DEI (diversity, equity, & inclusion)

Concurrent Track Panel Discussion: Diversity in Advertising

Concurrent Track Panel Discussion: Diversity in Advertising

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.

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Inclusive Content is Good for Business
  • Article

Inclusive Content is Good for Business

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.

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Path Forward: Identity, Representation & Authenticity
  • Article

Path Forward: Identity, Representation & Authenticity

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.

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Overcoming the Diversity Gap in Mobile Gaming
  • Article

Overcoming the Diversity Gap in Mobile Gaming

The gaming team at Meta launched an initiative to better understand the perspectives of underrepresented gamers in order to share the importance of diversity with the mobile gaming industry. Their findings, Stephen Gray (Meta) pointed out, are just as applicable to advertisers outside the gaming industry. With gaming now, the world’s most dominant form of entertainment, Chloé Gingrich (Meta) noted that the gamers population is more diverse than ever before, encompassing a spectrum of ethnicities, genders, ages, sexual orientations and abilities. Their study used a combined qualitative/quantitative approach that looked at three gaming communities—ethnicities, LGBTQ+, women/non-binary gamers—in five markets (U.S., U.K., Brazil, Germany, & South Korea). With their research findings, the team explored three key themes: how inclusive environments help drive player engagement, key considerations for fostering diversity and inclusion within games and the gaming community, and the importance of authentic advertising.

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Diverse Reactions: Getting Diversity and Inclusion Right in Advertising
  • Article

Diverse Reactions: Getting Diversity and Inclusion Right in Advertising

Kantar’s Deepak Varma presented research on racial representation in advertising which sought to understand consumer reactions to single race ads compared to multi-racial and diverse ads from diverse audiences (Black Americans, Hispanics, Asians and Whites). Using creative assessment tools coupled with facial coding, eye-tracking and intuitive associations, the study measured unconscious bias in addition to explicit and implicit reactions to advertising. Breaking down consumer responses to diverse ads from Uber, Instacart and Bounty, Deepak stressed the importance of emotional connections through powerful stories that cut across all races.

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How You Can Get Involved with ARF WIDE

  • Posted: March 24, 2022

ARF WIDE is working to create pathways for talented college students with an interest in research and insights who come with lived experiences and perspectives not currently well-represented in the industry. Our goal is to help build a diverse talent pipeline that represents today’s consumer, filled with those who understand varying cultural backgrounds and are able to connect with them through their own experiences and ultimately be more effective at generating new research insights and outcomes. Read more »

Contending with Algorithmic Bias

Contending with Algorithmic Bias

  • Cultural Effectiveness Council

On March 16, 2022, the ARF Cultural Effectiveness Council hosted a discussion on bias in the algorithms and models used by organizations, particularly those in advertising and marketing, to make selection or recommendation decisions.  Speakers from Publicis Media, Twitter, Wunderman Thompson, Cassandra, and the University of Southern California shed light on why this issue arises, what its effects can be and how to contend with it.  The session was moderated by Council Co-Chair Janelle James of Ipsos.

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NYCU: Perspectives on the Future of Advertising

  • Posted: February 25, 2022

When two industry heavyweights meet and talk about the future of the advertising industry, it’s worth it to stop and listen. Marla Kaplowitz, President and CEO of the 4A’s for the past five years, probed industry issues earlier this month with Philippe Krakowsky, a 20-year veteran of IPG who recently completed his first year as CEO.
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