Marketing industry launches first-ever global diversity and inclusion census

June 21: The first-ever global census of the marketing and advertising industry has now gone live, designed to assess the scale of the diversity challenge facing the profession.

Members of the industry have until 31 July to participate and provide socio-demographic data about themselves and perceptions of their workplace. People from across the marketing industry, including brands, agencies, media, tech, consultancies and marketing services providers in 27 countries are being asked to take 15 minutes to fill in the survey which can be accessed here.

The survey will assess where the global advertising and marketing industry is in relation to diversity, equity and inclusion by investigating workforce composition across the industry as well as people’s perception of diversity and inclusion in the workplace, including uniquely their sense of belonging and their perception of progress.

The findings will be presented at leading global industry events in October this year and put into the public domain so that global groups, such as the WFA’s Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, regional groups such as the one led by EACA in Europe and, critically, local coalitions can ensure their DEI efforts are as focused as possible on perceived shortcomings. A follow up survey will be completed in 18 months’ time to measure progress.

The census is supported by WFA, Campaign, Kantar, GWI, Cannes Lions, Advertising Week, The Effies, the European Association of Communications Agencies (EACA) and the new global agencies association VoxComm, as well as national advertiser associations and their agency counterparts. Other global and European advertising associations supportive of the initiative include the association of European television and radio sales houses (egta), the European Publishers Council (EPC), the European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA), IAB Europe and the International Council for Advertising Self-Regulation (ICAS). The goal is to generate the largest and most representative sample possible.

"This is an unprecedented act of unity by the global marketing industry," said Stephan Loerke, WFA CEO. "We are humbled and delighted by the support from our global and regional partners and, critically, from the national advertiser and agency associations – and their partner organisations - who are helping to drive the local samples."

Tamara Daltroff, Director General of agencies association EACA and President of VoxComm said "We are thrilled to be part of this historic effort. The data from so many markets will be incredibly powerful in helping the industry focus its efforts on where they are most needed, helping us become a better, more diverse and more inclusive industry."

The initiative builds on work already carried out in the UK as part of the highly acclaimed All In Census with the aim of establishing a tangible baseline for the global industry, which will help inform an action plan for improvement.

National advertiser associations and their agency association counterparts have confirmed participation in the census across a wide variety of countries and territories. The participating markets in this census are Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Greece, the Gulf Cooperation Council (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates), Hong Kong SAR, China, India, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and USA.

While national associations and their agency counterparts will be driving the samples at local level with the support of Haymarket’s Campaign magazine in relevant markets, corporate members of WFA and agencies involved in the WFA Diversity and Inclusion Task Force will be driving the initiative top-down via their own employees, clients, partners and marketing supply chains. Supporting organisations include Beiersdorf, BP, Diageo, DDB, Grupo Bimbo, GSK, Havas, Just Eat, m/SIX, Omnicom Media Group, Reckitt, Singapore Tourism Board, TBWA and WPP.

More at www.wfanet.org/census

About WFA

The World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) makes marketing better by championing more effective and sustainable marketing communications. It is the voice of marketers worldwide, representing 90% of global marketing communications spend – roughly US$900 billion per annum.

WFA connects the world's biggest brand owners and national advertiser associations in more than 60 markets, bringing together tens of thousands of brands at local level. Together, they create a global network which offers a unique source of leadership, expertise and inspiration. More information at www.wfanet.org

About EACA

Established in 1959, the Brussels-based European Association of Communications Agencies (EACA) reunites more than 2,500 communications agencies and agency associations from nearly 30 European countries. EACA’s purpose is to engage with EU policymakers, the industry and stakeholders in order to provide its members in with the most favourable business and legal framework they need to thrive. Through initiatives like inspire!, edcom, and the IMC & Effie Awards Europe, EACA is continuously working on the educational, qualitative, and sustainable aspects of advertising in Europe. For more information, visit www.eaca.eu.

About VoxComm

Established in 2020, VoxComm is the new global voice for agencies, championing the value that agencies bring to their clients as turbo boosters for growth. With 36 national trade associations from around the globe, VoxComm stand for the power of commercial creativity in all its forms – across strategy, ideas, content and media – as a proven lever for growth that businesses neglect at their peril. For more information, visit www.voxcomm.org.