Mediatel Virtual Event - The Future of Diversity on 14th July, 2020
On June 3, as The Black Lives Matter protests grew in strength, an open letter was published in the UK, calling on advertising leaders to commit to “actions, not words” by prioritising diversity, equality and inclusion, and harnessing “the cultural power of advertising” to bring prominence to the crisis of racial injustice.
The letter included a list of 10 actions to be taken by those who signed, and more than 200 made the pledge within 48 hours, from creative agencies, media agencies, trade bodies and media owners. However, it came with a heavy warning – now was the time to step up and deliver or risk being called out for ignoring a problem that had long been talked about within the sector but was accompanied by very little action.
In an article published on Mediatel News on June 5, reporter Michaela Jefferson looked at how adland had responded to the Black Lives Matter protests and spoke to those calling for meaningful and lasting industry-wide change.
This event took shape from that very article as well as adopting its name from the headline – 'Shoulder to shoulder? I'll tell you what that really means' – by continuing the conversation with key people from within the industry. This agenda was created around their narrative – to not seek out every answer, but to debate the questions and give platform to diversity of opinion.
This is The Future of Diversity: Standing Shoulder to Shoulder. Join us as we play our part in building a better industry.
