Roundtable: Turning words into actions in the fight against racism

Two weeks on from the Future of Diversity: Standing Shoulder to Shoulder digital event, Steven Scaffardi hosts a debate looking at how the ad industry can live up to the promises it made in response to the Black Lives Matter movement

Lauren Ogúndèkó: I think the industry has had a huge wake-up call. D&I has been on the agenda for a while but has never really taken off the way it should have. The BLM movement has been able to break-through barriers like no other, since the Martin Luther King movement in the 50s.

Some businesses have made better progress than others, but the running theme we all saw was the acknowledgement of needing to do better. The AdLand Commits letter of which I, my agency CEO Verica Djurdjevic and our group CEO Dan Clays signed, was a great public pledge and affirmation that we can all be held accountable to. At PHD & Omnicom Media Group we’ve already made strides in actualising a lot of the plans we’ve been producing for some time.

Amy Kean: I’ve seen a lot of pledges and open letters over the years. It’s a common PR tactic: when something big hits the headlines, people write, share and sign open letters. It’s a kind gesture, but nothing tops the impact of actually doing something.

Back in 2016, the IPA asked its member agencies to sign a ‘diversity pledge’ which was intended to drive numerous sizeable equality goals by 2020. The initiative was called ‘Make the Leap.’ However, according to the most recent IPA data from January 2020, the gender pay gap has gone up and BAME representation in our industry has gone down. So whilst I am occasionally accused of being “too negative”, I’ve worked in our industry long enough to know that when it comes to progress and walking the walk, people need to be held accountable for their promises all day, every day.

From my own experience, this is why DICE (Diversity and Inclusion at Conferences and Events) is focused on action, not hyperbole. The charter is transparent and there for all to see: you can choose to follow it or not, but when you do, your action, not your words, are celebrated. Of course, it’s been wonderful to see Mediatel achieve DICE certification already!

In our industry we seem to want everything to be easy, so there’s plenty of time left over for golf days or ski trips. But change isn’t easy, and it can be uncomfortable and confrontational. In my opinion, if you don’t want to help make progress happen then fine (I guess…) but if that’s the case, please don’t try and hinder or sabotage the ones who are doing their best to help us get there faster. I’ve seen this happen a few times, when egos get involved.

Christopher Kenna: Pledges are easy! Many across the world put black boxes on their socials and told staff and customers alike that they stand shoulder to shoulder with them – the proof is yet to be in the pudding.

I do think this time like no other in my lifetime, people are starting to question themselves. Being complicit and letting it happen is now being widely viewed as just the same as racism. Questions and self learning are coming from privileged parts of society – so lets hope this is a change that can never be rewound.

Demi Abiola: I have been greatly encouraged by the response of the industry to the Black Lives Matter movement. There is a tsunami of change and anger happening across the world as a result of the killing of George Floyd, and the historic and systemic racism many Black people have experienced is being brought into people’s social consciousness.

It is now an active point of discussion, whereas previously it would not have been. It is only right that the industry reflects and understands how they need to do better and take the necessary steps to address inequality. Despite some good intentions in the past, there is tacit acknowledgment of a failure to really tackle this issue.

It seems to have galvanised leaders into making a pledge with clear actions which offer accountability against the 10 goals they have stated. The key will be whether they truly commit to getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Lauren Ogúndèkó: Absolutely. The industry is responsible for visualising the act of selling to consumers through advertising and this needs to be more diverse and representative. Creativity and innovation is at risk without having people from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds in the “room”. These professionals also need to have a voice and be empowered with decision-making abilities.

There is no place for racism in the advertising, marketing, media and creative industries. We should be celebrating different cultures and embracing differences through creative outputs. We simply can’t realise our true potential as an industry if we continue to allow racism to exist.

Amy Kean: I always say the closest profession to advertising is politics. Both sectors have a lot of senior posh people, there’s a number of unread reports flying around and both workforces can be quite… imaginative with the truth. But we’re also about winning people over and making them love us, because it’s real people that decide whether a brand, a product (or a political party!) has a future.

As this is the case, we have a responsibility to serve our customers and make the world better and fairer for all people. That means taking a lead on big societal issues. ‘Meaningful’ TV campaigns and microsites are lip service but what this should entail is: paying taxes, hiring diverse talent, showcasing and supporting diverse talent, listening to a diverse range of voices in research, reexamining your old-fashioned audience segmentations and stepping out of your comfortable, limited societal thought-bubble, even if that feels scary and unknown.

It is ethically incorrect to sell to and profit from the Black and Asian communities in any way if your business does not also support and celebrate the Black and Asian communities, so the responsibility is everybody’s. We need to see long-term structural solutions that probably can’t be summarised nicely in a press release. No spin. No politics. No imaginative use of the truth.

Christopher Kenna: Our beloved industry, filled with the most creative, clever minds on this planet, has a responsibility to take action against racism because Black people exist – no other in-depth analysis is needed.

Black people are customers, staff, mothers, fathers, and LGBTQ+ friends, and our industry – which sells to people, makes them smile or cry, and can build and topple governments – must be relevant to all in society. Therefore, the advertising industry must challenge and use its enormous privilege to push forward this change. Black Lives Matter is ground zero – not an aspiration!

