THE ADVERTISING WORLD HAS MANAGED TO NOT KEEP UP WITH DIVERSITY EFFORTS

Why it is crucial to support creative agencies that understand cultural authenticity.

Having started my own advertising agency 21 years ago, I can say not much has changed. Although my agency, VIVO, has made significant waves with the body of work we have done, I am still fighting to get access to the same work as ad agencies that have been operating for under five years but are majority owned.

The world relies on advertising, communications and marketing every day to inform and even educate. Brands teach us who they are through their communications with us, and we truly believe the sales pitch. So having a diverse creative team that reflects the world is crucial. Yes, some of the holding companies, like the Omnicom Group, WPP and the Publicis Groupe, who own several agencies in over 100 countries, have been hiring more creative people as part of their current diversity strategy since the murder of George Floyd.

However, this does not include high level employees or officers that can drive strategy and the direction of the agency. Most times, these creatives are not given an environment to thrive and are not allowed to bring their creative and cultural ideas that reflect the audiences they are targeting. Instead, they are implementing someone else’s ideas and perspectives of the world that doesn’t reflect reality. Hiring diverse talent without giving them autonomy doesn’t yield change. Instead, it confirms to the agency’s leaders that their perspective is right.

Independent agencies of color can be the most authentic and true! Answering to themselves, they can bring an authentic perspective and insight that most brands should be lucky to have access to. The bottom line is diversity of thought and perspective drives revenue. People are more likely to consider purchasing a product or service after they have seen an ad that is diverse or inclusive.

It’s not about race, or diversity that’s skin deep. It’s really about diversity of thought. How true marketers reach the audience they are after is about understanding and connecting with that audience. Who are they? Not what’s their genetic makeup or their race. Who people are is based on their culture or the culture they identify with.

It doesn’t matter if you are Black and from the Dominican Republic, West Africa, or the United States. Blackness may unify you as to how the people making decisions see you, but at your core is your culture. To connect with people at the core, you must not just understand their culture and perspective but identify with it at some level.

Culture is what makes each of us unique. Truly understanding culture is the way to have authentic human experiences. I had this perspective from day one when I created VIVO in 2001. It’s the way I have always lived! And we hire those that are open minded and can see a world outside of themselves because they have had many experiences as humans interacting with other humans who don’t always look like them or eat the same food as they do or listen to the same music. Growing up outside of the United States and coming from a very diverse family, who were also immigrants to my native land, has given me a perspective hard to come by. I see that marketers today are finally catching on.

American culture is a driving force globally and that culture is driven by what is considered African American culture. It might not be acknowledged openly but it’s in the music, the food, the clothes, and the films we, as Americans, market to the world. African American culture sells brands every day, including luxury brands. It’s in the swag, the language—it’s just plain cool.

What’s not cool, however, is when you see an interpretation of that culture through eyes that are the observer with no understanding, as against an interpretation of one who lives it, day in and day out. You see the difference and so do consumers. It’s crucial that we support existing creatives and creative agencies that truly understand cultural authenticity.