Lessons from Hollywood
The creative arts have the power to change the world. Let’s take that responsibility seriously, says Rich Miles, CEO of The Diversity Standards Collective
Advertising may be in the midst of a diversity crisis, but it’s nothing compared to that of the film industry.
Just days after announcing it was planning a raft of changes to improve its diversity, The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) – organiser of the Golden Globes – has now been shunned by broadcaster NBC and a host of A-list actors until it can show real change has taken place.
Despite outlining plans to diversify its membership, specifically adding a minimum of 20 new members this year “with a specific focus on recruiting Black members”, one of acting’s biggest annual events has been publicly shamed in the strongest terms.
While Hollywood’s biggest names are calling for a “fundamental reform” of the Golden Globes, the HFPA’s steps to positively influence its operation are an important – if rather late – step in the right direction.
I would urge other businesses to take note and act sooner rather than later before they, too, are called out on a major scale.
Cultural creativity, such as film and advertising, has an opportunity to set the tone in the hope change will filter down, and the need to improve visibility of different diverse communities has never been more paramount.
Together with content made for television, these industries reach almost every person in the country at one time or another, and it is the responsibility of them all to be the change we need to see.
With the latest IPA Agency Census statistics showing only 6.4% of C-Suite roles were occupied by individuals from a non-white background in 2020, is it any wonder advertising is still so slow on the diversity uptake?
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Why aren’t more of the other 93.6% standing up and holding the industry to account as NBC is with the Golden Globes?
Many businesses are working to improve the representation of different diverse communities – encompassing everything from race, religion and sexuality to disability, age and gender – but change on this scale is frustratingly slow and sporadic.
Research by Glaad, for example, showed only 1.9% of characters in ads at the last Cannes Lions festivals were LGBTQIA+.
However, what advertising businesses can do now is sign-up to a commitment to bring a greater and more authentic diversity into their work.
I’m not talking about the casual throwing in of a tokenistic gay man, or making every couple mixed race, I mean real culturally correct portrayals of real people.
But you can’t guess someone else’s lived experience, especially if it’s so different from yours; creating really nuanced work is something that can only truly come from people who have a lived experience in the relevant community.
So, like the Golden Globes, if you don’t have these people already in your business, go and find them; we’re all out there waiting to be asked.
To know the intricacies of a lifestyle – the subtle details that make up all of our lives – there are no shortcuts. The only way to guarantee getting it absolutely right is to involve someone from that community in the making of your work.
More and more agencies and brands are getting on board with this idea and are bringing people into the process at the planning, strategy and pitch stages.
Rough cuts of ads are being shown to people who are being represented to ensure any inaccuracies or insensitivities are picked up before they go out to the wider public.
By going the extra mile early on, marketers not only avoid putting out clunky, offensive content but they set the tone externally in a way that provokes positive associations for their brand throughout that community and beyond.
The good news is we are making progress.
Kantar research in 2020 identified the UK as the country with the highest proportion of advertisements showing different ethnic origins (38%) and second highest for diverse skin colours (48%) after Brazil (51%).
However, in 2019 a survey by Adobe found that 46% of black and 35% of Asian UK consumers have stopped supporting a brand because it didn’t represent their identity – race, gender, religion and so on – in advertising.
These are significant numbers of people who have been turned off a brand simply because of poor representation in its advertising.
So it stands to reason that, just last month, analysis from Kantar’s Unstereotype Metric, which helps affiliated companies monitor their advertising and content to keep it free from gender stereotypes, found more progressive, inclusive ads performed better overall, with businesses seeing a higher return on investment.
In short, a lack of diversity – or a failure to include authentic diverse representation – in advertising, amounts to nothing more than laziness.
While all businesses should be working to improve the diversity of their employee base, those who are still striving to meet those goals can seek advice in other ways, such as through community councils and unique insights provided by external consultants.
But this is not an exercise that should be conducted to tick a box, it should be done because it’s the right thing to do and because we all have a responsibility to bring about change – and fast.
In advertising we are in the privileged position to influence people – influence them to buy a brand or change a habit – but extend that to influencing their prejudice – changing opinions and removing stereotypes – and we are really starting to change the world.
The public shaming of the film industry should be a warning to us all. In 2021, there is no excuse for all white, all straight, all atheist creatives and casting in ads.
Our industry may not be under fire from celebrities, but consumers have already been seen to vote with their feet.
Don’t let your brand be a casualty of ignorance; simply bring in diverse people to energise and excite your creative – and make your clients more money.