Advancing Diversity Week 2021: Confronting the Diversity Challenge

You have to admire the optimism, energy and determination of the practitioners / executives who are leading DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging) initiatives at ad agencies and their clients.  What they're taking on is the complex job of changing organizational cultures and attitudes --without any formal power or time-tested tools that can assure success. If this were not difficult enough, they're doing so at a time when agency and marketing cultures have been under enormous threats from technological and financial upheavals in the industry. DEIB initiatives, which might flourish in growing and successful organizations, have a much tougher time when growth is low and employee retention is already problematic. MediaVillage's virtual Advancing Diversity Week event (Sept. 20-23) brought together many executives who are engaged in DEIB initiatives. Here are some of their thoughts and concerns as expressed during the panel "4As and 4As Foundation Presents: Embracing a Comprehensive Vision of DEIB." (You can watch the entire panel in the video above. A video of a related Advancing Diversity Week conversation, "Building Inclusive Leaders," can be found below.)