MultiCultClassics

7230: Save! Save! Save!

2009-11-08T00:40:00.002-06:00

This actual craigslist ad is from a self-proclaimed turnaround artist offering to save Kmart and Sears. We can do the same with two words: Dump Draftfcb.

I can save Kmart and Sears (United States)
Date: 2009-11-07, 2:27AM CST
Reply to: job-vxqye-1455198111@craigslist.org

I can save Kmart and Sears GUARANTEED.

Sears has been around since people used to wait for the new catalogs (also before toilet paper).

Kmart started the big discount store.

Both these companies have become Wal-Martized.

They forgot how they got started and what brought them to 2009.

I can save Kmart and Sears. No money down.

If Kmart and Sears will contract with me for an advertising/marketing/promotion, I will guarantee 20% instant sales gains overall. Sales of the items on promotion will also increase 20%.

To refresh the math:
If I can contract with Kmart and Sears (I have worked for both companies) I will guarantee 20% increase in total sales and 20% sales increase for items on promotion.

I have over 30 years retail experience, most as multi unit manager, district manager, regional manager, owner of multiple stores.

I can save: Kmart and Sears
Box 222
Walled Lake, MI 48390

savekmart@yahoo.com

7229: Not Lovin’ The Cultural Cluelessness.

2009-11-07T12:22:00.002-06:00

Check out the Advertising Age report below, immediately followed by a brief MultiCultClassics perspective.

Ethnic Insights Form Foundations of McDonald’s Marketing
CMO Golden: ‘Start With the Ones Who Are Setting the Pace’

By Emily Bryson York

PHOENIX — The marketing at McDonald’s is informed first and foremost by ethnic insights that shape the chain’s marketing to African Americans, Asians and Hispanics. Then McDonald’s lays those insights over work for the general market.

“Ethnic segments are leading lifestyle trends,” Neil Golden, chief marketer officer of McDonald’s USA, told the ANA assembly. He added that his team decided to “start with the ones who are setting the pace.”

They’re also where a lot of the money is. Mr. Golden said 40% of McDonald’s current U.S. business comes from the Hispanic, Asian and African-American markets, and 50% of consumers under the age of 13 are from those segments. “And they’re among our most loyal users,” Mr. Golden said.

‘No malls in the ghetto’
McDonald’s has attempted to understand ethnic segments for decades, hiring Burrell Communications in the early 1970s. But they haven’t always gotten it right. Mr. Golden recalled a meeting with Chicago franchisees 15 years ago in which he announced that the African-American population was going to love a new product and marketing program. A franchisee asked him how he knew. McDonald’s had
done a study. The franchisee asked where it was held. Mr. Golden told him it had been conducted in a mall. “We don’t have malls in the ghetto,” the franchisee told him.

Since then, Mr. Golden said McDonald’s has instituted an “approach that ensures this will never be an afterthought.” Now during in the product-development cycle, McDonald’s looks for a disproportionate level of ethnic insights, he said. Out of nine focus groups, whenever possible, two are Hispanic, two are Asian, two are African American and the remaining three represent the rest of the market.

When McDonald’s takes its ads to market, the chain makes sure that spending behind certain spots represents the country’s ethnic makeup, such as 15% behind Hispanic marketing, 12% behind African America, 5% behind Asian.

As for the ad-creative-development process, Mr. Golden said each ethnic agency is given a blank canvas—within the “I’m Lovin’ It” framework—to create campaigns that will resonate in the respective market. The chain’s McCafe launch, for instance, included a Hispanic push aimed at the increasingly empowered Latina. The Asian McCafe work focused on the quality of ingredients. And while McCafe is performing
well in the general market, it’s doing even better in many ethnically driven locations.

The chain has also looked for more meaningful touchpoints, including a scholarship program for Hispanic students in Texas and tie-ins with Lunar New Year celebrations to target the Asian community.

And it’s paying off. McDonald’s ethnic marketing continues to receive accolades from trusted names in the communities they’re targeting, such as Latina Style and Black Enterprise magazine.

He also pointed out McDonald’s “walks the talk” in its C-suite as well. His boss, McDonald’s USA President Don Thompson, is African American. Mr. Thompson’s boss, Chief Operating Officer Ralph Alvarez, is Hispanic. CEO Jim Skinner has said his goal is not to have to talk about it anymore.

Hard to argue with results
It’s hard to argue with McDonald’s business results. Since 2002, he said the U.S. business alone has grown by $10 billion, or $750,000 per restaurant. That translates into an additional 1.8 billion customer visits each year, or about 75,000 visits per restaurant. Restaurant cash flow has grown 50% over the same period.

Mr. Golden admitted that his company in 2000 “had lost its way.” The company was focusing on limited-time promotions and partnerships with other properties that subordinated the McDonald’s brand. At the time, he said, the marketers wanted to get back to the glory of “Nothin’ but net” and “You deserve a break today.”

“We’d lost our confidence,” Mr. Golden said. “Reinventing and modernizing the brand had to be a top priority.”

He credited the “Plan to Win,” an overall business strategy unveiled in 2002, and the “I’m Lovin’ It” theme, introduced in 2003. He said the five-note jingle now enjoys 100% awareness, boosting not only sales results, but also morale.

When asked about the growing momentum toward fast-food regulation, Mr. Golden said, “Our commitment is to evolve what we offer our consumers as consumers change their tastes and needs,” pointing to the addition of low-fat milk and apple dippers to kids meals, as well as grilled chicken options and better salads. Now, said the former tennis pro, consumers can eat at McDonald’s “six, seven, 10 times a week. I sure do.”

For a corporation that has been partnering with minority advertising agencies since the 1970s, McDonald’s still displays disturbing levels of cultural cluelessness.

