Greek marketers address diversity and inclusion

The Hellenic Advertisers Association (HAA) recently organised the 5^th HAA Breakfast Session which focused on diversity and inclusion (D&I). This edition was held virtually.

Launched in 2018, the Breakfast Sessions are morning workshops that take place in a relaxed atmosphere and provide an opportunity for an open and meaningful exchange of views on issues that matter to marketers.

HAA’s keynote speaker Jerry Daykin, WFA’s Global Diversity Ambassador and Senior Media Director EMEA at GSK Consumer Healthcare, highlighted that diversity is not just about gender, race and ethnicity, but also about ability, sexuality, age and much more. He emphasized that D&I should not be a tokenistic box-ticking exercise for marketers and brands, but part of their long-term strategy.

Athina Popof, Marketing Manager Chocolate and Bakery, and Dimitris Agrafiotis, Corporate & Government Affairs Manager at Mondelēz International also shared how the company embraced D&I in their values and marketing. They launched the #ActForLove campaign for their Greek chocolate brand Lacta which encourages people to “embrace all the flavors of love”. Athina and Dimitris also highlighted the importance of the “right timing” and that brands taking a stance on social issues will always attract either admiration or criticism, especially on social media.

D&I is one of HAA’s priorities as an association. They launched the Greek version of WFA’s D&I guide earlier this year which they shared to the wider industry and government. HAA has also organised a series of industry events around unstereotyping ads and diversity and provided their members with a blueprint of how advertisers can ensure they do not portray stereotypes in their ads.

For more information, contact HAA.