Unstereotype Alliance launches UK chapter

On July 31^st, UN Women announced the launch of a national chapter of the Unstereotype Alliance in the UK. It is the Alliance’s fifth national chapter, following Brazil and Turkey in 2019 and South Africa and Japan earlier this year.

The group’s goal is to promote diverse and inclusive representations of marginalised groups, with an initial focus on the experiences of women of colour. The launch follows the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and social movements such as Black Lives Matter putting a spotlight on the ongoing gender inequalities in the UK and the lack of diverse representation in advertising. According to recent studies, only 4% of UK ads show women in leadership or professional roles, while 3% of TV ads feature people from the LGBT+ community and only 2% of TV ads feature disabled people.

Commenting on the launch, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women, said: “When brands, marketers and advertisers join the Unstereotype Alliance, it is a powerful statement that they are not just selling products – they are selling change. As we advance the mission of this generation, which is to tackle inequalities of all kinds, including racial injustice, gender inequality and homophobia, I welcome the expertise and talent of this group to positively influence behaviours in the United Kingdom, to help us fulfil our mission.”

The 28 founding members and signatories are: Advertising Association, Advertising Standards Agency (ASA), AMV BBDO (Omnicom), B&Q, Business in the Community, Channel 4, Creative Equals, Diageo, Facebook, Google, GSK, Havas London, IPA, IPG, ISBA, Kantar, Kellogg’s, Mars, Lloyds Bank, Sainsbury’s, Sky, Tesco, The Co-Op, Unilever, Vodafone, Waitrose, Women in Advertising and Communications Leadership (WACL) and WPP.