First, Mickey D’s continues to baffle the senses by boasting of its own diversity while working alongside general market agencies whose exclusivity borders on institutionalized discrimination. Sorry, hiring minority shops does not compensate for the hypocrisy.

Equally perplexing is the proclamation that “ethnic segments are leading lifestyle trends.” Um, this has been common knowledge since even before the launch of shops such as Burrell. Yet minority firms must continue to repeat the point again and again.

And while advertisers like Mickey D’s recognize that minority consumers lead the trends, they are loath to let minority agencies lead the marketing.

Sure, Mickey D’s will occasionally permit the minorities to pitch against the Whites for projects. Additionally, minority spots will get general market media rotation. But in the end, there is a steadfast reluctance to hand over the reins completely.

Perhaps it’s rooted in the “No Malls In The Ghetto” recollection. Do advertisers like Mickey D’s believe deep down that the majority of minorities are ghetto dwellers?

More importantly, do advertisers realize that by prohibiting minority agencies from achieving a greater status, they are ultimately maintaining the corporate ghetto also known as multicultural marketing?

7228: ANA Masters Of Deception.

2009-11-06T12:47:00.001-06:00

The Association of National Advertisers is holding its annual powwow this weekend. The official agenda for the ANA 2009 Masters of Marketing doesn’t include any references to diversity. Bob Liodice will likely be asking peers to join The Army between events. However, Liodice did unveil the Marketer’s Constitution, which dumped a nod toward inclusiveness into the 7th commandment. The Marketer’s Constitution, of course, does not require ANA members to uphold the U.S. Constitution in regards to hiring practices on Madison Avenue. Thanks, Masters!

Marketer’s Constitution

1. Marketing must become increasingly targeted, focused and personal.
2. Marketing must build real, tangible and enduring brand value.
3. Marketing must become more effective — more creative, insightful and accountable.
4. Marketing must become more integrated and proficient in managing expanding media platforms.
5. The marketing supply chain must become more efficient and productive.
6. The marketing ecosystem - including agencies, media and suppliers — must become increasingly capable.
7. Marketing professionals must become better, highly skilled, diverse leaders.
8. Marketing must be indisputably socially responsible.
9. Marketing must be unencumbered by inappropriate legislation or regulation.
10. The marketing discipline must be elevated and respected.

7227: Comparing Rates.

2009-11-06T11:33:00.000-06:00

Ups and downs in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• The U.S. unemployment rate rose to 10.2 percent, the highest since 1926. The Madison Avenue diversity rate has risen far less than that since 1926, and it’s still well within the lower single digits.

• Mickey D’s settled a lawsuit from a Minnesota burger parlor that charged the fast feeder had ripped off the registered line, “Who’s your patty?” Guess McDonald’s Black advertising agency will have to go back to the drawing board.

7226: Fathers & Daughters Event Tomorrow.

2009-11-06T10:38:00.002-06:00

Learn more here.

7225: Pink Cadillac? No, Pure White.

2009-11-05T10:52:00.002-06:00

Advertising Age reported McCann didn’t make the final cut for the Cadillac pitch. Also not among the contenders: Any Minority Agency. General Motors allegedly has prerequisites for candidates, including some prior car experience and expertise with luxury brands. Not publicly listed with the mandates: White Skin. Will GM even allow minority shops to handle the minority assignments—or will the automaker once again let Whites cover everything?

McCann Out of Running for Cadillac Account
Rumored Front-Runner Not Among Contenders for GM’s Luxury Auto Business

By Jean Halliday

DETROIT (AdAge.com) -- Cadillac has narrowed the list of agencies in the hunt for its national creative account, and McCann Erickson has not made the cut.

General Motors Co.’s luxury brand said the contenders are: Publicis Groupe-backed Bartle Bogle Hegarty, New York, and Publicis, New York; two Interpublic Group of Cos. agencies, Gotham, New York, and Martin Agency, Richmond, Va.; Omnicom Group’s DDB, Chicago; and independent McKinney.

The automaker said it will hold meetings with the agencies in Detroit before Thanksgiving, and finalists will pitch in January. Executives familiar with the pitch said GM, in searching for an agency for its Cadillac brand, concentrated only partly on prior car experience; another crucial skill-set was experience with luxury brands.

Ark Advisors is managing the search, for which General Motors invited McCann, Birmingham, Mich., a major GM agency globally, that also handles Saab and GM’s corporate account in the U.S. Dentsu’s McGarryBowen, New York, was also invited, according to executives close to the matter. McCann is also pitching GM’s Chevrolet project for the launch of the small Cruze car.

There was talk that McCann was a shoo-in for the Cadillac account because of the close relationship between Steve Shannon, exec director of marketing at the brand, and Garry Neel, president-CEO of McCann’s Detroit-area office—a claim Cadillac and GM’s Bob Lutz, vice chairman-marketing and communications, vigorously denied.

Incumbent Modernista, Boston, opted not to defend the account.

7224: Diversifying Late-White TV.

2009-11-05T10:22:00.004-06:00

From The Chicago Tribune…

Wanda Sykes, George Lopez bring new comedy, new colors to white men’s late-night TV domain

By Lynn Elber, AP Television Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — In the blink of an eye, late-night TV is shifting from a white men’s club to the start of a rainbow coalition.

Wanda Sykes’ weekly Fox comedy show debuts 11 p.m. EST Saturday, followed by George Lopez’s four-night-a-week talk show on TBS, starting 11 p.m. EST Monday. They join “The Mo’Nique Show” on BET.

Lopez is counting on an audience hungry for something different — as in the first Hispanic to host a nighttime talk show on a major network, cable or broadcast.

