But this time was different — at least for me. I thought this one was a joke. Some hoax commercial created for a laugh or two.

Sadly, it isn’t.

This particular Burger King commercial features music sensation Mary J. Blige, answering a hungry, conservatively dressed customer’s question: What’s in those new chicken snack wraps?

In the commercial, the fast food joint suddenly becomes a club, where Blige sings about the ingredients in a catchy ditty reminiscent of a song she might include on an album, as diners, including the geeky customer who initially prompted the performance, dance along.

(Can’t picture it? I couldn’t either. See for yourself.)

My immediate reaction to this was laughter, then an undeniable side eye.

Mary, I just can’t. I’m usually the biggest chatterbox in the office, but at this point, I’m almost at a loss for words.

As with anyone who has a brand to build— and protect— I question the motive behind a move that is both comical, stereotypical and just plain wack.

This is the same Mary I grew up with, who cried with me after break ups in songs like I’m Going Down and Be Happy, and gave me empowerment through hits like No More Drama, Just Fine, and Family Affair. The same platinum-selling, street-glammed, Grammy award-winning Mary who always kept it real, kept it authentic and stayed true to her roots in her climb to success. She took the issues of urban women mainstream, breaking barriers in the music industry with her gritty voice and passion for strength in femininity. She’d escaped many stereotypes, coming from a broken, abusive home in the projects to the heights of million-dollar success in the entertainment industry. She’s even ventured into business with her own HSN fragrance and eyewear line, Melodies by MJB.

She now joins the Side-eye Roster of neck-rolling, Mammy-type choir sisters singing praises to the poultry gods; the white Australian who thought it cool to diffuse an “awkward situation” by giving a crowd of mostly black cricket fans a bucket of chicken; a dancing MC Hammer, prompted to bust a move after tasting popcorn chicken; and the lovely couple who sang their love for one another over a fresh carton of chicken nuggets.

SMH.

True, stereotypes do exist in the world, and those stereotypes can sometimes drive the business decisions of advertisers who surmise that including black people in a commercial for a product that— let’s just be real—many of us enjoy, is the smart business move.

But for Mary J. Blige, it’s just not a good look. After seeing that Burger King commercial, I feel like I just saw my best friend, a professional woman climbing the ranks of entrepreneurship and life coaching, booty shaking in the latest Waka Flaka video. (Not knocking video vixens, but again, we’re talking professional branding here.)

Maybe I’m being a little too sensitive, but at this point in her career, I think there are plenty of other products Mary could endorse that not only align with the brand we know and love, but help to enhance its reach and ensure its longevity with an audience that has been loyal to her from the beginning.

For the first time in its history, McDonald’s will have an African-American CEO. Will this change in leadership mean a change in the company’s marketing and health initiatives in the African-American community?

McDonald’s African-American customers bring in nearly 18 percent of the restaurant’s sales. Yet, with higher rates of obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure, some wonder if Thompson has an added responsibility to these customers.

The corporation argues that they have already put health initiatives into motion, preceding Thompson’s arrival as CEO.

“Don Thompson will continue to champion our company’s long-standing commitment to promoting balanced, active lifestyles in all of the communities where we have restaurants,” says Heidi Barker Sa Shakem, Vice President of the Global External Communications at McDonald’s.

Despite McDonald’s position as the number one fast food company in the world, its restaurants have changed their menus in light of rising obesity numbers, and the rise of Subway — a competing fast food company — which promotes a menu with healthier fast food options.

But what does this mean for us? Read more at thegrio.com

The branding genius—famous for padding the bank accounts of megastars like business partner Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Lady Gaga, LeBron James and pretty much the rest of the entertainment world—says it’s high time advertisers peeped the tremendous buying power of the millions of people who consume the culture worldwide, and catered to them, accordingly.

“My ‘aha’ moment came a few years ago when I was traveling with Samsung [for Valentino],” says the former music industry executive, responsible for marrying Beyoncé and Tommy Hilfiger for her True Star fragrance; Justin Timberlake and McDonald’s as part of their ‘I’m Loving It’ campaign; and Chris Brown with Wrigley’s gum, among other supremely lucrative deals. “It didn’t matter where I was… Berlin, Seoul, Korea, Tokyo, wherever… hip-hop dominated the landscape. I was even in one of the oldest towns in France, known for its art galleries, artifacts and such; and what did I see in the middle of it? A jewelry store called ‘Bling.’ If that’s not telling I don’t know what is.”

