16882: Overreaction Of The Week.

 

AAF confirms Adland is no longer interested in Blacks.

 

Although Mars Incorporated might insist Ms. Brown brings inclusivity to the affair.

 

16873: Overreaction Of The Week.

MediaPost spotlighted a new campaign—#TimeOut Against Hate—designed to combat antisemitism and other forms of hate.

 

The messages involve multiple sports leagues—including the NFL, WNBA, NBA, MLB, MLS, NWSL, NHL, and NASCAR—turning competitive timeouts into national calls against hate.

 

Um, how come Colin Kaepernick taking a knee to call out racial injustice stirred outrage—but this stunt is okay?

 

Robert Kraft’s Antisemitism Group Unveils #TimeOut Against Hate Campaign

 

By Steve McClellan

 

Earlier this year Robert Kraft’s Foundation to Combat Antisemitism (FCAS) aired an ad in the Super Bowl featuring civil rights leader Clarence B. Jones. The theme of the ad was that the silence of those who know better allows hate to foster and spread.  

 

Now the group has formed an alliance with multiple sports leagues and some well-known coaches, players and personalities – including NFL head coaches Andy Reid and Jim Harbaugh and former NBA great Shaquille O’Neal – for a new campaign that will air during pro and college sports games and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade over the Thanksgiving holiday break and beyond.

 

The new campaign is called #TimeOut Against Hate, aimed at turning the frequently called for pause in sports contests into a national call against hate. 

 

The new ad spot and campaign is the first of its kind in uniting major sports leagues, their commissioners, and star athletes and managers to champion the fight against hate.    

 

The campaign is from WPP’s VML and stemmed from a closed-door meeting with Kraft and major sports commissioners earlier this year as an opportunity for each league and its teams to take a larger, active role in propelling the fight against antisemitism and other forms of hate. Participating leagues in the NFL, WNBA, NBA, MLB, MLS, NWSL, NHL and NASCAR.

 

WPP’s Mindshare is the media partner for this campaign, with media activations including:   

 

# Real-time timeout ads – dynamic streaming placements that are triggered in real-time by timeouts in NFL and college games. When someone calls a timeout in select games, the 30-second spot then starts playing in streaming. These dynamic insertion placements will be in rotation across NFL and NCAA games through December.     

 

# Content partnerships – with content creators and media voices such as three of iHeart’s top sports podcasters (LaVar Arrington, Doug Gottlieb, and Julian Edelman), as well as @dudewithsign on Instagram; the iHeart activations were launched in mid- November.    

 

# Live sports broadcast coverage – the 30-second spot has started playing in various games and leagues across Amazon Prime, ESPN, Fox, NBC, ABC, and will continue over the next few months.

16868: Overreaction Of The Week.

 

Major brands are hyping Black Friday sales—despite abandoning Blacks via discounting DEIBA+ dedication. It’s holiday hypocrisy hijinks.

 

 

16816: Overreaction Of The Week.

The Associated Press reported on a deadly E. coli outbreak linked to Mickey D’s Quarter Pounders—marking the second sickening event at the Golden Arches this week.

16800: Belated Overreaction Of The Week.

 

Yesterday—October 9, 2024—was Ageism Awareness Day.

 

The United Nations commemorates International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination; National Association of Chronic Disease Directors marks National Day of Racial Healing; St. John’s University–School of Law acknowledges Anti-Racism Day; British Columbia salutes Anti-Racism Awareness Week.

 

Maybe Adland should launch Systemic Racism Awareness Day. Or Cultural Cluelessness Awareness Day—which sounds like an oxymoron.

16476: Overreaction Of The Week.

 

DDB Romania explained the Black Pet Friday promotion as follows:

 

On Black Friday, DDB Romania, in partnership with Kola Kariola Shelter and with the support of Thank’Q Pet Food brand, launches the Black Pet Friday campaign. This initiative aims to offer adoption opportunities for black-furred dogs, showing that these four-legged dogs are just as friendly and adorable as all other dogs, despite the superstitions surrounding them.

