Havas Chicago creates #BlackAtWork obstacle course around being black in the workplace / Haley Velasco
“YOU DON’T SOUND BLACK.”
“CAN YOU TEACH ME HOW TO DOUGIE?”
In an installation around Black History Month, Havas Chicago created a set of obstacles and learnings around what a black man or woman in the workplace might experience, highlighting the need for diversity in advertising as well.
“We are focused on being diverse and focused on equality. This is a broader dialogue that needs to happen. It’s beyond black people. It’s beyond multicultural. It extends to women. With everything that we are experiencing in the US, we feel that this is a launching pad for a lot of different installations or discussions that we would love to spark,” said Michael Fair, senior strategist, Havas Chicago.
While creating the concept of what an installation from Havas Chicago would look like around Black History Month, Jason Peterson, CCO, Havas Worldwide North America, pushed the agency to think beyond traditional representation and that it “Need[ed] to be active. We can’t just take a passive role,” according to Mariana Parke, group brand director, Havas Chicago.
As you walk through the lobby, you start with a balance beam called the “Beam of Perception.” On the left side, you see “lazy” and on the right side, “angry.” The plaque near it reads, “Don’t trip, but one wrong step can change the way your coworkers see you. Perception is in the side-eye of the beholder.”
In front of you while you’re on the beam is the “bob and weave” portion which simulates long locks of hair. Parke explained that her black peers noted that “People will grab their hair,” often without asking.
“We wanted it to be bold. We wanted it to be a little jarring. But we wanted it to be very thoughtful and inclusive,” Fair said.
Then comes a sports-piece where you can dribble a basketball or throw a football, which brings you to hanging speech bubbles with sayings that black people hear often and the Hollywood shuffle, which highlights the assumption that a black person would know the latest dance moves or culturally hip thing.
“These are all very serious stereotypes,” Parke said. “There was a guy who came in off the street last week and brought his kid in. … He started crying. … [He said that] It’s so overt and things that I experience every day that people don’t realize.”
As a follow-up from the learnings of the installation, the agency plans to do an internal all-hands meeting to better educate each other and to push forward discussions around race and diversity in the workplace.
“Our job is to represent consumers and bring things to them that are compelling and interesting but most of all feel real to them. This is a big part. Understanding what people go through every day,” Fair said. “Part of the reason that this can exist is because Havas has a culture that can allow this to live.”