Now, Stoute wants advertisers on the come-up (and those looking to reinvent their brand) to follow his blueprint for reaching this generation of Black, Hispanic, Asian and White consumers, many of whom, he argues, share the same “mental complexion” based on mutual experiences and values. He points to the collective bargaining power and subsequent election of President Barack Obama as proof.

“A lot of my clients and friends contribute stories about their business successes in this book, including [Interscope/Geffen Records CEO] Jimmy Iovine, Russell Simmons and Jay-Z,” says Stoute of the hundreds of pages of interviews and case studies he compiled. “Who better to listen to than the folks who have done it?”

The marketing director and CEO of Carol’s Daughter—a hair and body care line that boasts a board of investors that include Hollywood heavyweights Will and Jada Pinkett Smith—is also taking his message on the road: this month Stoute will teach a course on his book at NYU. He says college kids are his target audience. “This book is a reference guide for any young person in the fields of advertising, marketing and communication,” Stoute explains. “It tells them not only how to speak to the next generation of consumers but how to move the [hip-hop] agenda forward.”

• Census Data Shows Wealth Gap Widens Between Whites and Minorities

The wealth gaps between whites and minorities have grown to their widest levels in a quarter-century. The recession and uneven recovery have erased decades of minority gains, leaving whites on average with 20 times the net worth of blacks and 18 times that of Hispanics, according to an analysis of new Census data.

The analysis shows the racial and ethnic impact of the economic meltdown, which ravaged housing values and sent unemployment soaring. It offers the most direct government evidence yet of the disparity between predominantly younger minorities whose main asset is their home and older whites who are more likely to have 401(k) retirement accounts or other stock holdings.

Read more at the Associated Press…

• Obama Losing Support Over Jobs Record Among Liberal And Black Voters

Amidst new research showing historic disparity in wealth between whites and minorities, President Obama is facing plummeting approval over his jobs agenda among core supporters, including liberal Democrats and African Americans.

Read more at the Huffington Post…

• McDonald’s to Make Happy Meals Healthier
  

Under pressure from health and children’s advocacy groups, McDonald’s Corp. is making changes to its famed Happy Meals.

The fast food chain will add a serving of fruit or vegetable to all of the meals, which are aimed at children, and shrink the portion of French fries.

Read more at the Los Angeles Times…

Also, UBR Contributor Renita D. Young talks with money expert and BlackEnterprise.com contributor Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, a.k.a. The Money Coach. A New York Times best-selling author, personal finance expert, and radio and television personality, Kalfani-Cox’s latest book is The Money Coach’s Guide to Your First Million: 7 Smart Habits to Building The Wealth of Your Dreams (Advantage World Press).

In addition, in my “Alfred’s Notepad” segment, I call on The Urban Business Roundtable community to share their ideas for speakers, sessions and topics for the next Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference, to be held in Chicago in 2012. The nation’s largest gathering of Black entrepreneurs annually attracts more than 1,200 business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs, including many of the nation’s largest Black-owned companies.

And finally, every week on UBR, you’ll get motivation and inspiration from author and entrepreneurial icon Farrah Gray, a weekly wrap-up of business news from USA Today business correspondent Charisse Jones, our Patient Investor Report from Ariel Investments and key economic intelligence for small business owners from our UBR economists Derrick Collins and Rasheed Carter.

If you have a question you want answered or a topic you want addressed on The Urban Business Roundtable, connect with me at BE Insider, the social media network for people who are serious about Black Enterprise. You can also find me on Twitter and Facebook.

Alfred Edmond Jr. is the senior VP/editor-at-large of Black Enterprise and the host of the Urban Business Roundtable, a weekly radio show, sponsored by Ariel Investments, airing CST Wednesdays at 8:30 a.m., Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. on WVON-AM 1690, the Talk of Chicago. You can also listen live online at WVON.com. Check back each week for UBR Spotlight, which features additional resources, advice and information from and about the topics, entrepreneurs and experts featured on the show.

Headlines from around the web (Image: File)

• Southern Baptists Elect First African American into Leadership

The predominantly White Southern Baptist Convention has elected an African American to preside as first vice president of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. Reverend Fred Luter’s appointment was made during the church’s annual conference in Phoenix.

• Stevie Wonder Inducted into Apollo’s Hall of Fame

Stevie Wonder joined musical greats Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin and James Brown, to name a few, in the Apollo Legends Hall of Fame Monday night. The legendary singer was recognized during the historic theater’s famed spring gala, which raised over $1.2 million.

