Advertising Veterans Call for Marketers to Be More Vocal Against Rising Antisemitism

It is fair to say the ad industry is reactive to injustice these days. After the murder of unarmed Minneapolis resident George Floyd by police in May 2020 and other acts of lethal violence against Black Americans, major holding companies and agencies were quick to stand behind Black Lives Matter, and several condemned the spike in crimes against Asian Americans. But three ad industry veterans in recent days have chastised agencies and brands for not being more responsive to the rash of increased violence and hate speech toward Jews. According to the FBI's New York field office, antisemitism has been on the rise since renewed hostilities broke out between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, with more than two dozen anti-Jewish hate crimes reported in New York in May. A smartphone video caught a man hurling antisemitic insults at a group of Jewish men outside a Brooklyn synagogue and punching a 67-year-old in the face. Another man in a yarmulke on the way to a pro-Israel rally said he was attacked in Times Square by a group shouting hate speech about Jews. Is this violence going unprotested by marketers who perhaps are wary that taking a stand against antisemitism will seem like a polarizing political stance about Israel and Palestine? “That is seriously the question that keeps us up at night,” New York marketing veteran Archie Gottesman tells Adweek. Starch Branding cofounders Gottesman and Stacy Stuart—who worked together at Manhattan Mini Storage and created its familiar citywide ad campaign with lines like “NYC: Tolerant of Your Beliefs. Judgmental About Your Shoes,” and, “If You Don’t Like Gay Marriage, Don’t Get Gay Married”—are now running a new type of ad campaign after saying they've seen “exactly zero companies" speak out on antisemitism. The duo's passion project, JewBelong, is running hundreds of digital ads across the city with an attention-grabbing suggestion: “Here’s an idea: Let’s ask everyone who’s wondering if antisemitism is real to wear a yarmulke for a week and then report back.” Meanwhile, global agency icon David Sable, former CEO of Y&R, has written a scathing essay saying "corporations, proud of their purposefulness and social action stance have been slow, even loath to speak out for the Jews." So why are so few marketers and agencies speaking out about the rise in antisemitic violence and hate speech? Adweek reached out the major advertising holding companies for comment and will update this article if we hear back. At publication, only Publicis Groupe had responded, sharing an email recently sent to its staff that called for "unity against division" amid "increased instances of antisemitism in the U.S." (Update: GroupM released an internal memo about its efforts to support its team. The 4A's has also issued a statement opposing the "disturbing and dangerous rise in antisemitic acts of violence" since this article was published. You can read their statements at the bottom of this article.) 'Antisemitism runs deep' Stuart says she believes the general atmosphere of corporate silence on antisemitism likely stems from a combination of low awareness or unspoken apathy toward problems faced by American Jews. “It’s a combination of people not knowing, not caring and thinking that somehow the Jewish community just doesn’t need the support, which we definitely do,” Stuart said. “As much as it pains us, the root of it is that antisemitism runs deep. Also, the Jewish community, so quick to support every other community, is pretty bad at speaking up for themselves.” Another hindrance might be the conflation of supporting Jews with supporting Israel and its highly polarizing politics. “Can you imagine someone telling a Chinese person that Asian hate is justified, even deserved, because of the way Uyghurs are treated in China?” Stuart asked. “Antisemitism is known as the oldest kind of hate because it has been around for centuries.” 'We do not permit it. We do not accept it.' Sable, who served as global CEO of WPP-owned agency network Y&R from 2011 to 2018, agrees there is a reality that people are afraid to come forward against antisemitism because it might imply they're anti-Palestinian. I just want companies to come out and say unequivocally, 'I am against antisemitism and any other form of racism.'—David Sable, former global CEO, Y&R “I do not want [holding companies like] WPP to stand with Israel. That is not the issue," Sable said. "There is no reason why any company needs to say they stand with Israel. No one is asking them to stand for France or wherever. I just want companies to come out and say unequivocally, 'I am against antisemitism and any other form of racism.' I want them to come out and say antisemitism is a crime. We do not permit it. We do not accept it. Not in our company, not in our industry, not in the world.” Lastly, Sable feels there is a lingering attitude that “white and privileged” Jews don't need advocacy on a level similar to the Black Lives Matter movement. Sable, who is Jewish and a supporter of BLM, thinks many people believe issuing a statement or supporting Jews immediately confers a message akin to “Jewish Lives Matter.” “They are two separate things,” he said of movements