Sykes is the first black late-night host since the late 1990s, when celebrities Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Keenan Ivory Wayans tried and failed to follow in Arsenio Hall’s successful 1989-94 footsteps.

“There’s a huge percentage of people not watching late-night TV at all,” Lopez said, figuring that the shows headlined by hosts including David Letterman, Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Kimmel draw from roughly the same audience pool.

For people of color, the actor and comedian said, “I don’t think a lot of their needs are met with the current talk shows. I would pull a different audience.”

Shari Anne Brill, an analyst with media-buyer Carat USA in New York, echoes Lopez’s assertion.

“There is a huge, growing multicultural population in this country, and the current late-night fare doesn’t really take them into account,” she said.

But neither Lopez nor Sykes are talking about practicing exclusionary TV. Lopez’s ABC sitcom drew a cross-section of viewers, and Sykes said she expects her show to attract the same mixed crowd she gets at her standup appearances.

“Young, old, male, female, all races, gay, straight. I love the audience that I draw,” Sykes said.

She rebuts the idea she got the job because of her gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation (the actress-comedian, who appears on CBS’ “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” came out as gay in 2008).

“I do understand the importance of being on a late-night talk show as a black, gay woman. But I’ve been at this for 20 years. I don’t think they (networks) were saying, ‘Hey, it would be fun to get a black woman on late-night. Who fits that role?’

“I got this show in spite of being a black lesbian,” she said, adding that viewers will tune in to see her or Lopez and not a type.

“It’s all driven by the host. It’s not what you’re getting from a minority, it’s us,” Sykes said.

She doesn’t see an “Obama effect” in the sudden late-night diversity, given that she was approached before the election of the first African-American U.S. president. But Lopez said his interest was piqued as he campaigned for the Democratic candidate.

“Being with Barack for a year and seeing the people and how their eyes and their faces filled with hope for him, for this country … and, on a very smaller scale, to have a show that is fun and can galvanize people and bring them together” was appealing, he said.

The two shows, as sketched by their hosts, will take different approaches.

Lopez promises to bring “the party back to late-night,” signaling a looser, hipper hour in the tradition of “The Arsenio Hall Show,” said analyst Bill Carroll of media buyer Katz Television in New York. Sykes is planning Bill Maher-type panels with both lighthearted and serious discussion of politics and culture as part of her mix.

“In some ways, these shows are looking at breaking the mold,” Carroll said. “Lopez Tonight,” he suggests, could be “what late-night might look like in the future.”

Sykes, whose show replaces Fox’s “Mad TV,” could compete successfully in her partial overlap with NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” analyst Brill said. “Viewers could watch her show and then switch to ‘SNL’ in time for the news, which is the only part that’s funny anyway.”

Eva Longoria-Parker, Ellen DeGeneres and Los Angeles Lakers basketball star Kobe Bryant are the scheduled debut night guests for Lopez. Sykes will welcome Mary Lynn Rajskub of “24,” Daryl “Chill” Mitchell of “Brothers” and “The Amazing Race” host Phil Keoghan.

John Ridley, head writer for Sykes, said he’s wary of asserting that the show will “blow apart” the late-night model.

“If you look at all the shows, they’re not different. Are we going to have a monologue? Absolutely. Guests? Yes. A panel? Yes. But it reflects Wanda’s sensibility,” he said.

And that, it’s safe to say, is not akin to what Carroll calls the “predominantly middle-aged — to be kind — white men” that have long dominated late-night.

7223: Gringo Market Domination…?

2009-11-05T00:09:00.002-06:00

Advertising Age reported that IKEA is seeking to integrate its White and Latino advertising efforts. Sounds like forced assimilation for the minorities. After all, clients are loath to demand that White agencies become more culturally integrated.

Ikea Begins Creative Review to Integrate General Market With Hispanic
Retailer Says It Is Searching for Improved Communications Efficiency in U.S.

By Natalie Zmuda and Rupal Parekh

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Swedish furniture retailer Ikea, nearing completion of a media agency review, is now examining its creative roster of U.S. agencies in what it calls a move towards “integration of general market and Hispanic creative.”

The marketer has hired Boston-based Pile & Co., which has managed agency reviews for the retailer before, to assist with its “integrated communications” search.

“Ikea is evaluating all creative agency partners and identifying areas for improved communication effectiveness and efficiencies,” said Leontyne Green, marketing manager for Ikea U.S. “Integration of general market and Hispanic creative could afford Ikea the best opportunity to develop breakthrough messaging and establish a more-integrated approach to marketing communications.”

The marketer said it now partners with numerous creative agencies, citing Deutsch and Anita Santiago Advertising as specifically participating in the review.

Ikea, which spends some $300 million globally, is known in marketing circles to be a bit finicky, conducting agency reviews with some regularity. Its agency roster spans various holding companies: Omnicom Group’s Ketchum handles PR; WPP shops Mediaedge:cia and Mediacom have handled media duties, and Interpublic Group of Cos.’ Deutsch has U.S. creative.

Deutsch has a long history with Ikea; the retailer handed domestic creative duties back to the shop in 2006 after a break from a decade-long stretch of working together. The agency is expected to participate in the latest review.

Separately, Ikea is wrapping a seven-month-long review of its media-agency partners, and executives with knowledge of the process said the company is expected to make a decision soon. Mediaedge:cia has handled planning and buying for the furniture maker in the U.S. and certain global markets, while sibling Mediacom handles the business in other regions.

“Ikea U.S. is tasked with driving the business in an unprecedented way,” Ms. Green said. “Consequently, having strong, consistent and relevant communications will become even more critical to delivering to that task.”

