions were in response to “the one-two punch of record oil prices and a softening economy, on top of increased competition.” Guess they’re not expecting Sarah Palin’s rise to boost tourism to the state.

5942: Hot Prospect.

Um, is this recruitment ad designed to lure women or men?

5941: It Takes A Village, People.

A Macho MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• The Village People were recognized with a star of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Perhaps the venue should be renamed the Hollywood Catwalk of Fame.

• YouTube has agreed to ban videos “inciting others to violence,” following input from Senator Joseph Lieberman, who insisted the site was too open to terrorists. Wish YouTube would ban videos of Lieberman’s political speeches, which incite others to violent nausea and boredom.

5940: Old News From Adweek.

From the September 8, 2008 issue of Adweek.

5939: Traveling Circus.

TGIF with a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Senator Larry Craig’s lawyers were in court on Wednesday asking to void the guilty plea stemming from the infamous toilet stall arrest. Wish these guys would piss or get off the pot.

• Kanye West and his road manager were busted for busting the cameras of paparazzi at LAX. Part of the confrontation was videotaped by a TMZ videographer. There’s gotta be a concept for a Kodak or Sony spot here.

• Snoop Dogg was granted a visa to visit Australia for a concert tour, despite initial reservations from the country’s immigration department. Australian paparazzi are encouraged to carry extra cameras.

• O.J. Simpson will face an all-White jury for his trial after defense lawyers failed in their efforts to put two Black women on the panel. No paparazzi problems to report yet.

5938: Recognizing Native Americans.

From USA TODAY…

For payout or pride, more claim Native American heritage

By Janell Ross and Clay Carey, USA TODAY

More Americans are identifying themselves as Native American, pushing the growth rate of that group higher than that of the USA.

Those identifying themselves as at least part American Indian grew from 4.1 million in 2000 to 4.5 million last year, according to U.S. Census data released in August — a 10% increase.

The total American population grew an estimated 7.7% over that period, the data show.

Demographers say the growth, too large to attribute to birth rates, comes after more than a century of Native Americans choosing to hide their ethnicity over fear of discrimination.

“There’s less of a stigma with Indians identifying themselves than there was in the past,” says Jacqueline Johnson Pata, executive director of the National Congress of American Indians in Washington, D.C.

Kathleen Fitzgerald, a sociologist at Columbia College in Missouri, says “there is just more of a sense of freedom to define and describe who you are.”

Some claiming Native American heritage may be motivated by finances, says Bill Wells, an Indian Affairs commissioner in Tennessee. Tribes recognized by the federal government that operate casinos take in more than $20 billion a year, according to the National Indian Gaming Commission, and sometimes pay out significant dividends to their citizens, Wells says.

“I almost hate to say it, but I think there may be some people who see the casinos and the windfall profits and think there may be something for them in identifying,” Wells says.

Melba Checote-Eads of Tennessee, a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, says she, her children and grandchildren claim their heritage.

“My daddy always would say ‘Why would any one want to be Indian?’” she says. “Today, a lot of people are doing research, they’re able to find out a lot more about their families. And I think it’s wonderful that some of them want to claim their heritage.”

Cindy Yahola, also of Tennessee and a member of the Muscogee Nation, says she thinks some believe “if they identify themselves as Indian, they are entitled to something” like government money or preference for scholarships.

Still, Yahola says she thinks “it can help us share the culture.”

Ross and Carey report for The Tennessean in Nashville

5937: P.S., PPM.

From Adweek.com…

Arbitron Says Its Sample Is Solid

By Mike Boyle, Radio & Records

NEW YORK Despite mounting scrutiny over its portable people meter (PPM) service by the Federal Communications Commission and New York State attorney general Andrew Cuomo, among others, Arbitron kicked off Wednesday’s monthly PPM conference call with president of sales and marketing Pierre Bouvard saying, “We have another set of great news for you on the PPM sample.”

“It’s ironic when you read about the concerns of ethnic broadcasters. In actuality, we have a major overrepresentation problem. We have an overrepresentation of Spanish speakers in all our panels,” Bouvard said.

Some of that news culled from the August data across 10 PPM markets included:

-- An average 6+ Designated Delivery Index (DDI) of 106, with an average DDI in 18-54s of 102.

