Heads of marketing from brands like Diageo, Lego and Procter & Gamble join agency executives and media owner leaders at the annual Rise conference to discuss how diversity and inclusion in adland can improve return on investment. said it would be helpful.
Creative Equals and Effie UK investigated the correlation between agency workforce diversity and marketing effectiveness to shed light on this topic. Using aggregate data from his Effie Awards UK over the past three years, we find that Effie Gold-winning agencies are 7.2% more diverse than the industry average, and across all awards winning agencies are 4.3% more diverse than his I found out that it was sexual.
The key points of this day are:
1. Make your ads 100% accessible
Global Chief Marketing Officer Taide Guajardo said P&G aims to make its advertising 100% accessible across Europe.
She shared that P&G's existing media plan reaches “75% of the population” and highlighted the “opportunity gap.”
Guajardo said that “less than 10% of advertising in the EU” is accessible, adding that “accessibility is an opportunity as a driver of growth… and [can help] People feel included,” she explained.
She showed the audience a P&G ad that would appear to a visually impaired person before playing the second spot with an audio description.
Guajardo said P&G is now focused on “inclusive design” with audio descriptions and open and closed captioning as standard, and called on the industry to work together to accelerate accessibility.
2. Brands have a responsibility to “build a better future”
Carolina Teixeira, LEGO's global brand director, believed the brand had a “responsibility” to help “build a better future by inspiring new creative thinking and instilling a sense of belonging.” .
She said this is an approach that allows the brand to grow with new customers.
Teixeira highlighted the challenges Lego has faced in moving away from the perception of being a “boys'” brand, and said she understands why Lego “doesn't resonate with girls.”
She outlined that the LEGO Group's 'More than Perfect' campaign highlights how language can influence the creative confidence of children, especially young girls.
The campaign is based on a LEGO survey of more than 61,500 parents and children aged 5 to 12 in 36 countries, which found that girls as young as 5 are suppressing their creative confidence. It became clear.
Lego also overhauled its brand identity in April to ensure consistency across its physical and digital branding.
3. “Expect a rebound” when taking risks
Samira Brophy, Senior Creative Excellence Director at Ipsos, and Eleanor Thorton-Firkin, UK Head of Creative Excellence, talk about taking risks in advertising and dealing with criticism when you do. .
Brophy told attendees that people are making a variety of marketing decisions based on the potential backlash against their brands, which they may face personally.
She highlighted Dove's 'Real Beauty' campaign by Ogilvy UK as an example of strong risk-taking. Now in its 20th year, the campaign challenges society's beauty standards and promotes self-acceptance among women. That includes a pledge to never use AI to represent real women in advertising.
4. Marketing can get in the way of your product.
Ije Nwokolie, Dr Martens' chief brand officer and incoming chief executive, said marketing could “get in the way” of customers' product discovery by being too “overly focused” on trends. Stated.
Mr Nwokolie said his role as chief brand officer would include “removal” of anything that gets in the way of customers discovering Dr Martens products, including advertising, in-store and online travel. .
He said the brand “celebrates you, and even though you may not feel like you deserve it, you belong. The brand celebrates you and your worth.” “Your background is our superpower.”
Nwokolie was also critical of brands following trends. Although the Dr. Martens brand is famous among “various subcultures,” it “doesn't define itself by any particular subculture or trend, because it's not trying to be fashionable.” It's attractive for people who don't want to match.
He was appointed Dr Martens' new chief executive last week and will succeed Kenny Wilson next year.
5. Fear of being challenged “should not stop creativity”
Jasmine Dawson, vice president of digital at BBC Studios, shared advice for creatives and marketers to “harness creativity, consistency and compassion more broadly” in advertising campaigns and the advertising sector.
She said it can be difficult to create ads “in a world where everyone has an opinion.”
Mr Dawson warned of the racist backlash Sainsbury's faced after releasing its 2020 Christmas ad.
The campaign included a television ad and social media ad called “Gravy Song,” which depicted a father and daughter on the phone during the Christmas season. The supermarket was the subject of racist comments from some social media users who were offended by its use of a black family.
Aldi, Asda, Co-op, Iceland, Lidl, Marks & Spencer, Tesco and Waitrose have all stood up to the backlash Sainsbury's has received. The supermarket ran back-to-back ads with the hashtag #StandAgainstRacism on his two prime time slots on Channel 4 on Friday night.
6. Inclusion is “the foundation of creative excellence”
Becky Verano, Reckitt's vice president of marketing, said AI has delivered “best-ever results” for Reckitt-owned brand Durex on a campaign with diversity at its core.
Verano said the move to a virtual studio has given him more space to prioritize inclusion in the production process and better manage diverse casting decisions.
She outlined Reckitt's efforts to convert 80% of its shoots to a virtual studio model. “Technology can lift some of the very real barriers to inclusion,” she said, and she urged participants to “have the courage to consider technology as an enabler.”
Verano said DEI was at the core of Reckitt's six Cannes Lions-winning campaigns. “We're not really an organization that shoots for awards. We strive to build a culture that values creativity as the driving force of our business,” she said. “Inclusion [is] It is the foundation of creative excellence. ”
She said each brand, such as Harpic, Dettol, Gaviscon, Strepsils, Vanish and Veet, had its own “brand struggle”.
Verano said Nurofen's “Look at My Pain” campaign, developed by McCann London, achieved the highest amount of coverage.
The initiative focused on closing the “gender pain gap” rather than the benefits of individual products. Verano credited Reckitt's UK team for being open to a different approach, as product benefits have historically been a key focus.
Creative Equals hosted Rise 2024, held at LSO St Luke's in Islington, London. The campaign was the media partner for the event.
