IPA sets out plan to make advertising more diverse
It's well known that diversity in advertising is beneficial but the industry has often been accused not doing more to welcome minorities, something the IPA hopes to address in 2016.
Speaking at the trade body’s headquarters yesterday evening (14 January), president and co-founder of DLKW Lowe Tom Knox said tackling the issue would be the focus of his year-long remit. From pushing the industry to elevate women to more senior roles to championing the business and social benefits of a diverse workplace, the need for the initiative reflects how advertising is far less diverse than the population at large.
To change this, the IPA has set itself targets: By 2020 it wants women to have 40 per cent of the senior roles in the industry, up from the 35 per cent currently as well as have experts from BAME backgrounds (black, asian, middle eastern) hold 15 per cent of leadership roles within the same period. The number of BAMEs in senior roles currently is seven per cent.
The IPA is also backing The Great British Diversity Experiment, which launched this week (11 January) to provide concrete evidence on the benefits that diverse teams bring and ultimately encourage businesses to change hiring policies.
Elsewhere, it's also rolling out a scheme to advise women on how to get back into work after a career break, partnering with She’s Back to offer training on skills now in demand since they left their roles. Agencies like Mediacom and Starcom Mediavest Group already have similar internal schemes in order to make reintegration of staff more accommodating.
It’s not the first time the IPA has tried to tackle diversity in the industry it represents. In 2012, it backed the ‘Diversity in Advertising’ initiative to encourage debate the lack of ethnic minorities at agencies.