7 Things Advertisers Can do Today to be More Inclusive

A lot of brands are posting messages stating they stand with Black people -- an important step. The actions these brands take, not just now, but in the long term will be critical. Brands spend an estimated $360 billion on advertising, and that spend has immense power to address the systemic challenges that exist in the advertising industry. And this industry shapes the way Black people are portrayed and perceived in the media, while at the same time tapping into Black culture to drive business results. According to Nielsen, Black people have an estimated $1.3 trillion in spending power, underscoring how vital this community is to our economy; yet, we  are disproportionately underrepresented across the advertising industry overall. 

 My entire career has focused on ad sales, and it's from that perspective that I have observed the systemic challenges that exist in our industry. The public words of support must now be transitioned into action by those who have the power to make long term changes. Over the years I have been asked by brands and agency partners on occasion to share my thoughts on two challenges in particular: how they can do better when it comes to multicultural marketing, and how can they  make the industry more inclusive? Here are a few things that I, and many others, have shared in those conversations: 

Creating a more inclusive industry

• Ensure more Black people are in the creative agencies, media agencies, tech companies, publishers, strategy teams, brand manager roles, sales roles, behind the camera, etc. Across all levels there needs to be more representation. There is a lot of conversation about entry level recruiting and executive level representation, we are also missing in the middle. There is not a pipeline problem, there is a hiring and advancement problem.
• Hire Black owned agencies and other suppliers to the industry. Budgets for campaigns targeting Black consumers should be reflective of the significant spending power of the Black consumer. 
• General market agencies work on “multicultural” initiatives all the time. How often does a “multicultural agency” work on a general market pitch? How many Black owned full service agencies are the AOR to a top 200 advertiser?
• Support content creators and platforms that focus on Black people. Evaluate your influencer marketing spend to see how many Black influencers and culture drivers you are supporting.
• CEO’s and CMO’s should support and attend organizations and events that uplift the diversity of our industry. In addition to funding, we need leading voices teaching others about how they are making positive changes when it comes to inclusion in advertising.

Improving planning process when targeting a Black audience

• Briefs and RFPs that are focused on Black consumers should have as much depth as "general market" briefs and RFPs. Most times these briefs assume all Black people are a monolith. 
• Advertising campaigns targeting Black consumers should consistently be multi-pronged vs. one-note: TV, digital, social, print, OOH, podcasts, blogs, experiential, etc. Campaign strategies should be reflective of the ways Black audiences spend their time.

Making these systemic changes isn’t just about doing what’s right, it’s also about good business. 

Look at  Deloitte Heat’s The Value of Diversity in Advertising report and it shows brands with more representative advertising show 69 percent better performance. Being more representative comes from having more inclusion in the industry that creates advertising. 

So, what stops your brands from making these changes?

I am hopeful that the energy and focus of this moment will continue to sustain, and that those who have the power to make systemic changes in the industry will take bold action. I will be sharing another post with examples and how this can be done. The advertising industry benefits economically from the Black community; so, more needs to be done to reinvest into the people from the community who are members of our industry. 

Also, while the focus here is on Black people -- and rightfully so given the challenges we face, this applies to all underrepresented groups.