In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, MediaVillage and the 4A's organized a roundtable interview featuring five influential AAPI leaders in the advertising and media industry. The discussion, moderated by Juan Ayala, included Cathy Butler, Executive Vice President of Talent, Equity, and Learning Solutions at 4A's; Shreya Kushari, Chief Client Officer at OMD; Atit Shah, Chief Creative Officer at Digitas; Ronald Ng, Chief Creative Officer at MRM; and Michelle Tang, Chief Growth Officer at McCann.
Those who have watched or tuned in to our past roundtables know we always kick off these conversations by discussing the importance of representation in media, the impact it had on our panelists in their formative early years, as well as recent breakthroughs and milestones in AAPI representation in entertainment, media, and advertising. Standouts among the group include The Joy Luck Club, Crazy Rich Asians, and the Oscar-winning epic Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Ronald Ng and Shreya Kushari also touched on what it felt like to be completely surrounded by people who look like them in places where they were not a minority, as they grew up in Malaysia and India, respectively. "I grew up watching movies from Hong Kong, so I was very well-represented there. Seeing Michelle Yeoh, a Malaysian, win an Oscar was not something I could have imagined growing up," Ng shared.
Similarly, Kushari mentioned watching many foreign films and "assimilating to the global network and not harping on about the past or thinking about where your roots are, but looking forward. We are not a monolith, but there is a red thread that connects us all."
McCann's Michelle Tang touched on the importance of unity while also rejecting the idea of being perceived as a monolith, emphasizing that there are many shared values and nuances among the AAPI community that are important to highlight in advertising and in the workplace. "Those values of leaning into the community and shared identity very much resonates with me. There is both this thread between us all, but there's also fracturing from a monolithic perception," Shah chimed in. "The more people that we bring into the industry, from young to senior ranks, and reflect more of this shared worldview, the more will come into light."
The dialogue then turned to the complexities of representing multicultural communities in advertising, with the leaders underscoring the necessity for genuine and inclusive representation in ad campaigns. They emphasized that authentic representation not only serves as a moral imperative but also enhances brand credibility and audience connection.
It's no secret that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) initiatives have come under heavy scrutiny in the last year, with companies and brands cutting funding or dissolving DEIB departments altogether. "This is a topic that has a lot of negative headlines, but when you think reflectively on the last couple of years, there was a lot of great work that has been done and great progress around the efforts of DE&I integration as opposed to it being standalone," Butler said. "The headlines saying 'are we there yet? why haven't we gotten it done?' are very misleading. The human experience is never going to be done, and we're always going to champion what's right. Fifty years ago, did we ask 'why isn't Brand Planning done yet?' The capabilities within our industry continue to evolve. There's a lot of space for innovation and creativity to do better, to use data and technology in a way to advance the practice of the work that we're in, so why can't we have that conversation around the human experience?"
"We need to have a focus on [DEIB] and for leaders to be held accountable. The generation that's coming into the workforce by default is very diverse," said Tang. "The ultimate goal is to not need a DE&I department. It's to have all of the leaders think in this broad way, but we aren't there yet. If you're not reminded of it constantly, it gets deprioritized with everything else we do in our business."
"I'm hoping that, at least in our industry which is a very progressive one, there seems to be a shift from the insular meditation of DE&I to a more active practice of the way we project and make," Shah added. "I feel that precision and vision for how we're projecting and how media is projecting is a very useful next step. A few years ago, it was a lot of self-reflection, which is still valid, but it has to be more than this 101. I hope we're graduating toward how that mindset is engineered for outcomes."
This candid and comprehensive discussion focused on the importance of diversity and inclusion in the advertising industry, shedding light on both the challenges and opportunities for progress in this area. The dialogue underscored a collective commitment to fostering a more inclusive and representative industry, where diverse voices are not only heard but celebrated.
This celebration of AAPI Heritage Month through the lens of advertising leaders serves as a powerful reminder of the ongoing journey towards equity and inclusion. As the industry continues to evolve, embracing diverse leadership and prioritizing DE&I initiatives will be crucial in creating a more equitable and dynamic future.
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The opinions expressed here are the author's views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillage.org/MyersBizNet.