Nontraditional marketing methods
Ikea’s marketing strategy tends to veer away from TV and other traditional methods. In recent times, it has favored using branded entertainment as a marketing tool, including movie integrations with “Mamma Mia!” and “(500) Days of Summer” and branded webisode series “Easy to Assemble,” starring celebs such as Justine Bateman and Tom Arnold. It also staged an in-store opera and an elaborate out-of-home campaign dubbed “Embrace Change” in honor of Barack Obama’s inauguration, creating a replica of the Oval Office in a train station.

Earlier this year, Ikea marketing chief Magnus Gustaffson told Ad Age the company plans to devote an increasing amount of its estimated $300 million global marketing budget to digital media in the coming years, using projects such as “Easy to Assemble” to engage its customers.

“In the next three to five years, we can expect both content concepts and the distribution model to develop even more rapidly,” Mr. Gustaffson previously said. “So in that time frame, the importance of the 30-second TV spot, as we know it, will decrease and the importance of something that today is perceived to be more niche, i.e., web series, will increase.”

Like other retailers, Ikea has been hit hard by the recession. Over the summer it laid off 5,000 employees, or 4% of its workforce. And it has slowed store openings, expecting to open about 15 new stores next year, primarily in Europe. For the year ended Aug. 31, Ikea reported sales of $30 billion, up 1.4% from the year prior. In total, Ikea operates 267 stores around the world.

In the U.S., the retailer’s 2010 catalog highlights new, lower prices throughout, surely an effort to attract cash-strapped consumers who have been delaying home purchases. The 2010 catalog also garnered attention for its shift from Ikea’s version of the Futura font to Verdana—a move that ruffled brand loyalists, designers and typography junkies, and received tons of PR coverage.

Contributing: Michael Bush

7222: Muse Musings On Diversity.

2009-11-04T11:10:00.002-06:00

At The Big Tent, Ken Wheaton noted that Jo Muse released a report on Corporate Diversity Communication. Forget the irony that it’s a White Paper. Go check it out now.

7221: Confessions Of An Advertising Industry.

2009-11-04T11:08:00.002-06:00

Wanted to make one more quick point regarding Laurence Boschetto’s perspective.

Boschetto opened with: “The intense, ongoing scrutiny our industry has undergone for insufficient diversity and inclusion has been well-documented — and warranted.”

Add Boschetto to the growing list of leaders — including Dan Wieden, Rick Boyko, Mike Hughes, John Seifert, Bob Liodice, Nancy Hill, Bob Scarpelli, etc. — who have essentially admitted that our industry has failed in its responsibilities toward diversity. Looks like Cyrus Mehri can put aside any potential lawsuit, as Madison Avenue honchos are offering full confessions.

Does any other profession allow such admissions to be consistently repeated without assigning penance? What makes things worse is Boschetto recently received a shiny new Mosaic Award to prove insufficient efforts will not only be tolerated — they’ll be rewarded.

7220: Making The Cuts.

2009-11-04T11:05:00.002-06:00

Cutting through the news in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Johnson & Johnson announced a restructuring plan that will cut about 8,000 jobs by 2011. They’ll need a lot of Band-Aid© Brand Adhesive Bandages to handle that many cuts.

• The Louisiana Justice of the Peace who recently refused to marry an interracial couple has resigned. His single-sentence resignation letter read, “I do hereby resign the office of Justice of the Peace for the Eighth Ward of Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, effective November 3, 2009.” That’s pretty clear in black and white.

• The U.S. Army reported that 70 percent of American military-age youth are unqualified to enlist because they’re overweight. One official remarked, “We’ve never had this problem of young people being obese like we have today.” However, the rejected recruits are eligible to serve at Mickey D’s.

7219: Boschetto Bashings.

2009-11-03T16:41:00.003-06:00

Via The Big Tent, Draftfcb President-CEO Laurence Boschetto presented a perspective on minority vendors, likely reiterating points he made at The New Dynamics of Diversity event during Advertising Week. Hadji Williams, Harry Webber and Sanford Moore offered a few ~~bashings~~ rebuttals.

7218: Hockey Homophobia.

2009-11-03T16:39:00.002-06:00

From USA TODAY…

It’s time to end the use of gay slurs in hockey

By Justin Bourne, Special for USA TODAY

In my days as a hockey player, I did nothing but contribute to hockey’s culture of homophobia and prejudice against gays. I used gay slurs more times than I’d like to admit. Six months after I left my last professional locker room, I felt a twinge of regret, followed by a full-out, stomach punch of regret. And by the time I finished the first draft of this column, I was disgusted with myself.

At the time, it seemed harmless. After all — when you think about the NHL, AHL, ECHL and more, can you call to memory a single open homosexual among them? There was nobody in my team’s dressing room to offend, right?

The lack of a homosexual presence in hockey must mean one of two things: either homosexual men don’t play the game or they don’t feel comfortable admitting it — in which case I, and my brethren, were offending some teammates with our close-mindedness, and furthering what must have been unsettled feelings of fear and general exclusion.

For us as a culture, that means another two things. That either we need scientists doing research on professional hockey players ASAP, because apparently there’s a link between our sport and sexuality. Or, much more realistically, we need to alter the culture of hockey, because homosexuals are being forced to play entire careers masquerading as people they’re not.

As many times as I used these slurs, I heard it back tenfold. As well as I fit in behind the doors of a dressing room, I had pursuits that made me seem different. I kept a journal while I played. I’m into piano music and reading. In the hockey world, that’s your basic formula for eliciting more comments about sexual orientation than acting in “Rent.” It’s always the first shot fired.

Hockey culture is something I’ve known and loved, but I’m not oblivious to the disconnect between how players and coaches act behind that dressing room door and how society expects them to act in public. Since we have to change something about how we act and what we say when we leave the team room, we’re probably acting improperly in the first place. And during my playing days, I was aware that was the case.

