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Omnicom Group (OMC) turned in sluggish but in-line Q2 earnings this morning, but CEO JohnWren says there is, in fact, an upside to the down economy. Namely: It will allow the world's largest global ad firm to make some acquisitions on the cheap. On Omnicom's Q2 conference call, Wren said economic conditions make it more likely Omnicom will close some deals in the near-term. Why?...
Say what you will about Bob Garfield, but his column does get the attention of the ad industry. And this week's column, An Open Letter to JohnWren , will certainly get attention, as he addresses the CEO of Omnicom about some not-so-subtle gay bashing in this Snickers spot done by AMV BBDO in London. The entire letter is worth reading, but here is the last part, which gets at the ultimate...
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 JohnWren. 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,...
From Letters To The Editor at AdAge.com… Offending gays no way to win share RE: “An Open Letter to Omnicom President-CEO JohnWren.” 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...
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 JohnWren. 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...
Bob Garfield posted another comment on the thread for An Open Letter To Omnicom President-CEO JohnWren. 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...
I predicted that Bob Garfield's Open Letter To JohnWren would stir things up, and judging by the 70 comments, it sure has. So should we care if ads are perceived by some as offensive or not? It's the subject of my new Talent Zoo column. Here's a snippet: “It’s just an ad.” This one usually comes out of the mouths of people who’ll otherwise go to any lengths to defend bad work, particularly...
In this week's Advertising Age Bob Garfield in his "Garfield's Review" column writes a blistering open letter to Omnicom's President, JohnWren, for allowing his...
In this week’s Advertising Age Bob Garfield in his “Garfield’s Review” column writes a blistering open letter to Omnicom’s President, JohnWren, 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...
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 JohnWren, CEO of ad-holding giant... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
Ad Age critic Bob Garfield has written a scathing open letter to JohnWren, the CEO of Omnicom. Garfield was pushed over the edge by the latest Snickers spot from AMV BBDO, London, one of the corporation's ad agencies. Like...
What is wrong with Mars, Inc./Masterfoods? Look at this Snickers commercial produced by Omnicon. The accompanying text is from AdAge critic Bob Garfield's open letter to Omnicon CEO JohnWren criticizing this tripe (h/t Joe.My.God ): In January 2007, from TBWA, New York, there was the Snickers Super Bowl ad: two auto mechanics, chewing on opposite ends of a candy bar till meeting in an...
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 JohnWren 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...
Advertising Age critic Bob Garfield has published an open letter to Omnicon CEO JohnWren, blasting three homophobic ads that have been produced by agencies under the Omnicon umbrella. Dear John, Two years ago, from BBDO, Detroit, came the spot for the macho subcompact Dodge Caliber. It featured a burly tough guy snorting the words "silly little fairy" at a Tinkerbell-like pixie,...
... a wrench. Joe.My.God has republished an open letter from Advertising Age critic Bob Garfield to JohnWren, CEO of advertising agency Omnicon, criticizing the mega-agency for a string of homophobic ads it has produced in recent years. Contact Snickers if you’d like to tell them what you think. Ad embedded after the jump. ShareThis
