The major challenge to measurement is the vast amount of content to measure and the ability to deduplicate across the many screens. Inclusiveness is the second major challenge – showing the face of America. But this is an opportunity also. The third is chasing identity and privacy at the same time.
Scott welcomed Radha to their virtual fireside chat on the subject of representation in media and the workplace. Scott recalled that at ARF AUDIENCExSCIENCE Conference in 2020, CBS outlined its steps to improve diversity and inclusiveness as both a moral and a business imperative. He asked Radha about CBS’s current thinking.
This virtual Salon, hosted by the ARF Cultural Effectiveness Council was moderated by Janelle James, Qualitative Research Director, Kantar. Janelle was joined by Kendra Clarke, Vice President of Data Science and Product Development, sparks & honey, and Ola Mobolade, Founder at COCO and Co-author of “Marketing to the New Majority”.
On August 17, Young Pros across the industry reunited in-person for the first time in two years at the VMLY&R offices in New York City for an evening of knowledge sharing, thoughtful discussion, and networking. “Inclusive Innovation: Transformative Insights for a New Era” inspired attendees to bring meaningful change back to their organizations. Carrie Patterson Reed, Executive Director of VMLY&R’s Research Studio, Jessica Kukreti, Managing Director VMLY&R and Amber Chenevert, PhD Managing Director Strategy & Insights and Culture Studio Lead, VMLY&R shared how designing inclusive research, thinking critically by considering bias and allowing ourselves to be uncomfortable all have the power to transform and drive solutions for the good of business and society. One key takeaway – always ask questions. Young pros then turned insight into action by participating in a workshop that asked teams to rethink how each phase of an ad campaign can incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion.
On November 1, 2022, the ARF Cultural Effectiveness Council hosted a discussion on ways that brands have gained an edge by focusing their insights and subsequent marketing on traditionally under-represented communities. Speakers from General Mills, Vevo, and muliti-cultural agency Alma shed light on the kinds of research they find helpful in uncovering valuable inclusive insights and the potential rewards of this strategy. They cited examples of those insights and discussed the societal trends that underlie them. The session was moderated by Council Co-Chair Janelle James of Ipsos.
The event addressed how diversity in advertising is evolving. Consumers want to buy from companies that commit to diversity but mere representational presence in ads is not enough. Brands that produce creative that is authentic in context, and elicits emotion from consumers, will garner loyalty and ROI. Leaders from Microsoft and Kantar shared how we can collectively understand nuances better to debunk stereotypes and empower all groups of people.
This ARF Pharma Council event followed up on the Council’s podcast episode on “Inclusive Futures of Humancare,” focusing on the importance of inclusiveness in pharma research and marketing with respect to both demographic characteristics and health conditions. Four speakers delivered brief presentations, followed by a discussion moderated by Pharma Council Co-Chair Marjorie Reedy of Merck.
The ARF’s Jay Mattlin brought together the presenters from Day Two’s Diversity in Advertising track to expand on the common themes and findings from their individual studies. The panel agreed that, in communicating to diverse audiences, mere representational casting or presence in ads and content was not enough. Creative that resonates with multicultural audiences needs to incorporate elements of empowerment, appear in representative programs, and show underrepresented groups in positive, non-stereotypical ways. The following are edited highlights from the panel discussion.
Investing in inclusive content and advertising is essential to connect with customers in demonstrating brand commitment to the causes they care about, according to Nielsen’s Charlene Polite Corley. With Nielsen research supporting how critical representation is to the future of media and brands, Charlene focused on women’s lack of representation to exemplify the missed opportunity in excluding more than half the U.S. population from advertising and content. Nielsen’s findings indicated slow progress in advancements and advertisers were urged to drive inclusion at every step of the production chain, both on screen and behind the camera, and use their media influence to demand more representative programming.
NBCUniversal and Magid partnered to determine how diverse consumers self-identify and how that informed their life experiences in relation to representation and authenticity, particularly in their brand and content choices. Research from clients, consumers and field surveys showed that, while multi-cultural audiences are multi-faceted, they are connected by common threads from shared cultural pillars, shared success and struggle, a sense of community and the straddling of two worlds. These findings led the team to a framework for “ideal representation” as a hierarchy of four distinct levels that define what consumers consider most important in being authentic.