-- 18-34 DDI is at 93.

-- Arbitron also said it is meeting or exceeding 56 of 57 benchmarks for 18-34s across the 10 markets.

Addressing ethnic sampling, Arbitron svp, marketing Bill Rose pointed out that the black sample is averaging 109 percent of goal across Philadelphia, Houston, New York (nonembedded), Nassau-Suffolk, Middlesex, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco. However, the same markets are bringing in an average DDI of 116 among Hispanics, with Spanish-dominant Hispanics at 133 and English-dominant Hispanics at 115.

For the second month, Arbitron’s PPM measured AM and FM streams and HD Radio subchannels. There are now 395 HD or Internet streams encoded and ready to report. To show up in the PPM data, a station must have a .495 weekly cume rating. Those stations making the grade in August were Clear Channel AC WLTW and CHR/top 40 WHTZ in New York and Clear Channel AC KOST and CBS Radio alternative KROQ in Los Angeles.

The next milestone for PPM will be Oct. 8, when eight new markets will become currency: New York, Nassau-Suffolk, Middlesex, Los Angeles, Riverside, Chicago, San Francisco and San Jose.

5936: Guilty Displeasures.

From national news sources…

Memo to African-Americans: Sometimes blacks are guilty

By Leonard Pitts

If Kwame Kilpatrick were white, don’t you think he’d have been thrown out of office a long time ago? Heck, he’d be out of jail by now and shopping his memoirs.

Instead, it was just last week, after a year of scandal and revelation that has paralyzed his city and made it the punch line to an international joke, that Detroit’s mayor surrendered his office and copped a plea: 120 days in jail, 5 years’ probation and a $1 million fine. Because, you see, Kilpatrick is not white, he is black in a city that is itself more than 80 percent black. And that complicated things.

For instance, it led to undeserved support from the local black paper.

And to a massive rally for him at a black church.

And to black people blaming the media for “bringing down” a gifted black man.

And to a political consultant calling the case “Jim Crow justice.”

And to Kilpatrick repeatedly portraying himself as a victim of racial politics and a “lynch-mob mentality.”

All the claims of racial solidarity and victimization gave Kilpatrick what Eliot Spitzer could never have imagined: a base from which to dig in his heels and declare he would not be moved.

If you didn’t know better, you might have thought this was Birmingham in 1963 or Montgomery in 1955, with strains of “We Shall Overcome” ringing in the air. You’d never know it was Detroit in 2008 where the issue wasn’t desegregation or human dignity but, rather, a mayor who had an extramarital affair with his chief of staff, fired police who came too close to discovering it, lied about it under oath, agreed to an $8.4 million payoff to keep police from releasing explicit text messages proving the affair and, for good measure, shoved a sheriff’s deputy trying to serve a subpoena to someone else in an unrelated matter.

Racial victimization? Jim Crow justice? Give me a break.

Earlier this year, I excoriated the mayor for playing upon African- Americans’ reflexive tendency to rally in defense of any one of us who gets in trouble. But that’s only part of the problem here. It’s not just that someone played black folks, but that black folks keep letting themselves be played.

Truth is, we get played like checkers any time any high-profile one of us is caught in scandal or sin. From Michael Jackson to O.J. Simpson to Tawana Brawley to Mike Tyson to Marion Barry to Kilpatrick, lying his natural backside off in court, we keep proving pathetically susceptible to manipulation by any brother or sister who says white folks have done him or her wrong—especially if they invoke God a few times for good measure.

There’s an axiom that goes: fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. But what about fool me 87 times? What about fool me like the nerdy kid with the “kick me” sign taped to his back?

What happens when you get fooled like that? I’ll tell you what should happen. You should say, “Enough.” You should evolve the social and political maturity, the common sense and the plain self-respect to stop letting yourself be used like a dishrag.

African-Americans—and, for that matter, all people of conscience—have a moral responsibility to stand up for those who truly are victims of racial injustice. In defending those people, we should be unstinting and unwavering.

We should not, however, be unthinking. We should stop falling into the easy trap of believing every black man in trouble is a victim of racial malfeasance. Sometimes, a black man in trouble is a victim of his own malfeasance. If more black folks in Motown had understood this, the city might not have spent the last year embarrassing itself.