Tony Bennett presented Wonder with the honor. “It’s a moment to cherish and remember, relishing in the memories of the times that I’ve been at the Apollo, as well as this night, the great people that came out to support me being here,” the activist said in an interview. “It’s a great thing to be one of those people in the Hall of Fame for the Apollo.”

• President Obama and Job Council Map Out Ways to Increase Employment

President Barack Obama met with his Jobs and Competitiveness Council, led by General Electric Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Immelt, Monday at Cree, Inc. in North Carolina. The jobs council advised the commander-in-chief on ways to create one million jobs over the course of two years.

In an opinion piece published Monday in The Wall Street Journal, council members Immelt and American Express chairman and CEO Ken Chenault unveiled a series of the committee ideas, ranging from supporting energy efficiency in public buildings to helping small business employers receive loans and greater assistance from the Small Business Administration.

• CareerBuilder Survey Reveals 25% of Blacks Feel Discriminated Against on the Job

A recent CareerBuilder survey uncovers that one in four African Americans reports feeling discriminated against at work. The 2011 Diversity in the Workplace survey, which looked at over 1,300 workers and the top 20 markets in the U.S., by population, discovered continued discrepancies in pay, career advancement, and feelings of intolerance.

The corporation gathered information for six diverse backgrounds, including African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, women, workers with disabilities and lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender (LGBT) between February 21 and March 10 of this year.

“While companies have made strides in creating an inclusive workplace for all workers, there is still work to be done, especially in the areas of hiring, compensation, and career advancement,” said Dr. Sanja Licina, senior director of Talent Intelligence and Consulting at CareerBuilder.

• McDonald’s Feeling the Heat After Racist Sign Hoax

Over the weekend, this fake sign made its way around the Twitterverse. It’s an old online hoax that has found new legs as it gets passed around with the hashtag #seriouslymcdonalds. Chalk up another PR foible for the fast-food empire. Claiming that McDonald’s is charging African American customers an extra $1.50 as an “insurance measure due in part to a recent string of robberies,” first appeared on the Internet’s notorious 4chan bulletin board last June. But for reasons unknown, the pic appears to be stirring controversy once again.

Read more at AOL Black Voices…

• (Images: Thinkstock; Lonnie Major)

Today, young people are making moves sooner than previous generations. Not holding back in pursuing their dreams, goals and aspirations, they are redefining how business is done and the results are immediately seen in the impact they have on the business landscape today, as well as tomorrow. But just what does it take to be a young boss? While a number of factors are involved, there are a few must-have traits for success. Here’s a roundup of a few BE Nexters who embody the advantages of youth and why it can give one a leg up to the competition. 

• EARLY BIRD GETS THE WORM

• “I look back and I always say, ‘The hits I took as a kid, if I had to take those same hits today, I wouldn’t make it.’ When you’re young, you’re unafraid and unstoppable,” ~Tina Wells

• Tina Wells, 30, Owner/CEO, Buzz Marketing Group

• Wells’ journey into entrepreneurship began at 16. She wrote product reviews for a newspaper, eventually starting a business to help clue companies in on what teens want. Now in its 15th year, Buzz Marketing Group’s revenues are over $4 million. “I never said, ‘Oh, I’d like to own a marketing agency.’ I didn’t even know what that was at 16,” says Wells. “I knew I was a kid who was passionate about fashion, beauty, entertainment, and pop culture.”
• All grown up, Wells is now a savvy businesswoman continuing to redefine the way companies identify, interpret, and respond to young people. Her Voorhees, New Jersey-based market research firm, has positioned itself as a key player offering companies from PBS to Sesame Workshop to American Eagle effective marketing and research strategies—related to beauty, fashion, lifestyle, and entertainment—for 6 to 24-year-olds. Besides Buzz Marketing, Wells is now an accomplished author having released the tween book series, Mackenzie Blue, as well as the youth marketing handbook Chasing Youth Culture And Getting It Right, which will be released this spring.

• BOUNCING BACK FROM ADVERSITY

• “As a teenage mother with no higher education and very few resources to start a business, I had every reason to quit. Instead, I chose to lead a life of faith and leave a legacy that screams, ‘No excuses!” ~Sirena Moore

• Sirena Moore, 29, Founder/CEO, Elohim Cleaning Contractors Inc.

