Where Is Everyone Who Looks Like Me?
When we think of our favorite advertisements, we tend to think about ones that evoke some sort of personal emotion. Whether it be joy, amusement, irritation, or sadness, we love these ads because they pull on some sort of heartstrings. Yes, advertisers use emotion and storytelling to build awareness and get people to use or buy a product — but more importantly, they do so to change mindsets and behaviors.
That is what initially attracted me to the industry. Determining what people really want and need, and figuring out how to persuade them to change their behavior, is an exciting challenge. But now, it’s the industry itself that needs to change its behavior.
We often see brands leverage different cultures to help get their message across, particularly in an era where America has become more diverse and integrated than ever before. The problem is that this multi-billion dollar global industry is largely still controlled by one demographic: white males. To create better ads that are more authentic and appeal to the growing diversity in the market, we need to first reflect this diversity within our own walls.
Here Are All the Black People
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend a conference in New York called Here Are All the Black People (HAATBP). Don’t worry — this is not some sort of racist joke. It is actually a multi-cultural career fair exclusively for creatives. Whether they are directors, producers, or artists, the focus is to aid attendees in breaking into the advertising industry.
Why Fitzco Needed to Go
Coming from Chicago to Atlanta, I expected diversity. Atlanta is a beautiful city, a city where the mayor and the chief of police are African-American, where you have the opportunity to see people of all backgrounds coexisting and befriending one another, without the feeling of segregation you experience in some other major metropolitan areas. Naturally, I anticipated a similarly diverse mix behind the agency walls. Sadly, this was not the case. While companies like IPG (our holding company) are working hard to make a difference, lack of inclusive representation is still an industry-wide issue.
That brings us to why Fitzgerald & Company decided to head to Here Are All the Black People. Over the past few months, I’ve been working with Fitzco’s leadership, McCann, IPG, and a team of great coworkers to launch our diversity and inclusion initiatives. While there is no immediate fix to the issue, attending conferences, career fairs and workshops such as this one are steps in the right direction. I was introduced to The One Club team — the world’s foremost non-profit organization devoted to elevating creative work in the industry and who hosted the event — and they were more than welcoming. They invited me to attend and assist with Jean Tanis, one of our Associate Creative Directors, and let us see what the event was all about.
The Value of Representation
The conference was nothing short of amazing. From the panelists to the presenters, there was not a moment where I wasn’t tweeting quotes, taking notes, and nodding my head in agreement. Presenters spoke about using your voice online for change. Panelists talked about marrying technology and creativity. And these were only some of the amazing sessions.
Part of the conference involved portfolio reviews for attendees by leading creatives already working in the industry. The moment Jean headed into the room and set up his table, there was a line of young, eager creatives looking to have their work critiqued, as well as wanting to pick his brain. There were plenty of other great industry people willing to help review portfolios, but Jean’s line was always the longest. What helped him stand out from the rest were two things: credibility and authenticity.
Credibility:
None of this is meant to imply that the other reviewers didn’t have a lot to offer — but this was something that made Jean stand out. While there were many HR reviewers in attendance, there were very few creative professionals actually reviewing the portfolios of others. And Jean was one of the only creative professionals there who was also a POC, so these aspiring creatives had someone they could relate to.
Authenticity:
While many sported the suit and tie look, Jean came dressed as himself, staying true to his own style. Not only could these young men and women come to him for advice and critiques, but his casual approachability made it easier to conceptualize that someone who looked like them could make it this far. That is inspiration that can be accomplished without even uttering a word.
Why Events Like This Are Important
According to U.S. Census data, our nation is heading down a path where diversity is coming to the forefront faster than ever. About 44% of Millennials (who currently make up the majority of the workforce) are part of a minority race or ethnic group. White males are not going to be the majority in the near future, yet that demographic is typically what makes up the majority of agency leadership. It’s not that these men aren’t qualified; it’s rather that we are missing out on the talents and contributions of a good chunk of the populace. Also, more and more clients are starting to require diverse teams to work on their brands.
It’s that same need that drives our diversity and inclusion efforts at Fitzco: perspective. If we can begin to embrace the perspective from so much creative talent that we are missing out on, we can begin to make a change. And by going to events, conferences and career fairs that highlight diversity and inclusion, we can start to reach these individuals at a much faster and more efficient rate. In turn, our work will begin to reflect the diverse culture being created behind our walls. That’s why it is crucial for us to attend events like HAATBP that focus on providing much-needed and much-deserved opportunities for multicultural audiences.
Where We’re Going
Now that Fitz has its foot in the diversity and inclusion game with a new perspective, it’s important for us to keep going. We need to not only keep the conversation going, but also make ourselves present at things such as HAATBP. In 2017, we are rolling out a plan to truly embrace diversity and inclusion efforts across our agency with events, conferences, and speakers that encourage open dialogue and discussion about diversity. We want to not only educate the agency about diversity, and but also challenge ourselves and our creative product by broadening our perspective.
Atlanta is a diverse city. It’s crucial that we begin to address this and work towards an inclusive culture. Fitzgerald & CO is Atlanta’s ad agency, so it’s important that we truly represent our home within our walls. Then, and only then, will I start to see people that look like me.
Fitzgerald & CO is a full-service agency located in Atlanta, GA. To see more of the daring work we do for our client partners, please visit www.fitzco.com.