 

The main focus of the campaign is an online video that adopts a style similar to product presentations in Black Friday deals, focusing on the features of ‘adorable gadgets’.

 

Romania discriminates against Black dogs? And did the White advertising agency check off the project as a diversity initiative too?

 

16446: Overreaction Of The Week.

 

Here's the explanation for the advertisements by Arcana Academy depicted above:

This campaign seeks to draw attention to this issue and gain support for Balloon Brigade's direct-action efforts to remove every floating balloon they find.

Okay, but is the concept playing off anti-Asian, racist, WWII propaganda? Really?

16329: Overreaction Of The Week.

Comicbook.com reported Cap’n Crunch underwent a transformation, receiving a four-striped uniform and five fingers. The character’s original three-striped jacket—which was called out many years ago—signified that he held a commander ranking, which is one naval level below a captain. In short, he’s been impersonating an officer forever. Yet he’s clearly avoiding charges by taking advantage of his White privilege. Aunt Jemima and Rastus would never have gotten away with that—and Uncle Ben was quietly stripped of his CEO role.

 

Cap’n Crunch Debuts New Four-Stripe Uniform

 

The iconic cereal character finally has a uniform befitting his captain’s rank.

 

By Nicole Drum

 

For years, fans of Cap’n Crunch have had one persistent complaint about the iconic cereal icon's jacket. The Cap’n’s jacket has for years only featured three stripes, which in naval terms means he’s only a commander — the rank below captain. Now, in celebration of the Cap’n’s 60th birthday this year, he’s getting a whole new look and finally getting the stripes to match his rank. On Thursday, Cap’n Crunch unveiled the Cap’n’s new look with a brand-new jacket featuring four-striped sleeves fit for a captain.

 

The beloved cereal character’s new look will get its big debut outside San Diego Comic-Con where, in a nod to his 60th birthday this year, 60 of his “Crunchmates” will appear dressed as the Cap’n himself complete with the new four-stripe look. You can check it the new look [above].

 

“With the celebration of Cap’n Crunch’s 60th birthday this year, we thought it was only fitting to commemorate his epic 60 years of tasty adventures with a fresh new look,” says Kristin Kroepfl, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Quaker Foods North America at PepsiCo. “What better way to unveil the beloved Cap’n Crunch’s new four-striped look than with his cosplaying Crunchmates around one of the most iconic pop culture events of the year?!”

 

The unveiling of the new look isn’t exactly a surprise. Cap’n Crunch’s official social media channels have been teasing the new look for a few days, hinting at the addition of the fourth strip that makes him “officially” a captain. The new look will roll out on cereal boxes, treat bars and more in stores nationwide.

 

Cap’n Crunch getting a new look is just the latest celebration of the cereal mascot’s 60th birthday this year. Earlier this year, the Cap’n celebrated six decades of breakfast adventure by hosting a birthday bash at Coachella.

16303: Overreaction Of The Week.

 

When Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, White holding companies and White advertising agencies immediately issued responses, offering special healthcare benefits, posting angry divertorials, and more—mostly to show support for White women in Adland.

 

When the Supreme Court ruled against race-conscious admissions programs at elite schools—effectively dealing a serious blow to affirmative action—how did Adland react? Crickets. The exclusive majority of mythical Madison Avenue continued performative Pride promotions, enjoyed post-Cannes highs, and settled in for an extended holiday weekend.

 

For those who missed it, here’s a report from The New York Times…

 

Supreme Court Strikes Down Race-Based Admissions at Harvard and U.N.C.

 

In disavowing race as a factor in achieving educational diversity, the court all but ensured that the student population at the campuses of elite institutions will become whiter and more Asian and less Black and Latino.

 

By Adam Liptak

 

The decision is likely to reshape college admissions at elite schools. Here’s what to know.