• The Bristol, Pennsylvania-based industrial and commercial construction site cleaning firm continues to generate revenue that’s a far cry from the $200 Moore, her father and younger brother pooled together back in 2002 to launch the business. But what Moore lacked in capital she made up for it in determination.

• During the first three years of business, they added full-time employees to the payroll one at a time. “I worked during the day to make ends meet and my brother also kept a job,” recalls the 29-year-old. “I added myself last.” Among the top priorities of the company was to operate debt-free, which it managed to do successfully since inception until November 2009 when they secured their first line of credit. This feat worked in their favor during the economic recession. This past year the firm received its 8(a) certification which gives minority- and women-owned businesses competitive positioning in applying for federal contracts. Elohim Cleaning Contractors generated $2.7 million in 2009, and surpassed $3 million in 2010. The company looks to reach $10 million in revenue for 2011.

• MAKING SCIENTIFIC SMARTS COUNT

• “While I would never claim to change the world, I hope to inspire generations of leaders with the quantitative creativity critical for true innovation and progress.” ~ Sheldon Gilbert

• Sheldon Gilbert, 35, Founder/CEO, Proclivity Systems

• Being considered a “nerd” might not be such a bad a thing anymore. Science and technology are standout growth industries for the U.S., with the Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting a 22% increase in the number of such jobs from 2004 to 2014, or more than 2.5 million job openings. And the global marketplace is constantly on the prowl for new innovations to change the way we do any—and everything. This is what lured Sheldon Gilbert into entrepreneurship. The creator of Proclivity, a behavior predicting software, he knows the ins and outs of data mining. “Every time you click a link, it’s a request for information you’re making to a server,” explains Gilbert, who tutored students in chemistry on the side while he spent a year writing the software. “We can then mine the data stored on the servers to create a profile of a person’s likes and dislikes—or proclivities.”
• With this software, the 25-person firm Proclivity Systems has increased online sales by as much as 30% for clients such as Barney’s New York, by predicting which offers to present to which customers, says Gilbert. Launched in April 2006 with $750,000 from angel investors, the startup recently raised an additional $5.5 million in venture capital in order to expand Proclivity’s platform and services into new vertical arenas and channels, as well as bring on senior management, says Gilbert.

• TAKING RISKS, THINKING BOUNDLESSLY

• “There’s a huge disconnect between the mindset of young people and the companies trying to create products that young people buy,” ~Jason Smikle

• Jason Smikle, 25, Co-Founder, Managing Director, TUV Online/TUV Media Networks

• A creative entrepreneur and risk taker, Smikle teamed up with friends, Ebele Mora and Fabricio Sousa during his sophomore year of college to launch Truly Unique Vision (TUV). The team has since reaped the rewards from this venture, evolving into a Chicago-based new media company that helps brands connect directly with young people (18-24). The company has successfully led efforts in creating video campaigns with companies such as Foot Locker, Toyota and McDonald’s. Marrying a grassroots style of youth engagement and digital media at colleges nationwide, TUV has also helped BET refine its content through an innovative approach to reaching its audience. “There’s a huge disconnect between the mindset of young people and the companies trying to create products that young people buy,” says Smikle. “Clients will have a one-stop-shop into the college market.” With a growing client list the company expects 100% growth in year-over-year revenue.

• THROWING CAUTION TO THE WIND

• “Above all be fearless. Because the world is a scary place and stepping out on your own is risky,” ~The Broussards

• Lorielle and Brandon Broussard, 30 and 34, Barackawear Inc.

• Everything doesn’t always go as planned. In August 2007, the sibling duo quit their day jobs to go full force with their clothing line, Barackawear Inc. The Los Angeles-based company aggressively touted T-shirts and other apparel with the ’90s-inspired slogan: Barack the Vote, in support of the then-Illinois senator and presidential candidate who became the nation’s first Black president. Their risk-taking teamwork paid off and the popular T-shirt line generated $600,000 in revenue in 2008. But betting on President Barack Obama was just the beginning.

• Business-savvy and ready to expand, the two went on to launch YOTOWN, a line of nonpolitical shirts featuring personalized maps of any U.S. city. And after realizing that their passion for YOTOWN had waned, the Broussards stopped production on the clothing line in October 2009. Today, Lorielle and Brandon are putting their energy and enthusiasm into Purple Stuff TV, a sketch comedy Web-based series which they are currently shopping around to television networks. Based on their previous success, their prospects remain promising. “We got an investor for Purple Stuff TV based on our success with Barackawear,” says Lorielle.