The response
below has
edited for presentation purposes. Any text
removed was for clarification purposes and
replaced with brown lettering. All text
added by diversityinbusiness.com is
(italicized).
I would
suggest everyone
(click on the links below to see the results
of Google
searches for):
The search results are both potent reminders
that the two biggest stories in AdAge
in 2005 were
to that end.
The message of the
(Pimp My Brand) ad
was meant to juxtapose with all of
the above facts and phenomenon by
pointing out that:
corporate America USES/EXPLOITS
African American culture to sell its
products because it believes
(rightly or wrongly) that the
affinity the consumer has FOR that
culture will enhance / glamorize /
glorify their product.
Similarly, corporate America
USES/EXPLOITS skinny, sexy women to
sell everything from beer to shaving
cream. and corporate America
USES/EXPLOITS cartoon characters to
sell children sugary cold cereal and
tobacco products. But since the TWO BIGGEST STORIES of
2005 were the aforementioned stories
- we chose - like most creative
endeavors - to reflect on current
socio-economic trends.
Obligatory "cop-out" statement: of
course we didn't mean to offend
anyone - we were just trying to
express in an unconventional,
provocative way a point-of-view on
marketing. (similarly, and
coincidentally, I'm sure Kanye West
didn't mean to offend Catholics by
appearing as Jesus Christ on the
cover of Rolling Stone - he did it
to make a point. That doesn't mean
he DIDN'T offend some Catholics - he
in fact did - but what he was trying
to do was express in an
unconventional, provocative way a
point-of-view about how he saw
himself perceived and treated by
society.)
I hope that helps contextualize all
of this. Keep on, keepin' on.
e
Ernest Lupinacci
Ernest Industries
