• by Joe Camacho , Columnist, April 4, 2018

What does it mean to be diverse? From a corporate point of view, diversity is often defined in terms of ethnic or cultural differences, but being diverse means more than just hiring or advertising to people from different cultures. 

For example, people who live paycheck to paycheck or reside in a single-parent household have diverse experiences which often have profound effects on the ways they think about certain issues or respond to specific messaging. This type of diversity is often not reflected in advertising, nor in the teams of people involved in the creation of such advertising. The question, then, for advertisers, is whether they are truly representing the masses as they claim to, or if the industry as a whole continues to privilege the experience of the “elite” without taking other viewpoints into consideration. 

My point is not to say that companies should stop trying to become more culturally or ethnically diverse; far from it. My only goal is to point out the fact that certain advertising norms — the images and language used, or the overall theme of certain ads — often promote a certain point of view that does not always align with people’s experiences in real life. 

I recently attended a panel on diversity that was hosted at the Beverly Hills Hotel in L.A. As the panel members were speaking, I found myself wondering how many people in the audience knew what it was like to be the first person in their family to go to college, or to grow up with only one parent. More importantly, how many people in that audience were looking beyond their own experiences to try to find a way to connect with people from different backgrounds? 

“Many companies talk a good game now on diversity,” says Kate Bruges, the co-director of talent at JWT London. “The benefits of a diverse workforce are well rehearsed. From McKinsey to Harvard Business Review, Facebook to Google, it’s inarguable.” Yet with this talk, there needs to be action. It’s not enough for companies to say that they will be hiring people from a variety of socioeconomic, ethnic and cultural backgrounds; the question is what measures will be taken not only to attract those people to join your organization but to ensure that they feel empowered enough to share their points of view, and make real change. 

Too often, companies pay lip service to the idea of diversity, only to fall short when it comes to institutional change. Kathryn Finney, the founder and managing director of DigitalUndivided, says that, while the tech industry says it wants diversity, what tech companies really want are “diverse versions of themselves — female versions of themselves, black versions of themselves — they don’t want diversity of thought, cultural background or experiences.” Any company that takes this approach is ultimately shooting itself in the foot, because any decision it makes is hampered by its inability to see beyond the point of view of its own experiences. 

Advertising, more than most other fields, is based on the assumption that its practitioners understand the needs of consumers and how they think. But if the advertisers themselves aren’t representative of the audience they’re aiming towards, how can they reach people effectively? The only way that an agency or organization can rise to this challenge is if they are conscious of their bias, and are willing to hire people with different points of view. After all, it’s only by opening themselves up to having diversity of thought within the workplace that companies can foster an environment where difference is valued and people are free to offer their opinions. 

If you’re embarking on a scientific experiment, you don’t approach things from one point of view; you have to interrogate every other possibility thoroughly in order to justify your course of action. The same thing goes for advertising: You have to have all of the facts before deciding to spend millions of dollars on a campaign. People with different life experiences and perspectives approach problems differently; working together, they can come up with solutions and insights that would otherwise have remained hidden from view.

In order for companies to truly be diverse, they must do more than hire people and check off a few boxes. They have to be willing to promote a culture where everybody’s voice is valued, and where people feel emboldened to contribute. It’s important that we always have new ways of thinking and keep an open mind; only then can we push the boundaries and come up with new ideas and solutions.