By Franklin Williams, Executive Director of Experience Design, AREA 23 & McCann Health New York
Within the landscape of advertising, marketing, media, and PR, ADCOLOR stands out as a leader and champion of diversity and inclusion in creative industries. Originally conceived as an event for professionals of a variety of levels and backgrounds, ADCOLOR has become more than just a gathering; it is truly a movement.
At ADCOLOR, achievements shine and mentoring thrives, and this fosters a cycle of growth and representation that defines the present and redefines our industry’s future.
The theme for this year’s ADCOLOR conference—“Double Down & Double Up”—puts forth a powerful call to action. It's a reminder that, despite the challenges in creative industries, our commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion must continue to grow and develop.
The conference brought together an extraordinary mix of industry leaders who surfaced a variety of significant and empowering themes. The discussions centered around navigating the C-suite and impactful leadership; the importance of passion and advocacy in career advancement; the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and equity, diversity, and inclusion within the industry. Additionally, the role of consumer research as a tool for gaining competitive advantages was a key focus, highlighting the continually evolving dynamics within advertising and marketing.
ADCOLOR brought to light essential leadership lessons, particularly from the perspectives of Black CEOs in their journeys to top executive positions. They emphasized the importance of vision, self-belief, and humility in reaching the C-suite, illustrating that leadership is as much about personal values as it is about professional achievements. They also highlighted the significance of passion and advocacy in the workplace, stressing the need to not only love what you do but to also create a safe, inclusive environment for others around you to thrive. Of the many ways to do that, these three lessons really resonated with me:
Find mentors that you trust within your organization.
- These people will be key in helping to shape the path that you take and the decisions that you make, based on their similar professional experiences. You will learn from both their successes and failures.
Next is to find a sponsor.
- Unlike a mentor, a sponsor plays a critical role in advocating for you in the rooms that you are not in. Sponsors are the people that you can count on to support you to others, so make sure you earn and maintain that trust.
Lastly is to surround yourself with a personal board of directors.
- This is a group of individuals outside of your company who feel absolutely comfortable offering candid, real-world advice and guidance in your career decisions. They are deeply invested in your growth both personally and professionally.
With so much to be taken from this conversation, I left feeling both inspired and ready to apply these notes in my day-to-day interactions.
The important conversations didn’t stop there, however, as ADCOLOR also addressed the evolving role of AI in our industry, particularly focusing on its integration and implementation as a competitive differentiator while addressing the fact that it is wrought with ethical considerations.
While it’s clear that AI is a powerful and transformative tool—it’s already being used to speed up antiquated processes and enhance efficiency—it is also currently inequitable in how it represents historically marginalized populations. A poignant example of this can be seen in the results of AI-generated imagery that come up when you type in “couples holding hands.” Maybe the results are as you expected, but they certainly don’t represent the rich tapestry of races, ages, and genders of couples in today’s world. It’s because of this that panelists underscored the necessity for the creative industry to actively engage in making AI more approachable, ethical, and inclusive by feeding into it what we want and hope to see. By acknowledging and actively working to mitigate current biases, we can help ensure that as AI evolves, its implementations are aligned with principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion.
The last major theme of the conference was the idea of inclusive consumer research to help drive competitive advantages in the work. Procter & Gamble (P&G) presented their '4 Rs' framework for advertising: Reach, Representation, Relevance and Resonance. Their approach emphasizes the need for brands to extend their reach to more diverse audiences; to represent these audiences authentically in their campaigns; to create content relevant to the true needs of the audience; and to ensure that the messaging, the way in, and all follow-ups resonate emotionally, intellectually, and culturally.
To accomplish this, P&G conducted deep and extensive research into consumer beliefs, values, and practices, and used this vital insight to craft captivating campaigns that foster a more authentic connection between brands and their consumers and create lasting impact.
ADCOLOR’s message to double down on our equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts spotlights the importance of realizing when those elements are missing and to double up by speaking up as early and as often as possible. It is because of our multiple voices advocating for what is needed to have more authentic representation in the work we do, the agencies we run and the world we live in, that we continue to see strides being made and meaningful processes attained. From conversations about equity, diversity, and inclusion in the C-suite, to how we select representative talent for our commercials, every positive decision creates a ripple effect that sees the world more justly and authentically represented at every stage.
As I wrap up, I can’t help but to reflect on how much there is to accomplish, but with ADCOLOR’s motto, “Rise up. Reach back,” ringing in my ears, I know that the journey and everyone that I meet along it, is part of a bigger story of progress and success, and I can’t wait to see what comes next.