There hasn’t been progress on this issue for years. When I ran the idea for this column by my uncle, a sportswriter and editor, he mentioned a piece he wrote 20 years ago after the general manager of a major junior hockey team in Canada said something like: “We don’t have any weak-wristed players in this locker room.”

Twenty years later, this attitude has yet to be shucked from hockey. We can’t wait another two decades ignoring the small but consistent strides of progress that the world outside sport is making.

We need to make a change now, because kids who move away from home to play junior hockey at 16 or 17 are still impressionable. If they don’t encounter a good role model, the seeds are sown for a person, who after trying to fit in, thinks it’s OK to drink, treat women a certain way and use homosexuality as a punchline.

I recently read a quote in the “Verbatim” section of Time from Julian Bond, chairman of the NAACP, encouraging African-Americans to support gay marriage. He said “black people, of all people, should not oppose equality.” But really, shouldn’t all of us have learned from the horrible mistakes of our past, not just African-Americans? There’s not a single good reason for any of us to continue to support inequality in any shape or form. We’ll look back at this time in our history and hang our heads for allowing this prejudice to continue.

Policies like “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” are the kinds of things that when our kids grow up, they’ll look at us and say “dudes couldn’t fight for their country because they kissed dudes? Wait; explain that again, I’m lost. They were fighting for their country, right?”

The goal is to get to a place where our differences aren’t so much as a blip on anyone’s radar. By the time we have our sixth black President, let’s hope it’s not a story anymore — he’s just the President.

And maybe the first openly gay NHL star will elicit stereotypical responses but hopefully the 100th is just a guy who will show up in my columns for being “a completely overrated, third-line defensive specialist at best.”

It will be hard to survive the dressing room for the first players to come out. That’s a fact. Very few things are off-limits for jokes and barbs. This is a place where “Right, but your girlfriend has cheated on you like, six times” is a witty comeback.

On the ice, the first gay professionals will likely take some verbal shots. Trash-talking is part of the game and we all look for the easy target. The stuff I used to hear was harmless: I was called “skinny” and “soft” and worse (but not much).

Whoever the pioneer is will have to know what he’s in for — he’ll have to be a strong man, possibly in the literal sense.

We’ve somehow made something totally irrelevant to hockey performance – sexual preference — such an issue that every gay player has been forced to conclude that their private life is something best hidden.

Hey, hockey players: not knowing doesn’t change the reality that there are gay men in the professional ranks today.

And maybe it’s not many, because we’ve driven so many away; players who didn’t want to be teased, shunned, and worse, a target for on-ice violence. Who knows how many great players hung up their skates in favor of some lesser talent, strictly to find acceptance and peace of mind.

So it’s time.

It’s time to acknowledge we’ve been unfair to the gay community, that the culture of our sport can be misogynistic, homophobic and cruel. More important, it’s time to make a stand that we want it to change.

I know I can’t take back the words I said during my time as a hockey player, but this is a start. I think if you asked any minority group that has won the rights and freedoms that all people deserve, they’d agree on one thing about change — it’s better late than never.

7217: All The Pennies In China…

2009-11-02T21:55:00.000-06:00

Call China now for just pennies? Um, there are lots of dollars worth of pennies here.

7216: Prime Talent Wanted.

2009-11-02T07:22:00.003-06:00

Prime BurgerHouse will apparently be checking all candidates’ buns.

7215: i-D P.Y.T. Issue.

2009-11-01T20:32:00.002-06:00

From i-D Magazine Pre-Fall 2009.

7214: White Power To The People.

2009-11-01T20:13:00.002-06:00

Advertising Age presented Power Players 2009. With a few exceptions, it looks like White Power.

7213: A Woman’s Nation.

2009-11-01T09:33:00.002-06:00

From The Los Angeles Times…

A woman’s nation: tears and empowerment
Women still want to change the world, on their own terms.

By Cathleen Decker

The state Women’s Conference, when it began almost two decades ago, was all about women changing the world. The speakers tended toward the practical. The frills were nonexistent.

Under the direction of First Lady Maria Shriver, last week’s conference was a two-day extravaganza, a Technicolor version of the event of old. Much of the focus was “The Shriver Report,” a collaboration between Shriver and a Washington think-tank, which declared two weeks ago that we have become “a woman’s nation.”

But the heart of the conference occurred at lunch on Day 2, when Shriver, her voice breaking, for the first time publicly reflected on her mother’s recent death. Her words brought thousands to tears in a silent arena.

It was hard to imagine the same personal scene at a conference of men. But that was part of the point, for the theme of the conference might well have been: We still want to change the world. We just want to do it on our terms.

The phrase “a woman’s nation” reflects potential as much as reality. As the report indicated, half the paid workers in the nation are women, and they are the primary breadwinners in four of 10 families. Most Americans, men and women, say that having women in the workforce is a positive.

But the rise in women’s economic heft has come about in part because the national recession disproportionately has hit male-oriented jobs in areas like home construction and finance. Women still earn substantially less than men and remain underrepresented relative to their share of the population in such jobs as law firm partners and chief executives, two traditional measurements of success.

In her report, Shriver declared the battle of the sexes to be over, replaced by negotiation. Translation: In all the difficult decisions of daily life, the things that get us from here to there, much still needs to be worked out.

That rang true to Barbara O’Connor, who attended the conference. O’Connor, a communications professor at Cal State Sacramento, has spent years counseling young women who want power on their own terms, who want a career and a family.

”I think we need a new definition of the women’s movement, and it has to include men,” O’Connor said. Her students, she said, look at her generation and shake their heads. “They all look at the women and what they have given up. There needs to be a discussion of how to do it differently.”

