Diversity in advertising

Last night I attended a Credos event, Credos are a think tank dedicated to advertising issues, their latest research posed the question ‘is advertising doing enough to reflect the UK’s ethnic profile?’

Speakers included, Jo Swinson MP, who praised the advertising industry for the progress it has made but said it had more to do. She said, advertisers must recognise their great soft power as their creations are the ‘wallpaper to everyday life’. The role of advertisers and marketers in shaping public perceptions can be significant.

The discussion was chaired by Karen Blackett who is CEO of Mediacom, she quipped that she is the only black female CEO in the sector and so choices were limited. It was a poignant statistic on which to begin a debate about diversity in advertising.

The research highlighted a degree of alienation among young people in Britain today, younger people were significantly more likely to have thought advertisements sometimes portrayed ethnic minorities as offensive stereotypes. However, young people were confident that the picture was improving, a recognition of the improvements made in the industry.

Following on, Trevor Robinson, OBE, was interviewed by Louise Court of Cosmopolitan in which the pair spoke about the causes of the lack of diversity in advertising. Trevor mentioned the cautious nature of brands that he had encountered throughout his twenty-five year career, often brands thought that in portraying diversity that they may annoy their ‘target audience’. Brands need to take more risks but as Trevor explained it wasn’t even a risk as people are used to and enjoy a diverse Britain, and so replicating that in advertisements is not controversial for most people.

As the discussion progressed there was broad agreement that for advertising to accurately reflect the UK population then the advertising industry itself must do so as well. It is through recruiting employees from a diverse background that will really speed up change in the industry. To this end the panel agreed that companies need to be engaging young people and sparking their interest for a career in advertising.

Advertising that reflects the diversity of modern Britain is necessary for advertising to remain relevant and engaging.

Photograph courtesy of Bronac McNeill Photography & Film