Hasta La Creative!

Welcome to Ad Age’s Wake-Up Call, our daily roundup of advertising, marketing, media and digital-related news. What people are talking about today: President Donald Trump lashed out repeatedly at the NFL. And he urged people to boycott the league if it doesn’t fire or suspend players who refuse to stand during the national anthem as they protest racial injustice. Trump said on Twitter that NFL “attendance and ratings are WAY DOWN. Boring games yes, but many stay away because they love our country.” Age’s Anthony Crupi has the hard facts on ratings, adding: “As is generally the case when the former ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ host wades into the Nielsen data, misinformation is soon to follow.”

Acting fast, the NFL resurrected an ad it first broadcast during this year’s Super Bowl — about football’s power to bring different people together — to air during NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” as Ad Age’s Jeanine Poggi reports. “… we may have our differences, but recognize there’s more that unites us,” Forest Whitaker says in a voiceover, while the screen plays the image of a black player helping a white opponent to his feet. It’s a powerful spot. Can football be a unifying force in the divisive political climate right now? And if not sports, then what?

Welcome to the new Ad Age

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As Ad Age rolls out its redesign, agency leaders spell out why and how they are reinventing themselves every day.

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Last year, HP was one of several marketers to push their agencies to include more women and people of color in senior leadership positions on the account, particularly in their creative departments. Today, HP Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Antonio Lucio shares the results of his call specific to action. Not all went according to plan.

The challenge: Last September, Lucio tasked HP’s global agenciesBBDO Worldwide, Fred & Farid, gyro, PHD and Edelmanwith including more women and minorities in their ranks, specifically in senior and creative leadership roles. He set a goal of 56 percent women on account teams and 47 percent women in senior leadership roles. All agencies set their own goals for improved minority representation.

First, does HP walk the walk?: A year ago, the tech company, which recently posted a third-quarter net revenue increase of 10 percent to $13.1 billion, was 55 percent women, 43 percent of whom were managers or higher. When Lucio started in 2015, there were 20 percent in leadership roles. Overall, the marketing and communications department is composed of 63 percent women. Minorities represented some 26 percent of total employees in 2016, the most recent data available.

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Pointy, an Irish start-up that helps local retailers get their products online has raised $6m (£4.42m) in funding.

New collective aims to create a new third space in-between freelancing and being employed by an agency.

Aviva has created three large sculptures across the country to show the difference that small objects can make to a community.

Home appliance and personal electronics brand Philips has launched a new global marketing initiative that will let customers set the agenda for Philips’ social causes for 2018.

We will see more adversity in advertising and it’s no bad thing, says the VCCP founder and chairman.

The company announces an automated process by which its customers will be refunded.