RSSIntel shuffles its ad agencies after controversial mag spread
By Tim Conneally | Published April 30, 2008, 5:50 PM
Contrary to blog chatter today, Intel's creative relationship with McCann-Erickson, the firm responsible for a questionable ad last year, has not ended entirely, though $300 million of its media planning and buying will go elsewhere.
Omnicom Group's OMD will replace Universal McCann and Starcom who currently handle Intel Corp's $300 million dollar global account. The company announced its win yesterday, after a year-long review from Intel.
Universal McCann is but one division of parent company McCann Worldgroup, another division of which is McCann-Erickson - which handles the creative aspect of the Intel account.
An Intel spokesperson told BetaNews today, "The recent naming of OMD as our new agency on the media buy account has nothing to do with our creative. McCann is still our agency-of-record for creative." There are no plans to review that assignment, even though the group received heavy criticism for an ad it designed last year.
The controversial McCann Erickson-created ad, shown here, pictures a single white man standing above half a dozen black sprinters. Some have construed this as blatant racism, as the men appear to be kowtowing before the employee. The companies admitted the execution of the ad was flawed, failing to deliver their intended message. The companies also failed to pull the ad from all the media in which it ran, and had to apologize and assure the public that they will "[work] hard to make sure this doesn't happen again."
I work at Intel, and when I saw this post, I thought you might be interested in Intel's apology (made last summer). You can see it here:
http://blogs.intel.com/v...2007/07/sprinter_ad.php
Score: 0
|*laughs*
Didn't even notice until it was mentioned.
Score: 0
|Those who cry "racism" are ones who wish to capitalize upon it. They're opportunists and fascists, emotional guerrillas and terrorists, spreading their message by the fear that someone's feelings might get hurt. Damn babies. GROW UP and get a thicker skin. And leave racism where it belongs, in the past. Move the frick on.
This is the same reason we have this politically-correct nonsense in the U.S., along with "hyphenated-Americans". It's total radical left and right wing nonsense designed to keep people bickering and blind them to the fact they're sheep.
Score: 0
|If you didn't read the real meaning behind Intel's ad below the picture, there is no way the black men look like sprinters. At least I don't think so. Besides, there aren't any white sprinters in the world anymore? As far as your statement 'leave racism where it belongs, in the past', as a white man I may not be qualified to say it, but a lot of people may beg to differ on that.
Score: 0
|I thought they were sprinters right off. You don't recognize a sprinter's pose?
Score: 0
|You got to be kidding.......where are the cavemen and geico when you need them.....I really dont put that much thought into it........but hey I find it offensive that the cubes are low.....what no privacy for employess?........and no females....they must be sexiest.....no Disabled people....ok....there is an ADA violation......the guys are showing to much skin..I think that is sexual harassment.........do you get my point?
Score: 0
|Guys there are def. racial trends to this ad. It may not have been on purpose, but it's there. I 'get' that the ad is saying that your employees will work hard with faster/better/more efficient processors but it still comes off a bit funky.
It may be difficult to see, especially if you don't see 'colors'. Unfortunately we're in a world where people do see colors.
If you switch it around....Black guy standing in the middle of 6 white athletes (workers), you bet the same issue would come up.
I'd have thrown a few white athletes in there, though the black athlete is obviously 1 guy copied into the 6 spaces.
Score: 0
|You've got to be kidding....now wait, would the "white guys" all be from the same ethnic background - wouldn't want a white German standing over a white Polish guy would we?
How come the sprinters are only black guys? I'm offended, are they trying to convey that white guys couldn't be sprinters because they're too slow relative to blacks?
There is absolutely nothing wrong with this ad unless you want there to be - solution: quit using humans in all ads.
Score: 0
|If you switch it around....Black guy standing in the middle of 6 white athletes (workers), you bet the same issue would come up.
LOL! You must be joking. NOTHING would happen if it was switched. The ONLY reason this ad got the attention is because the sprinters are black.
Which is stupid because the best sprinters are black...
Score: 0
|And those people who do "see colors" need mental help. Those are the oversensitive babies that are the reason for "hate crimes" actually having statues on the books for them here in the US. They're the ones who can't evolve and move on socially. They're the ones who keep the message of racial hatred alive. When a violient crime between one person and another has different races, all of a sudden, it's a "hate crime". Just be sure to kill or beat up someone the same race as you are, or you might just be called a racist.
The best thing we as a society can do is stop giving these people a voice, and tell them to grow up and stop looking at color.
/sarcasm on
Personally, I find the ad insulting because it implies the workers are something to be "used" by the company, like a machine. I'm not a machine. Are you? I think I'm going to sue because now I'm suffering mental anguish at being compared to a machine! Somebody call me a waaaaahhhmbulance!
Score: 0
|Reply to: "the best sprinters are black".
Current women's world record for the 4x100 relay (41.37) is...East Germany
Current women's world record for the 4x400 relay (3:15.17) is...Soviet Union
And don't forget Jeremy Wariner, gold medal winner in 400 meters at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
A little research goes a long way. There are exceptions.
Score: 0
|I did not see a racial component. I saw incredibly athletic people prepping for a sprint. Actually, if you want to toss racism into it... the white male looks fairly pudgy and pasty faced. It would be more of a slap against the white male rather than the athletes.
Score: 0
|People just want to complain.. The ad is good. Isn't great and I don't see any racism too it, but that is my personal opinion. We should stop being so senstive.
Score: 0
|everything is racist anymore.
Score: 0
|That ad is just wrong... like there'd ever be a black person in an office... ;)
Score: 0
|ahAHhah oh wow .... is been ages since a comment makes me laugh out loud ... sir, you have won the internets.
(ps. plus, what kind of janitor would wear those kind of outfits)
Score: 0
|"though $300 million of its media planning and buying will go elsewhere"
Which before the Bush years was a decent amount of money.
Score: 0
|blah, blah, blah - like Bush has anything to do with this article...go watch a Bill Maher rerun or something.
Score: 0
|