I have to be real – it’s exhausting to see the amount of lip service in the ad industry about turning the leaf for better multi-cultural/ethnic activity. We see pledges and manifestos usually in the form of carefully calculated social ...
Read More »Havas UK launches 2025 employee inclusion charter
Havas UK has reaffirmed its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion with the appointment of a new DE&I (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) executive committee and the launch of a new charter, setting out the business’ commitments over the next five ...
Read More »Dentsu’s DAN follows BBDO with C-suite diversity leader
There are new leaders stalking the upper reaches of big agencies, “equity” bosses charged with ensuring these notoriously un-diverse, largely white, organisations change for the better. Now Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) has appointed Christena Pyle (below), former executive director of ...
Read More »Arif Miah of mud orange: can we, for a moment, stop talking about diversity numbers?
The latest IPA report finds that BAME staff in agencies have dropped to 13.7%. This low proportion doesn’t surprise me at all because you can blatantly see it. You can see it in the poorly written work that spells out ...
Read More »Kathryn Jacob: why advertisers need to weigh the diverse cinematic universe
The recent furore around the BAFTA short list is a reminder that our audiences expect to see diversity on screen. BAFTA has been working on expanding its membership for a while, so the shortlist – criticised for its absence of ...
Read More »Grim examples from adland’s murky past
We worry sometimes at MAA that we don’t write enough about diversity – at one time we thought it was a new holding company – so it’s pleasing to refer you to our friend George Parker’s take on sexist ads ...
Read More »Equal Lens launches to give women photographers fair shot
International Women’s Day tomorrow (March 8) is cranking up the pressure on agencies, not just in terms of their own employment but also the external talent they use. Hard on the heels of Free The Bid, which has already had ...
Read More »Nick Breen: is Naomi Osaka cartoon a one-off or indicative of a broader problem?
One of tennis star Naomi Osaka’s sponsors, Nissin, has come under fierce criticism after it released an advertisement featuring a cartoon representation of Osaka, who is ethnically half-Haitian and half-Japanese, with pale skin and wavy brown hair. The sponsor has ...
Read More »New IPA survey reveals painfully slow progress towards diversity
Much hot air around diversity and its sister equality – wot, you hadn’t noticed? – so it’s good to get some stats about people from BAME backgrounds (British, Black, Asian and minority ethnic – i.e. non-white) in IPA agencies, representing ...
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