 

Race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina are unconstitutional, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday, the latest decision by its conservative majority on a contentious issue of American life.

 

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., writing for the 6-3 majority, said the two programs “unavoidably employ race in a negative manner” and “involve racial stereotyping,” in a manner that violates the Constitution.

 

However, he added, universities can consider how race has affected an applicant’s life. Students, he wrote, “must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual — not on the basis of race.”

 

Justice Sonia Sotomayor summarized her dissent from the bench — a rare move that signals profound disagreement. The court, she said, was “further entrenching racial inequality in education, the very foundation of our democratic government and pluralistic society.”

 

The decision could have far-reaching effects, and not just at the colleges and universities across the country that are expected to revisit their admissions practices. The decision could prompt employers to rethink how they consider race in hiring and it could potentially narrow the pipeline of highly credentialed minority candidates entering the work force.

 

Here’s what to know:

 

• The opinions in the case — including concurring opinions from Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Brett M. Kavanaugh and another dissenting opinion from Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson — total 237 pages. (Justice Jackson recused herself from the Harvard case because she had been on the university’s board of overseers.)

 

• The two cases were brought by Students for Fair Admissions, a group founded by Edward Blum, a legal activist who has organized many lawsuits challenging race-conscious admissions policies and voting rights laws, several of which have reached the Supreme Court.

 

• In the North Carolina case, the plaintiffs said that the university discriminated against white and Asian applicants by giving preference to Black, Hispanic and Native American ones. The case against Harvard has an additional element, accusing the university of discriminating against Asian American students by using a subjective standard to gauge traits like likability, courage and kindness, and by effectively creating a ceiling for them in admissions. The universities both won in federal trial courts, and the decision in Harvard’s favor was affirmed by a federal appeals court.

 

• The 6-3 decision on Thursday reflects the country’s division over affirmative action, which breaks along racial and political lines.

 

• In 2016, the Supreme Court upheld an admissions program at the University of Texas at Austin, holding that officials there could continue to consider race as a factor in ensuring a diverse student body.

16296: Overreaction Of The Week.

 

Advertising Age reported that the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity honored Publicis Groupe for its “Working With Cancer Pledge,” handing the White holding company a shiny Health Grand Prix for Good. Hey, don’t most creative people insist that good is the enemy of great?

 

Regardless, the spectacle warrants critical commentary, especially since the award was presented on the same day that celebrates Juneteenth.

 

First, it’s rather outrageous that the man who banned his White advertising agencies from participating in award shows like Cannes in 2018—in order to fund the creation of an AI doodad—did not hesitate to enter his pet project for a trophy. Did the wondrous Marcel assemble the creative teams behind the “Working With Cancer Pledge” concept? Doubt it.

 

Second, and related to the first point, did the oh-so-philanthropic Caucasian conglomerate ponder diverting the exorbitant amount of money spent on award show entries and related events—as well as the award-winning campaign—to make a charitable donation to cancer research, where it would have done far greater good? Doubt it.

 

Third, while Publicis Groupe CEO Arthur Sadoun’s personal battle with cancer certainly deserves sympathy and compassion, leveraging the experience to hatch promotional propaganda arguably demonstrates the pinnacle of White privilege.

 

After all, it’s common knowledge that cancer adversely affects people of color at much higher rates than Whites—and White millionaires. What’s more, people of color with cancer face a double whammy via limited access to biased and substandard healthcare. Oh, and there’s the triple whammy of being crippled by lesser employment opportunities—as evidenced by their dismal underrepresentation in Adland. This segment of global society doesn’t enjoy the luxury of encountering unfairness at the workplace based on their condition. In short, the larger number of people stricken with cancer do not hold the political power and class clout to do what Sadoun did. To clarify for the culturally clueless and simply ignorant, power and class are at the root of systemic racism.

