About Time Week: Procter & Gamble – The world’s leading purchaser of advertising ($7B annually) and consumer products megahouse – home to such brands as Gillette, Pampers, Tide and a bazillion others – announced its goal to have at least 50% of its commercials directed by women by 2023. Today, that figure is only 10%. The firm also will push for gender equality in the top jobs at the advertising agencies it turns to. Don’t get me wrong: this is a great move. But am I the only one who feels like it’s way, way, way overdo given the decades P&G spent aiming their ads largely at women?
Stand-Up Week: Airlines – I’m the first one to pile on to the airlines for their (increasingly) frequent screw-ups, but this week, Delta, United, Southwest Frontier and American all came out with public statements telling the federal government that they would refuse to honor any contracts that required them to transport children separated from their parents at the U.S. border with Mexico. American said it best in their statement: “The family separation process that has been widely publicized is not at all aligned with the values of American Airlines — we bring families together, not apart." #smartstand
Bad Week: CEOs – German police arrested Audi CEO Rupert Stadler as part of the ongoing investigation of the 2015 emissions cheating scandal at parent company Volkswagen. Fraud charges are pending. And in another case of men acting badly, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich resigned after an investigation revealed had a past consensual relationship with an Intel employee in violation of the company’s “non-fraternization” policy, which applies to all managers.
Dumb Week: Burger King – Not to be outdone by Ihop’s burger-brand play, the world’s #2 patty peddler apologized after the company’s Russian division ran an ad campaign “jokingly” offering to reward Russian women who get impregnated by a World Cup Player with a lifetime supply of Whoppers and 3 million rubles (approx. $47K). There’s that legendary Russian sense of humor again. BK Russia, meet Procter & Gamble. And listen.