Differently, that is, than the 63-year-old O’Connor. She never married and never had children, “and I’ve struggled with that guilt all my life,” she said. “I think a lot of women are saying, ‘I played by the rules and have outward indices of success—and where has it gotten me?’ “

For her generation, of course, there was far more pressure to choose one over the other—usually home over career.

And there was less societal assistance if you went the other way. Even now, despite improvements, day care, flex time and other assistance are hard to come by.

Part of the reason is that women are no political monolith. Past decades have seen friction between working women and stay-at-home women, each nursing perceived slights and working against a unified insistence on things that could help both groups.(More than one speaker at the conference called for that to end, to much applause.)

Although women are the biggest voting bloc in California, they hold a small proportion of elective seats, in part because when push comes to shove, most women vote for ideology over gender.

That may be tested anew this year in the state’s two biggest races, for governor and U.S. Senate.

Former EBay chief executive Meg Whitman is running for the Republican nomination for governor, and so far is getting the same support from women as men. The same is true for potential Republican Senate candidate Carly Fiorina, a former head of Hewlett Packard.

In neither case is there a gender gap in polls of potential primary voters.

Some political analysts surmise that the lack of a gap is because the pressure is off: There are now enough women in high-ranking positions that it is harder to invoke the passions that led to firsts, like election nationwide of several women senators in 1992 or Hillary Clinton’s close second in last year’s presidential contest.

For Kathy Hunn of Antelope Valley, who also attended the conference, politics is only one measure of success. Though happy to see women on the ballot, she said, “I won’t vote for a woman just because she’s a woman.”

Hunn, a high school counselor, was among the people at the conference for whom the old icons of success—the corner office or big salary—don’t matter.

She has attended for five years, and, inspired by what others were doing, found herself nursing a notion to create a reading program for homeless children. She called a nearby shelter and now operates a volunteer program in which she collects books, reads to kids and gives them the books to keep.

”I saw the need coming, and I got it going,” she said. “If I hadn’t been coming here, the idea would have been unformed.”

7212: Black Cats Face Discrimination.

2009-10-31T09:01:00.001-05:00

From The New York Daily News…

Ancient false myths leave bewitching black cats shunned by some

BY Amy Sacks
Daily News Writer

Halloween this year has gone to the dogs, with pooches dressed as witches, hot dogs — even the Pope — competing for prizes in contests around the city.

Meanwhile, black cats still get a bad rap. For centuries, sleek black felines in Western cultures have been associated with witches and demons, and have been thought to bring bad luck to those who cross their paths.

“The superstition that black cats bring bad luck is true — only if you’re a black cat!” said Dr. Robin Brennan, a veterinarian at Bideawee, which is teeming with cats and kittens for adoption.

Sadly, the stigma causes people to shun them, leaving many black cats without adopters.

In addition, it has long been believed that shelters shouldn’t adopt out black cats around Halloween, so they can avoid being used for satanic rituals or other abuse.

But local shelter workers say the myth is just that - a myth that was debunked long ago by data and scientific studies that show black cats are not at risk during this time.

The ASPCA’s Humane Law Enforcement department has not encountered an increase in abuse of black cats around Halloween, said Gail Buchwald, who heads adoptions for the ASPCA, where 36 black cats are available for adoption, along with many other kittens and cats of all stripes.

“The Halloween myth is not” true she said. In fact, when shelters refrain from rehoming these cats around Halloween, it creates a pileup of black cats in their shelters, which further hurts the cats’ chances of finding homes quickly.

Black cats — and dogs, too — are often overlooked because they are too plain or ordinary for some people’s tastes. The stigma means these animals tend to stay in the shelters the longest.

Still, adoptions are done on a case-by-case basis, and some shelters and rescue groups may be more vigilant around Halloween.

At the Animal Care & Control shelters, 39 black cats are among the hundreds of cats and kittens in the shelter.

Greek mythology taught that a woman named Galenthias was turned into a cat and became a priestess at the temple of Hecate, the “Dark Mother,” and is sometimes called the mother of witchcraft. During the 12th and 13th centuries, accused witches in Europe were often found with their “familiars,” usually black cats, and were said to turn themselves into cats at times. During the witch-burning era of the 17th century, accused witches’ cats were put into baskets and burned alongside them.

In many European countries and in the U.S., black cats signify bad luck, while in England, Australia and Japan, black cats are considered lucky.

Helene Zinszner says there is nothing ominous about her affectionate black kitty Monkey Girl, despite the stigma attached to black cats in her native France.

“Everyone loves her,” said Zinszner, an AIDS researcher at NYU, who adopted Monkey Girl when she was a young kitten found in a Staten Island backyard. “She sleeps with me, purrs every time I touch her or even talk to her with intent, and follows me everywhere in the house .”

Still, because there are some evil-doers, cats can fall victim to pranks and in some cases cruelty during this season.

To be on the safe side, animal experts say it’s best to keep cats indoors. Apartment dwellers might want to keep the cat and dog in a separate room so the animals don’t run out when trick-or-treaters come knocking at the door.

Shelters are teeming with cats awaiting new homes. To adopt a cat, go to Petfinder.com or contact your local shelter or rescue group.

For a complete listing of pet-related Halloween events this weekend, go to www.newyorktails.com.

7211: Enforcing Discrimination Laws.

2009-10-31T08:59:00.001-05:00

From The Los Angeles Times…

Top civil rights attorney promises increased enforcement of discrimination laws

U.S. Assistant Atty. Gen. Thomas Perez ushers in an era of ‘transformation and restoration’ with pledges to fight housing bias, hate crimes and predatory lending, among other things.