Leonard Pitts is a syndicated columnist based in Washington.

5935: What Obama Teaches Madison Avenue.

The Franklin Blog noted two other blogs—FiveThirtyEight and Crooks And Liars—insisted Barack Obama must create better ads. Crooks And Liars wrote, “The Obama campaign needs to think a little more outside of the box. They should aim to produce ads that are either more creative/funny than a typical campaign ad, or more sincere.” MultiCultClassics posted initial comments at The Franklin Blog, and here they are again with elaboration.

Perhaps Obama realizes traditional ads don’t influence voters’ decisions. After all, has anyone ever cast a ballot because of a commercial?

It’s hard to recall positive and memorable TV spots for presidential candidates. The last one that comes to mind is Hal Riney’s “Morning in America” hyping Ronald Reagan. On the flip side, there are plenty of spots that result in ridicule and worse. How many parodies were inspired by Hillary Clinton’s 3 a.m. nonsense? John McCain has generated loads of problems for himself via broadcast bullshit. You’d think the Arizona senator would opt for direct mail and telemarketing versus continuing to set up people’s punchlines.

The truth—if such a thing exists in advertising and politics—is that Obama has been running great ads. But he’s using nontraditional ad techniques. His digital skills make McCain look downright analog. Plus, Obama lets influencers literally sing praises for him. Meanwhile, numerous recording artists have demanded McCain stop playing their tunes.

There’s been controversy with minority media feeling slighted by Obama. But why buy ad space when the publications put him on nearly every cover? That’s called free publicity.

Obama’s “Change” theme has been consistent and memorable. Could anyone recite McCain’s “Country First” tagline until maybe a week ago?

Obama has displayed an active dislike for the standard political games, and it appears his annoyance extends to the standard political ads. Like successful and breakthrough brands, Obama has established a leadership position without regular marketing schemes. TV spots are not the primary vehicles delivering his messages. And the “product” is ultimately selling itself.

There are lessons here for the ivory towers on Madison Avenue.

5934: Court Nutcases.

Courtroom dramas and sitcoms in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• A New York judge dumped two lawsuits by three people who appeared in the 2006 Borat movie. The individuals accused the movie producers of deceiving them over their roles in the film; however, the judge pointed out they had accepted loot and signed agreements. Guess these folks need some cultural learnings of American contract laws.

• A judge allowed 50 Cent the right to see his son regularly while battling for custody with the child’s mother. He’ll probably take the kid to see Borat.

• During jury selection for the O.J. Simpson trial, one prospective juror talked her way out of eligibility. “He chose to put himself in the public eye,” declared the woman. “He should be a little more self-conscious of his actions. … I think as far as the first trial, I felt he got away with murder!” Guess the woman needs some cultural learnings of American jury system.

5933: Madison Avenue And The Color Line—7.

Take a minute to see what others have to say about Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers. Carol Watson at The Big Tent posted the first critique last February. In November 2007, Chambers participated in a radio show discussion on Blacks in advertising. Then he hyped the book himself during an interview with WGN-TV. Check out a few reviews at Amazon.com—and while you’re there, buy a copy.

This is the eighth installment of MultiCultClassics’ running review of Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Jason Chambers. See the previous posts here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

5932: Cruising With Puppets.

Never realized Kukla and Ollie were gay.

5931: Marian Salzman Has A Dream.

Marian Salzman is back, presenting another peculiar perspective for Adweek. Inspired by Barack Obama and Joe Biden, Salzman typed the drivel below.

Prior to this election season, I often wondered whether our America is just the chauvinistic, white-man’s world of Mad Men with less smoking and more overweight people. But now, I think America can evolve enough to present a blended, multicultural face. Take Biden’s middle-class upbringing, blond grandchildren, schoolteacher wife and son Beau, who ships out next month, and combine them with Obama’s biracial heritage, hardworking single mother, Ivy League loans and hypoallergenic puppy. By choosing these candidates, we are finally putting the best of reality forward. No excuses, no dreams, but lots of promises. The imperfections are encouraging -- no denials about inhaling, no pretensions of perfect fathers, no excuses about skeletons that may rattle out of closets. Together, the Obamas and Bidens hold out the American Promise for the rest of the world: We’re real, and we’re ready to join with you, not as a with-us-or-against-us superior force but as a powerful inclusive world leader, ready to bring our strength to the table to address problems near and far.

