MultiCultClassics (Free subscription) | 08/02/2008
CV Harquail, PhD—an independent scholar and consultant in Montclair, New Jersey—presents an interesting perspective on Omnicom and homophobia, along with ideas for banishing bias from advertising agencies.
MultiCultClassics (Free subscription) | 08/02/2008
Technically, the image above was published by Bob Garfield to declare victory in his jihad with Comcast. But it’s being reissued here to illustrate a few (hopefully) final thoughts surrounding An Open Letter to Omnicom President-CEO John Wren. We’ll elaborate on the image shortly. In Garfield’s follow-up post connecting a Tennessee truck driver’s killing rampage with the Snickers commercial, the columnist...
The Real Estate (Free subscription) | 07/31/2008
Spin magazine -- like Omnicom and American Lawyer magazine before it -- is moving downtown. The music magazine has just signed a lease for 14,300 square feet at 408 Broadway, near the corner of Lispenard Street. The magazine is trading up from the 12,000 square feet it now occupies at 205 Lexington Avenue, between 32nd and 33rd streets. “ Spin was looking for space to grow, and was attracted to the...
PR News Wire (Free subscription) | 07/31/2008
NEW YORK, July 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) announced today that it is seeking the consent of the holders of its Zero Coupon Zero Yield Convertible Notes due 2032 (the "Notes") to amend the Notes and the related Indenture to, among other things, (i) have noteholders waive their right to contingent cash interest, if payable, from October 31, 2008 through and including...
MultiCultClassics (Free subscription) | 07/30/2008
Last week, MultiCultClassics spent too many posts examining people offended by the offended. Now let’s waste time discussing what happens when the offended become offensive. Bob Garfield ignited spirited debate by condemning Omnicom for its infamous Snickers commercial featuring Mr. T shooting at a seemingly gay speedwalker. On certain levels, Garfield had a valid point. Yet the columnist arguably...
MultiCultClassics (Free subscription) | 07/28/2008
From Letters To The Editor at AdAge.com… Offending gays no way to win share RE: “An Open Letter to Omnicom President-CEO John Wren.” Kudos to Bob Garfield for bringing up the need for greater awareness in the ad industry about the questionable effectiveness of gay stereotypes and homophobia for predictable punch lines. While many like to fall back on the idea that gay stereotypes and homophobia will...
MultiCultClassics (Free subscription) | 07/26/2008
Let’s close out the week with random thoughts on the story filling too many entries at this blog. Bob Garfield posted additional notes, engaging directly with visitors at An Open Letter To Omnicom President-CEO John Wren. When one person questioned Garfield’s argument that the scenario was “not about gay or not gay,” the columnist snapped: Julian, Sigh. This is so simple. You don’t have to be gay to...
MultiCultClassics (Free subscription) | 07/25/2008
Bob Garfield posted another comment on the thread for An Open Letter To Omnicom President-CEO John Wren. Here it is: To Julia Cohen (and many others), As the piece makes very clear (notwithstanding the slightly-too-narrow subheadline, which I did not write) it’s not about gay or not gay; it’s about the license to ridicule, demean and target a class of people by virtue of being not prototypically masculine...
The Earth Times Online Newspaper (Free subscription) | 07/24/2008
SEATTLE and NEW YORK, July 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Innovyx (www.innovyx.com), an Omnicom agency-focused e-mail marketing services firm, has named Julie Woodward Vice President, Client Servi...
The Huffington Post (Free subscription) | 07/24/2008
In this week's Advertising Age Bob Garfield in his "Garfield's Review" column writes a blistering open letter to Omnicom's President, John Wren, for allowing his...
Media Curmudgeon (Free subscription) | 07/24/2008
In this week’s Advertising Age Bob Garfield in his “Garfield’s Review” column writes a blistering open letter to Omnicom’s President, John Wren, for allowing his ad agency to create a blatantly homophobic commercial for Snickers. Garfield writes: This is from your own statement on corporate responsibility: "As a leader in the communications industry, Omnicom Group is committed to ensuring that we...
Mediabuyerplanner (Free subscription) | 07/23/2008
Despite a decline in traditional media spending, Omnicom's organic growth rose 4.8 percent in the second quarter thanks to growth in below-the-line marketing services. That marks the lowest...
Valleywag (Free subscription) | 07/23/2008
The International Monetary Fund says the mortgage mess is "the biggest financial crisis in the United States since the Great Depression," which means one thing for John Wren, CEO of ad-holding giant... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
MultiCultClassics (Free subscription) | 07/23/2008
As expected, Bob Garfield’s rant on Omnicom’s homophobic spots inspired comments. As expected, it’s the stereotypical collection of opinions. But somewhat unexpectedly, Garfield himself presented a rebuttal to the responses. As expected, it appears the man has not yet come to see the big picture—to grasp the real issue at hand. Expect a potential follow-up column or even the launch of an Omnicom Must...
Paidcontent (Free subscription) | 07/23/2008
After reporting that Omnicom Group's Q2 net income and worldwide revenue both rose 11 percent—release is here (PDF)—the ad holding company's CEO John Wren told listeners to the company's earnings call that the company was finally ready to get serious about acquisitions. -- Bad economy, better prices : Wren's pronouncement, devoid of specifics as to what areas the company is looking into, raises a...
