Diversity in marketing in the this week's Marketing in the Digital Age.
Summary: A 2012 racist tweet from YouTube beauty vlogger Laura Lee resurfaced in which she tweeted, "tip for all black people if you pull ur pants up you can run from the police faster." When fans from a rival beauty vlogger dug up the tweet, Lee deleted her Twitter account and issued a Notes app apology. A few days later she resurfaced with what is now a formulaic apology from YouTube bloggers- cry, apologize, cry some more, beg forgiveness. Instead, she ended up with a wholly insincere video which went viral for all the wrong reasons-- mocking her "apology".
Opinion: I couldn't even get through this "apology" video. We all make mistakes. Unfortunately for those thrust into the public eye and with the advent of social media, it's hard to escape the past and these mistakes. Releasing a video for the sake of releasing a video here does more damage than reparations in this case.
Summary: Nike was criticized for profiting from "gang culture" in a recent ad with a model wearing a balaclava with a holster. The balaclava was created in partnership with Alyx. Nike released a statement saying, "These products were part of a wider Nike Training collection, styled on different models and available in multiple markets around the world. We are in no way condoning or encouraging the serious issue of criminal and gang culture.” The product has been removed from the website, which incidentally featured a while male model without a holster.
Opinion: Gang culture or not, an image of a balaclava paired with holsters is not an innocuous ad. Moreover, featuring a black male model with a holster and a white male model without one begs the question if there is a lack of diversity and diversity training at Nike. With a few other brands making big mistakes on the issues of diversity, this stands out as seemingly even more ignorant.
Facebook Hires HP's Luccio as CMO
Summary: Antonio Luccio was announced as the new incoming CMO at Facebook. During his tenure at HP, Luccio was known for championing his efforts in diversity. “Purpose and impact have been at the center of every career decision that I have ever made,” said Lucio, adding that he will work to “support [Facebook’s] evolution. “Facebook is one of the world’s most impactful brands, at a pivotal moment in its history.” Prior to this, Lucio served as CMO at Pepsi.
Opinion: At this critical juncture in Facebook's history and the often lack of diversity in marketing, it's nice to see a seasoned veteran who is known for championing diversity and works with the intent of purpose and impact.