We Need More Diversity in the Room Where It Happens

We all saw it, even though it’s since been taken down. The “greatest of all time” image posted by ESPN’s SportsCenter represents how decisions made by the powers that be are so often done using only their own perspective.

That’s why I’m making a plea for more diversity in the rooms where the decisions are made. Specifically, the decisions for marketing and advertising campaigns that impact so many aspects of daily life.

A couple of years ago I worked as a senior copywriter in the in-house agency at a Fortune 500 company. We were responsible for online and print marketing and often tasked with developing the creative concept for the campaign.

When a project came in that aligned with the timing of the NBA finals, our creative director assigned an art director and a copywriter. They came up with a clever animated video involving basketball refs. The only problem was, the 3 refs in the video were white men.

The creative director, art director, and copywriter were also white men.

I knew these guys pretty well and was surprised that they didn’t catch it. I guess even the most well-meaning people have subconscious blinders that force feed an image of the world you know. When the larger team reviewed the work, I suggested making one ref Black and one a woman.

The creative director agreed that making one of the refs Black was a good idea, but wouldn’t give the go ahead to make one a female. He actually said it wouldn’t be realistic. As an avid (some say rabid) Warriors fan who watches a ton of NBA games, I said I was pretty sure there were female refs (there were 3 at the time), but he still vetoed it and moved on.

While I was glad that some diversity would be added to the video, what I really wanted to say was that great marketing should go beyond showing the world as it is, and show the world as it should be. Seeing that GOAT image brought it all back and made me regret not speaking up more at the time. When women and people of color aren’t accurately represented in advertising, it creates a false narrative that they aren’t as capable or significant or worthy.

In fact, according to the 2019 Design Census (created by Google and the American Institute of Graphic Arts), in the design industry, men are more likely than other genders to make more than $150K per year, and women hold just 11% of leadership positions and make 80 cents on the dollar compared with men.

If you look at the percentage of men and women in marketing, women seem to be doing pretty well. However, they often have administrative or lower-paying roles without the seniority required to influence campaigns. And while most people working in advertising and marketing agree that there isn’t a big enough pool of diverse candidates to hire, this circular logic keeps the numbers stagnant.

We need a more diverse group of people creating the faces and voices of corporate brands yet, according to data from a 2017 analysis by CVSuite, creative occupations are 24% less racially and ethnically diverse than all occupations.

How can someone provide their perspective if they don’t have the job?

As many have so eloquently said, “If you can see it, you can be it,” and seeing people who look like you accurately represented on products and billboards and internet ads expands your sense of belonging, acceptance, and possibility.

We’ve made some progress. We now have Band-Aids and crayons and ballet slippers in varying shades that can all be described as flesh tones. Kamala Harris was elected Vice President of the United States. And two-thirds of an NBA ref crew were women for the first time in a recent game. (For the record, there have been 7 full-time female NBA refs and currently there are 5.)

Many of us knew immediately what was missing from the GOAT image and what it says to young girls and boys about who gets to be recognized for their greatness. Perhaps if they’d had more women in the room where the decision was made they would have realized the omission and come up with an amazing way to celebrate a broader group of great athletes.

Instead, it was an embarrassment and a reminder that there’s a lot of work to do before true equality seeps into our collective cultural consciousness. We can start the shift by changing the makeup and mindset of the teams that develop and review the creative.

Here are a few ideas:

1. Challenge corporate leadership to assume bias exists and be strong enough to listen and learn. This culture of “what have we missed” should permeate every level but needs to start at the top. Reward those who bring new and valid information to light instead of making them fear speaking up.

2. Advertising agencies and in-house agencies should consistently offer internships to students who are underrepresented in creative fields. Much like the emphasis on STEM careers for girls, jobs in creative fields should be promoted in our media and taught in our schools.

3. Corporate mentorship programs that pair experienced creatives with those willing to learn should be expanded. Copywriting and design are skills that can be learned and improved with practice. Provide opportunities to ensure this happens with a more diverse group of entry-level creatives.

4. Give equal pay and promotions for equal work to increase job satisfaction and provide a diverse group of role models.

The media and marketing messages we encounter every day have an impact, especially on children. Let's push for more diversity in the creative teams that develop these messages and hold decision makers accountable for making it happen.