Advertising Week Launches With a Focus on Diversity and Inclusion

The Transgender JourneyThe first session of the talent track was sponsored by media agency MEC It started with Chris Edwards39 emotionally fascinating talkamp160The Ultimate Rebrand Whatamp160Weamp160Can Learnamp160Fromamp160Oneamp8217samp160Transgender Journey whichamp160was of particular interest to me because my cousin is transitioningamp160from male to female Edwardsamp8217 relayed his personal story of navigating through gender identity at a time when it was not only unusual but also misunderstood and mislabeled quotSexual orientation is who you go to bed with Gender orientation is who you go to bed asquot he explained Born female Edwards was able to use his skills as an advertising creative as Executive Vice President Group Creative Director at Arnold Worldwide to quotrebrandquot himself and become the person he always felt he wasUsing his marketing experience he decided first to evaluate the landscape In 1995 the term transgender was not yet in use The accepted word was transsexual which had very negative connotations Edwards had to navigate through the terminology The next step was to determine his brand message which to Edwards was to be open and honest about the transition Then he sought to develop a solid communication plan by engaging brand evangelists close friends and business associates and then taking into account executional considerations roll out his quotrebrandingquotamp8220We need to acknowledge that we all have prejudicesamp8221 he advised amp8220The best way to help overcome prejudices is to tell your personal story rather than have edicts coming down from the organization We need to feel empathyquotamp160Diversity Recruitment and RetentionESPN39s panel on achieving diversity offered a good perspective on how to best achieve racial diversity in the corporation amp160The issue is not just achieving diversity it is also retention and inclusion in the workplace As Marc Strachan Vice President Multicultural Marketing at Diageo North America explained quotWe need to develop train and nurture talent We believe in the freedom to succeed People are held accountable at DiageoquotJack Myers Media Ecologist and Chairman MyersBizNet noted that although there are still big challenges in achieving diversity there have been some inroads quotThe recent General Mills announcement that requires all of their agencies39 talent pools to reflect their consumers shows that clients can step up and be leadersquot he said His work with the 1stFiveorg annual summer intern event this year powered by Turner included past interns to help create a sense of community quotOur efforts are focused on retention to keep them in the industryamp8221 Myers explained amp8220We find mentors and encourage them to also be mentors to senior people in the industryquotBut change cannot bubble up from the bottom According to Molly West Vice President Global Business Operations at ESPN quotIf we want a cultural shift in a corporation we have to do it from the top downquotMyers agreed adding quotOne of the biggest challenges is that we are talking to ourselves We need to find ways to get changes at the senior management level Men need to have zero tolerance for sexist misogynistic and racist comments in any context whether it39s small private gatherings of men or in their companies and advertisingamp8221Women39s EmpowermentA subject close to my heart the two panels I attended on womenamp8217s empowerment covered those who are trailblazers such as firefighter Regina Wilson the first female president of the Vulcan Society and those who have cracked the glass ceiling such as Geri Wang President of ABC Sales Both panels offered personal stories and perspectives on how success can be achieved and what challenges continue to vexDespite the advancements made by women in the workplace we are still a long way from true equality Women are still underrepresented in Csuite management and on corporate boards There is still income disparity Women earn only 79 cents to every dollar a man earns Women communicate differently than men and this difference often prevents women from being fully included in discussions Their ideas can be negated until amp8220seconded by a manamp8221 as Nadini Ramani Vice President at Twitter explained amp8220Just being a woman changes everythingamp8221 she addedConclusionI would like to think that as awareness of the importance of diversity increases in the workplace we would enter a golden age of inclusion where anyone can go as far as their talents will take them But I am not convinced this will happen any time soon One of my previous employers had many women in leadership positions when I first joined the company but ten years later a much smaller percentage of women occupy the upper echelons amp160Check any new startup in the media field from programmatic to data to technology and chances are there will be no African Americans or women either in their CSuite line positions or on their boards If we are all truly committed to inclusion letamp8217s at least retain the diverse talent we have and create more representation on boardsThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet management or associated bloggersamp160

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Advertising Week Launches With a Focus on Diversity and Inclusion

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Charlene Weisler

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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Advertising Week Launches With a Focus on Diversity and Inclusion

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Charlene Weisler

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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