By Teresa Watanabe

The nation’s top civil rights attorney vowed Friday to step up enforcement of laws against housing bias, hate crimes, racially targeted predatory lending and other discriminatory acts in what he called a new era of “transformation and restoration.”

Thomas Perez, U.S. assistant attorney general for civil rights, also said during a keynote address to an Asian Pacific American civil rights conference in Los Angeles that he would “depoliticize decision-making” and work to restore trust between career attorneys and political appointees in the Justice Department.

Perez said attempts to replace career civil rights lawyers with conservative Republicans, as documented in a U.S. inspector general’s report this year, was the “most problematic” of the Bush administration’s policies on civil rights. Between 2003 and 2007, he said, 70% of lawyers left the department’s civil rights division.

But that era, Perez said, is over.

“The civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice is open for business,” he said to applause and cheers from hundreds of participants at the conference, sponsored by four leading Asian Pacific American organizations.

Perez lauded the Bush administration’s work on ensuring voter access to bilingual ballots, combating religious discrimination and cracking down on human trafficking.

But he said that too few cases were filed to challenge alleged discrimination in other areas, such as voting practices, voter registration procedures and what he called “toxic predatory lending” targeted at minority consumers.

Such lending, he said, helped exacerbate the foreclosure crisis as the federal government failed to use fair housing and equal credit laws to attack the practices.

In contrast, Perez said, the Obama administration planned to use all legal tools available to enforce all civil rights laws.

“There are no buffet lines. … We are not here to pick and choose which laws to enforce,” he said. “We’re going to enforce all of the laws.”

Perez said the Obama administration’s renewed emphasis on civil rights enforcement was reflected in a 20% proposed budget increase that would allow his office to add more than 100 new staff members. At present, more than 300 lawyers in the division enforce laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, sex, disability, religion and national origin. Lawyers also oversee voting-rights cases, which are likely to increase after next year’s census and the resulting redistricting.

Perez, a 48-year-old Dominican American sworn into office two weeks ago, worked for 12 years as a civil rights attorney under both Republican and Democratic administrations. He most recently served as Maryland’s labor secretary.

His address highlighted a two-day conference featuring workshops on labor, immigration, education, health and other issues. It was organized by the Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Los Angeles, the Asian American Institute of Chicago, the Asian American Justice Center of Washington, D.C., and the Asian Law Caucus of San Francisco.

7210: WTF USF.

2009-10-30T21:53:00.002-05:00

What the hell is an Internet Marketing Certificate? It’s probably a downloadable pdf you can print and tack to your wall.

7209: Adversity Meets Adversity.

2009-10-30T20:49:00.005-05:00

For a first anniversary, the traditional gift is paper and the modern gift is a clock. Julius Dunn and his Adversity program received both, as The One Club handed him a pink slip and announced his time was up.

An official insisted the program is not going away; rather, the partnership between The One Club and Adversity has ended for financial reasons. Apparently, any long-term commitment plan was written with a Gold Pencil. The One Club website has erased all evidence of Adversity, replacing it with the following:

The One Club is extending its outreach to provide college students and young professionals of diverse backgrounds an opportunity to learn first hand about the creative side of advertising, new media and design. Through workshops, presentations and exhibitions, The One Club is working to diversify the advertising industry.

First, The One Club should hire an award-winning proofreader, as firsthand is a single word. Second, how does The One Club intend to extend its outreach efforts while cutting its lead diversity initiative? Guess you need to be a Gold Pencil winner to figure out a creative answer. Third, “The One Club is working to diversify the advertising industry,” sounds remarkably like, “O.J. Simpson is hunting for Nicole’s killer.” There’s a certain insincerity here, especially given that the award organization’s historical lack of interest in minorities might warrant a name change to The One Old Boys Club. And Adversity could be renamed The One-Year Club.

What’s the most unfortunate part of this affair? The only source to bother reporting on Adversity’s demise was the ever-useless Agency Spy blog. That’s the equivalent of having your obituary run in a high school newspaper.

Anyway, good luck to Julius Dunn and the other staffers who lost their jobs. Welcome to the advertising industry.

7208: Keeping Abreast Of The News.

2009-10-30T12:46:00.002-05:00

Busting out the news in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Two Hooters waitresses in Brooklyn, New York filed a class-action lawsuit against the restaurant chain, charging they were forced to pay about $20 for their uniforms. The law in New York states that employers must provide workers with uniforms unless folks are permitted to wear regular street clothes. Streetwalker clothes would be welcome by most Hooters patrons too.

• Construction has been approved to begin working on the National Mall’s Martin Luther King Jr. memorial—about 11 years after originally approving the proposal. Wonder if the approval committee is also heading diversity efforts on Madison Avenue.

• Anti-Semitic attitudes are at an all-time low in the United States, according to a new Anti-Defamation League survey. The results showed only 12 percent of Americans are prejudiced against Jews. It would be interesting to see the survey questions that led to these numbers.

7207: Adopting New Ideas.

2009-10-30T12:03:00.002-05:00

From Target Market News. It seems peculiar that this assignment would be handled by a White advertising agency. On the other hand, minority shops have been known to avoid Ad Council projects, as the not-for-profit efforts can literally be without profit—and ultimately costly.

Ad Council, U.S. government launch campaign promoting adoption of black children

The Advertising Council, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Children's Bureau and AdoptUsKids, announced today the launch of a campaign designed to encourage the adoption of African American children from foster care.

According to the Administration for Children and Families, there are currently 496,000 children in the foster care system and, of these, 130,000 are available for adoption. Thirty-one percent of the children in foster care waiting to be adopted are African American; African American children are overrepresented in the foster care population relative to their percentage in the U.S. general population.

