Shaquille O’Neal is adding to his resume. No longer content to just be a TNT commentator, actor, product endorsement guru and one of the greatest basketball players of all time after his 19-year-career in the NBA, O’Neal is also now the founding partner and a leading investor in a new…
Tag: Advertising
Nielsen’s Cheryl Grace Discusses ‘New Black Renaissance’ in Consumer Trends
Black creators and consumers are, in many ways, dominating the American market in what Nielsen (No. 16 on DiversityInc’s 2019 Top 50 Companies for Diversity) is referring to as the New Black Renaissance. For Black History Month, the data and metrics firm is highlighting the purchasing and consumption power of…
Archived: Dodge Blasted for Distastefully Using MLK's Words in Super Bowl Ad
Dodge received swift rebuke for its Super Bowl ad Sunday night in what many critics said was a distasteful use of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to sell cars and tone-deaf to Dr. King’s message. Criticism on social media ranged from mocking Dodge to outright admonishment by The King Center…
Archived: H&M Uses Black Child in Racist 'Coolest Monkey in the Jungle' Ad, Apologizes
After intense backlash on social media and threats of a boycott H&M apologized for an advertisement on its website featuring a Black boy wearing a green hoodie with the phrase, “Coolest Monkey in the Jungle.” The family-controlled Swedish retailer has an all-whiteboard of directors. H&M’s Chief Executive Karl-Johan Persson’s grandfather…
Archived: Model in Dove Ad Speaks Out: 'I'm Not a Victim'
The Black model who appeared in a Dove ad that garnered negative attention for its racist message claims that critics may have jumped the gun before knowing the full commercial’s intended message. “I am not a victim,” said Lola Ogunyemi in an op-ed for The Guardian. However, the commercial clip,…
Archived: 'Women don't aspire to be leaders' says Saatchi Chairman
UPDATE: 8/3/16 11:03 A.M. Saatchi & Saatchi Executive Chairman Kevin Roberts will resign from his position, effective September 1, following his comments during a Business Insider interview regarding gender diversity in the ad industry. Roberts was already slated to retire in May 2017. “When discussing with Business Insider evolving career…
Archived: 'Sexist' and 'Racist' JWT CEO Resigns Amid Lawsuit
J. Walter Thompson (JWT) CEO Gustavo Martinez officially stepped down a week after a lawsuit accused the former executive of repeated sexist and racist behavior, including calling Black people “monkeys” and “apes,” referring to Jewish people as “those f****** Jews” and telling at least one female employee he wanted to…
Archived: JCPenney Unveils Mannequins With Wheelchair, Prostheses
By Albert Lin JCPenney is displaying five “real people” mannequins at its Manhattan Mall store in New York City through August. The mannequins were created for the Today show as part of its “Love Your Selfie” campaign before being loaned to JCPenney. The retailer, which is No. 48 in the…
Archived: Ask the White Guy: Mourning Diversity
This column appeared in the Winter 2014 issue of DiversityInc Magazine. Mourning is a normal emotion that you have when a dearly held vision is disrupted. I came to understand what that means when I heard a mother describe her mourning period after her son told her he is gay…
Archived: 'Unaffordable' Obamacare Plan Could Save Woman More Than $7,600
By Albert Lin An anti-Affordable Care Act TV commercial sponsored by the Koch brothers’ Americans for Prosperity has been exposed as untrue. In the February spot (which you can watch below), Michigan resident and leukemia patient Julie Boonstra says, “My insurance was canceled because of Obamacare. Now the out-of-pocket costs…