• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, March 30, 2021

WFA has launched what it’s calling the world’s first-ever open-source guide addressing diversity and representation issues throughout the creative process, from defining the business and brand challenges to evaluation and analysis.

“Diversity & Representation: A Guide to Potential Areas for Bias in the Creative Process” highlights a dozen key areas where bias can occur and proposes questions that can be used as a litmus test at every stage. It also pulls together some key resources to tackle any gaps or areas of concern.

Each stage of the creative process, from briefing to insight and localization to media placement, is illustrated with brand examples. It includes campaigns from WFA members, such as AB InBev, Diageo, GSK, IKEA, Mars, Mattel, P&G, Philips and Unilever.

The new document was co-developed by members of WFA’s Diversity & Inclusion Task Force, which launched last year. It is led by Jerry Daykin, GSK Senior Media Director, and Belinda Smith, CEO Americas at m/SIX.

The document is freely available to everyone in the industry as part of WFA’s ongoing commitment to boosting diversity and inclusion and improving representation globally. It can be downloaded here.

Daykin said: “Many companies trying to drive this change don’t know where to start and often the barriers to representative creative come in the form of unconscious bias. This guide aims to highlight some of the simple nudges and critical questions marketers can use to avoid the gaps in representation these biases can create.”