like BLM and the need for voices against antisemitism. “People are scared to speak out because they fear they are going to be looked down upon by their more progressive friends because they are taking a stand on antisemitism.” Taking action Instead of simply complaining about industry reluctance and sluggishness, these advocates are taking action themselves. Sable said he will “not let this issue fade away." Since publishing his Substack post on the topic over Memorial Day weekend, he has continued to regularly use his platform to post and tweet as well as talk privately to industry leaders about effective ways to discuss the issue. “Frankly, I am not interested in embarrassing anybody, because I do not think that is the right way to win here,” he said. “I have been very successful in rationally getting people to approach the issue.” Holding company Publicis notably did address the issue in an email sent to U.S. employees on May 25, the one-year anniversary of George Floyd's death. "As we continue to witness senseless acts of hate and divisiveness—most recently in the form of increased instances of antisemitism in the US—we must stand for unity and against division," read the email. "We vehemently condemn antisemitism, today and every day, and we stand with our Jewish communities with empathy and compassion for the hurt they are experiencing." We must stand for unity and against division. We vehemently condemn antisemitism, today and every day.—Publicis email to U.S. staffers The email was signed by Publicis Creative CEO Andrew Swinand and chief inclusion experience officer Renetta McCann. Stuart and Gottesman's passion project, JewBelong, recently pivoted to focus directly on raising awareness. The nonprofit online platform normally releases humorous and thought-provoking campaigns to welcome and inspire Jewish and non-Jewish people. But its newest, more confrontational iteration—the "wear a yarmulke for a week" message mentioned above—will run across 750 screens in Manhattan. The ads—running through at least July—begin with LINK digital ads, and then adds billboards and print posters in high traffic locations such as PATH Trains and Times Square. The campaign will also run in Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and other cities, as well as online and on social media. “We are working to strengthen the Jewish community to ensure we do not shrink out of fear and to correct false ‘facts’ being spread through soundbites,” Gottesman said. “We are also concerned about the younger TikTok generation who get so much of their information from social media and are especially vulnerable to antisemitic tropes based on hate and misinformation." She said watching videos on TikTok about people's perceptions of Jews “will make your skin crawl.” Gottesman said their biggest challenge has been getting the big companies to “take our money.” So far, the ads have been rejected on the MTA, the Chicago CTA and on all street media in Philadelphia. “We are going to keep pushing and searching for broad advertising opportunities, especially OOH, because we believe the message must be heard,” she said. Joining the cause Awareness messaging is just part of the solution. Last month, JewBelong launched the Partisan Prizes after they noticed antisemitism was growing rapidly online. The organization then honored nine individual Instagram micro-influencers who were consistently speaking out against antisemitism. A total of $360 was given to these honorees; the group is currently awarding 24 more prizes. That said, Gottesman and Stuart say there's a great urgency for more action by U.S. companies. "The mere idea that wearing a yarmulke is even a worry should put fear in the hearts of everyone who believes in freedom in this country," Gottesman said. “The outpouring of appreciation from the Jewish community has been simply amazing [since Jewbelong’s out-of-home rollout]," Stuart added, "and also heartbreaking, because so many Jewish people feel like no one cares about what is happening." Here are excerpts from GroupM's internal memo sent Tuesday, June 8 from Kirk McDonald, CEO, North America: "Over the last few weeks, there have been a series of events of hate specifically directed toward the Jewish community that we have not overtly addressed. We want to take this moment to acknowledge those events, and the trauma, hurt and impact that they have on our Jewish colleagues. These displays of hate and racism need to be recognized and called out for what they are, and to those of you who are feeling fear and pain as a result, we want you to know that we see you and are all here to support you. Last week, our People team shared resources for those of you who are struggling at this time, and we are working to put together additional programs and will be sharing that information through our People leaders." Here is the full statement from the 4A's: Marla Kaplowitz, president and CEO, 4A’s “Amid the disturbing and dangerous rise in antisemitic acts of violence, this is not a time for anyone to choose silence. It’s clear that, over the past year, agencies have evolved for the better in that they are now more willing to publicly condemn social injustices against marginalized communities. Solidarity and support need to extend to all people now and always.”