As for Mad Men, is it just a coincidence that it’s set 45 years ago, when Dr. King shared his vision and Madison Avenue was selling advertising dreams? I can’t help wondering whether some of my generation, and some in the advertising industry, emotionally hark back to that era. Fortunately, Obama’s historic American Promise speech is a wake-up call and a measure of huge progress since that era. We’re moving on from those fashions, those rules of engagement and those arrogant assumptions.

Um, that’s nice. Except Salzman has spent most of her adult life on Madison Avenue, where Obama’s vision for change has hardly been realized. In fact, Salzman is currently employed at Porter Novelli of the Omnicom network, home to homophobic and diversity-adverse Mad Men and Women. The self-labeled—and self-absorbed—futurist needs to join the rest of us in the 21st century.

5930: Hanging With The Homeboys. And Hos.

Pre-trial news in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• What will 50 Cent do before the custody trial over his 11-year-old son? “I’m going to hang out with some hos, make some movies, make some music, and continue to kick it,” declared Fiddy. Gee, we wonder how this trial will turn out.

• O.J. Simpson can’t catch a break. He was pulled over in Nevada after stopping at a gas station because a customer called the cops to say Juice was juiced. As it turned out, Simpson was sober. Just goes to show that the man is occasionally innocent.

• Mickey D’s worldwide sales jumped 14.5 percent in August. Um, does the planet Earth have a weight limit?

5929: Must Be Skilled With Sword.

Um, is this actual job listing seeking an Asian candidate?

Creative Director

Description:
The Creative Director is the Shogun warlord who rules over his or her creative fiefdom with a fist made of iron. The CD is the visionary at the head of all creative teams and is the key contributor to the creative direction of the ZAAZ brand. The CD is a natural, authoritative communicator with an inside line on design trends, marketing principals, cultural issues, technologies and opportunities in online communication, and provides thought leadership through his or her writing, blogs and/or speaking engagements. The CD sets the company vision for creative excellence and collaborative engagement with ZAAZ clients and internal project teams, and takes a hands-on approach with our key AOR (agency of record) accounts to ensure we are achieving potential wrt creative solutions. The CD maintains general oversight on all of the agency’s creative work to ensure quality, accuracy and excellence. In addition to overseeing the Art Directors, Designers and Writers responsible for understanding, conceptualizing, and executing both the client-based and ZAAZ internal projects, the CD also acts as mentor and helps to develop their growth within the company.

5928: Cream, With No Coffee.

AMC series Mad Men continues to exhibit clumsiness with racial and ethnic depictions. Is it rooted in trying too hard to make minorities “invisible” for historical accuracy—or are the program’s creators simply culturally clueless themselves? Everything seems so forced and staged.

At the office, a Black woman served coffee to staffers. Although she was placed in the foreground, she never made eye contact with the characters, staring intently at the floor while pouring joe. Even copywriter Paul Kinsey—who’s got a Black girlfriend—wouldn’t acknowledge the vendor, except to place his order.

Mad Men attempts to bring depth to topics like sexism and religion, albeit in exaggerated fashion. This week’s episode also furthered generational differences with Sterling Cooper’s young turks team. And is art director Salvatore Romano about to introduce a gay subplot? Overall, the program’s creators closely examine subjects where they can relate or have personal insight. But rarely in the racial and ethnic categories.

It makes you wonder about the diversity of the AMC creative team.

5927: Heading To Court. Again.

Selected news items in a MultiCultClassics Monologue….

• Jury selection for the latest O.J. Simpson trial is scheduled to start today. After the November 2007 preliminary hearing, Simpson had remarked, “If I have any disappointment it’s that I wish a jury was here. … As always, I rely on the jury system.” Does Simpson make a distinction between the jury system and the justice system?

• Gary Coleman got into a spat with a fan over pictures taken at a Utah bowling alley. An irate Coleman allegedly hit the fan with his truck while pulling out of a parking space. Police are still trying to determine if the act was deliberate. Not sure how Coleman feels about the jury system.