“We are optimistic that this campaign will result in a significant increase in inquiries to AdoptUsKids by families who are interested in adoption, specifically the adoption of older African American children and youth in foster care in the United States,” said Kathy Ledesma, Project Director, AdoptUsKids. Created pro bono by kirshenbaum bond senecal + partners, the new multimedia campaign which includes television, radio, and print PSAs, is designed to help prospective parents realize that “You don’t have to be perfect to be a perfect parent.” It also aims to significantly increase awareness of the need to provide loving, permanent families for children in the foster care system.

The new PSAs illustrate to potential parents that children in foster care don’t need perfection, they need the commitment and love a “forever family” can provide. The PSAs direct audiences to visit www.adoptuskids.org, or call 1-888-200-4005 for more information on the adoption process.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with the Children’s Bureau and AdoptUsKids on this humorous and heartwarming campaign that has inspired thousands of Americans to consider adopting a child from foster care,” according to Peggy Conlon, President & CEO of The Advertising Council. “I am confident that these new PSAs will help increase the adoption of African American children.”

The new PSAs are an extension of the previously successful campaign, launched in 2004, which focused on the adoption of children from foster care. The need for adoptive homes for older children, sibling groups, and children of color is especially great and the campaign has therefore targeted prospective homes for those populations. In the first 18 months following the launch, calls to the AdoptUsKids toll-free number increased by 236%. Additionally, more than 11,000 children whose pictures and biographies were featured on the AdoptUsKids website have been placed with a “forever family.”

“The insight that you don’t have to be perfect to be a perfect parent is a great platform that continues to allow us to create both meaningful and entertaining work across all channels. The campaign is a classic for the agency yet we continue to evolve and find fresh ways to inspire prospective parents to take action,” said Izzy DeBellis, Managing Partner and Network Creative Director, kirshenbaum bond senecal + partners.

The new television, radio, print and Web banner PSAs are being distributed to more than 33,000 media outlets nationwide this week. Per the Ad Council model, the PSAs will run and air in advertising time and space that is donated by the media.

The Administration for Children and Families/Children's Bureau Within HHS, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is the agency that is responsible for Federal programs that promote the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals, and communities. The Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF) administers national programs for children and youth; works with States, Tribes, and local communities to develop services that support and strengthen family life; seeks joint ventures with the private sector to enhance the lives of children and their families; and provides information and other assistance to parents.

Many of the programs administered by ACYF focus on children from low-income families; abused and neglected children; children and youth in need of foster care, independent living, adoption or other child welfare services; preschool children; children with disabilities; runaway and homeless youth; and children from Native American and migrant families.

Within ACYF, the Children's Bureau (CB) plans, manages, coordinates, and supports child abuse and neglect prevention and child welfare services programs. CB is the agency within the Federal Government that is responsible for assisting child welfare systems by promoting continuous improvement in the delivery of child welfare services. CB programs are designed to promote the safety, permanency, and well-being of all children, including those in foster care, available for adoption, recently adopted, abused, neglected, dependent, disabled, or homeless, and to prevent the neglect, abuse, and exploitation of children.

AdoptUsKids is a multi-faceted, federally funded project whose mission is to recruit and connect foster and adoptive families with waiting children throughout the United States. The project is managed through a cooperative agreement with the Children's Bureau of the Administration of Children and Families of the Department of Health and Human Services.

kirshenbaum bond senecal + partners is a leading integrated creative advertising and marketing services organization with $700 million in billings and 300 employees located in New York. Our dedication is to provide High Value Creativity that drives financial performance for our clients. The members of the kirshenbaum bond senecal+ partners group include kirshenbaum bond senecal advertising, Company C, Dotglu, LIME public relations + promotion, The Media Kitchen, Open Mind Strategy, and Varick Media Management. The Clients of the Group include BMW, Berkshire Hathaway/NetJets, Cablevision, Diageo, Delta, HomeGoods, Kao Brands Company (Jergens, Biore, Ban, John Frieda, Curel), Mohegan Sun, Panasonic, Starz Entertainment and Weight Watchers among others.

The Ad Council (www.adcouncil.org) is a private, non-profit organization that marshals volunteer talent from the advertising and communications industries, the facilities of the media, and the resources of the business and non-profit communities to deliver critical messages to the American public. The Ad Council has produced, distributed and promoted thousands of public service campaigns on behalf of non-profit organizations and government agencies in issue areas of health & safety, community and education.

7206: King Is Crowned.

2009-10-30T11:57:00.002-05:00

From CNN…

Bernice King elected president of SCLC

Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) — Bernice King, the youngest child of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., has been elected president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a spokeswoman for the group said Friday.

King, 46, was elected as the SCLC’s first female president, said Renee Richardson.

King’s father was SCLC’s first president. The organization was founded in 1957.

The other finalist for the post was former Arkansas Court of Appeals Judge Wendell Griffen, 57, who lost his recent bid for re-election.

Griffen, of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, is also pastor of New Millennium Church in Little Rock.

King is a minister at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia. She also is a motivational speaker and author.

“It is a destiny call,” she told the Atlanta Journal Constitution last week. “It is part of my father and mother’s legacy and a continuation of the legacy he started in the ‘50s and ‘60s through this organization. I believe that the hand of God is leading me.”

Her brother, Martin Luther King III, was president of SCLC from 1997 to 2004. They and sibling Dexter King were locked in a bitter legal battle over their parents’ estates until late September, when a judge ordered them to begin negotiations. The three were able to reach a settlement.

King succeeds the Rev. Byron Clay, who has been interim president since the Rev. Charles Steele Jr. resigned earlier this year.

CNN’s Debra Krajnak and Maria White contributed to this report.