Caroline Forbes: And if morality and ethics isn’t enough, it makes absolute business sense! Prejudice and discrimination that many in our industry encounter based on their membership of a particular racial or ethnic group has no place in our industry. We have such influence in shaping the opinions of consumers, that it’s our responsibility to ensure those messages are shaped by an industry that values the contribution of all.

Demi Abiola: Racism is a social disease, and given our industry is about communication we should be well equipped to help. Advertising can help overturn the negative narrative that often ensues stereotyping and the frequent lack of nuance with regards to cultural references.

Lauren Ogúndèkó: Advertisers can start to truly embrace Black communities and respect the power of the Black pound. Black communities are worth billions to the UK economy and want to spend with brands that reflect them and cater to their needs.

A well-known supermarket has a ‘worlds foods’ section that offers a variety of ethnic food that specialist stores sell and this selection is growing – this is a great example of how you can include consumers from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds.

Advertisers can also champion having more Black representation in their creative talent. Representation matters and if I don’t see someone that looks like me in a product being advertised I most likely won’t make a purchase. Advertisers can also continue to champion representation on their boards so as to foster more inclusivity and widen their scope of reach.

Christopher Kenna: Advertisers can force their consumers and agencies to be part of the solution, not the problem. Brands can say : “Don’t shop here if you’re racist”. Brands can ask their agencies to tell them how they plan to make that brand reach black people. This all helps.

Caroline Forbes: Be inclusive. Produce ads that speak to the black community, that are representative and reflective of the multiculturalism that exists in the society we communicate to.

At Clear Channel UK we are supporting Black Owned business through our #BusinessAsUnusual initiative, which will offer a number of free-of-charge digital Out of Home campaigns to local black owned businesses. We’ll also be offering design support to bring the free campaigns to life if required. OOH is our super power, it’s how we can actively support making a difference – so we do.

What’s your organisation’s super power and how can you use it to influence change?

Demi Abiola: They need to become the change they want in the world, so it means taking a forensic view of past behaviours and what they intend to do in the future. The first step would be to have empathy and acknowledge the struggles of black people even if they cannot fully understand them.

When looking within, identify the number of black employees at different levels and consider how the senior leadership team looks. How are you tackling racism? The list can go on, but at its core is a self-reflective view on accountability. Creating a culture where black people can thrive will mean they are becoming true allies. A diversity of employees allows for a range of perspectives which in turn creates the conditions for business to grow.

When speaking to black consumers, is your advertising representative of the people you are trying to reach? If not, is that true support?

Lauren Ogúndèkó: It’ll be one where corporations won’t need to hire someone to do D&I. It will be in the bedrock of a company’s structure, from unbiased hiring practices straight through to unbiased promotion of people from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds into c-suite positions. We would have hopefully spent enough time on the education element of this to have moved forward into progressive accountability, where organisations aren’t shamed into presenting their numbers but are doing so willingly because they are proud of what they’ve accomplished.

We will also see corporations being in the position to be able to attribute direct growth based on their adoption of anti-racist practices, because we know the additional commercial equity exists. I personally want to stop seeing “first Black this” or “first Black that” when it comes to representation across high profile roles in society. It should become the norm.

Amy Kean: An anti-racist organisation should never stop getting better, and its people should never stop learning. At its most basic, employees of an anti-racist organisation will have been schooled on what microaggressions are, and positively acknowledged – not social excluded – for calling them out.

A woman called Belinda Smith recently tweeted saying “But why is the CEO not the Chief Diversity Officer?” and I think it’s a great question. Employees generally mimic the behaviours and beliefs of their leaders.

An inclusive company has a CEO that’s committed to making their organisation as fair, equal and honest as it can possibly be. CEOs need the education, first, because so often they can be detached from the day to day realities of the social dynamics of their own organisation. I want to see CEOs posting write-ups on LinkedIn about the week-long diversity course they’ve sent themselves on as a matter of urgency! An inclusive organisation in five years time is one with a CEO that’s been willing to admit their bias, listen to the experts and has their annual bonus attached to their diversity numbers and anti-racist commitments.

Demi Abiola: Anti-racism is an acknowledgement of the permanence of racism through an organisation and recognition that racism is a system of disproportionate opportunity and penalties based on skin colour. To be truly inclusive there are a number of areas that require constant assessment: recruitment, work conditions; promotions; social connection; and learning.

It is important to recognise that it is a journey with a few bumps on the road, but the end goal must be front of mind for an organisation. Employees will play a large role in calling out where systems foster racism and will hold leaders accountable to address them. Leadership needs to make a bold stance, making a commitment to being anti-racist and make sure they’re looking at these issues institutionally.

The work of being anti-racist will be difficult and ongoing, as it’s not so much a matter of what people do but the values they hold and how they live and work according to them.

On July 14 Mediatel Events streamed The Future of Diversity: Standing Shoulder to Shoulder – a full day digital event discussing how the adland can drive real change in tackling racism and inequality, both within the industry and in wider society. For further information about the event, the agenda and access to all of the day’s panels on-demand, click here.