 

Did any of these facts ever cross the minds of Sadoun and his creative crew? Doubt it.

 

Fourth, did anyone at Publicis Groupe consider applying similar effort and resources to address DE&I? When the head honcho gets cancer, it’s all hands on deck. But confronting the inequality that has ravaged the industry like a cancer for decades only receives heat shields and crumbs. Does anybody employed by Publicis see the bullshit hypocrisy associated with the self-absorbed stunt? Doubt it.

 

Sorry to overreact, but it’s sickening to see professionals play their race-based privilege card to launch maneuvers such as “Working With Cancer Pledge”—while consistently failing to make good on diversity, equity, and inclusion pledges. Of that there is no doubt.

 

‘Working With Cancer Pledge’ By Publicis Wins Cannes Health Grand Prix For Good

 

The initiative created a global cross-industry coalition to end the stigma of cancer in the workplace

 

By Tim Nudd

 

“Working With Cancer Pledge,” an initiative to end the stigma of cancer in the workplace, originally inspired by Publicis Groupe Chairman and CEO Arthur Sadoun’s own fight against the disease was honored with the Health Grand Prix for Good at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity on Monday night.

 

Sadoun had surgery in 2022 to remove a cancerous tumor in his neck and underwent preventative radiation and chemotherapy. He worked through his treatment and told the world about his diagnosis, but soon realized not everyone feels empowered to do the same, and decided to take action.

 

Supported by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Macmillan Cancer Research and the Gustave Roussy Institute, the initiative challenges companies around the globe to pledge to build open, supportive and recovery-forward work cultures for their employees. Sadoun launched the pledge in January at Davos in partnership with the World Economic Forum, inviting some of the world’s most influential companies to join and outline their own commitments to cancer patients in their organizations at workingwithcancerpledge.com.

 

The campaign is credited to a number of Publicis agencies, including La Foundation Publicis in Chicago, Publicis Conseil in Paris, Le Truc in New York, Digitas in New York, Saatchi & Saatchi Health in New York and Publicis Groupe UK in London.

 

The initiative quickly garnered the support of global organizations such as Bank of America, Disney, Google, L’Oréal, LVMH, Marriott, McDonald’s, Merck, Meta, Mondelēz, Nestlé, Omnicom Group, PepsiCo, Sanofi, Toyota, Unilever, Verizon and Walmart.

 

“If those guys are capable of signing the pledge immediately it means that they’re already doing a lot of things for people with cancer, but people within their own company don’t know it,” Sadoun told Ad Age in January. “We’re trying to tackle a very big challenge, which is the stigma of cancer in the workplace, with a pretty simple solution, which is only to change perception.”

16256: Overreaction Of The Week.

Chronicle Books celebrates AAPI Heritage Month—yet apparently hasn’t read the presidential proclamation that added Native Hawaiians to the festivities.

16242: Overreaction Of The Week.

 

In Adland—a racist galaxy not so far, far away—Star Wars Day receives more attention and resources than Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Even though the iconic movie series features deep influences (and direct rip-offs) of Asian culture.

 

16199: Overreaction Of The Week.

The YWCA Until Justice Just Is campaign spotlighted in the previous post features a billboard (depicted above) with a headline that reads: As Long As They Can’t Breathe, We Can’t Stop.

 

Who’s They and who’s We? Kinda feels like We are talking about They—i.e., Them people…

 

Also, there’s way too much copy for a billboard, the call-to-action is illegible, and the client’s logo is too small.

10673: Overreaction Of The Week.

 

Campaign published a perspective claiming that agency leaders who wear two hats are the best equipped, well-rounded, and ready for anything.

 

The image illustrating the story probably symbolizes donning a white hat for heroically maintaining White supremacy and switching to a black hat when scheming to keep Blacks out.

16098: Overreaction Of The Week.

 

Is it odd for a bank to salute “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s principled life of service” by being closed for the day—denying customers of banking services?