Motel 6 fired its longtime advertiser after the agency's 88-year-old founder described a campaign pitch as "too Black."
Stan Richards made the remarks during an internal meeting at The Richards Group that was not attended by the clients, who learned about the statements later and fired the ad agency, reported Adweek.
"[The company was] outraged by the statements made about Motel 6 and our customers by a member of The Richards Group during one of its internal meetings," the motel chain said in a statement. "The comments were not only completely inaccurate, they are also in direct opposition of our values and beliefs as an organization.”
Home Depot also ended its partnership with The Richards Group, which was founded 44 years ago by Richards.
“Last week, we were reviewing creative for what was to be a multicultural campaign for one of our clients,” said Richards, who named his successor last year. “Two of our creatives, both white, presented a direction I thought was not multiculturally inclusive enough. I misspoke and commented using words I greatly regret, including three I never should have said: ‘It’s too Black.’ To be clear, though, I have never used racial slurs about any ethnic group nor tolerated it from anyone around me.”
“Those words were said innocently, but they were hurtful to members of our staff," he added. "I have apologized for that, as I should have. Having spent much of my adult life fighting prejudice, I should have known better.”
