Global marketing industry launches 2023 DEI Census

Marketing and advertising professionals from around the world are being asked to share their views on the state of diversity, equity and inclusion in the industry by participating in the second Global DEI Census in marketing, which goes live on 15 March here.

The initiative, which is supported by a coalition of 10 global marketing and advertising organisations –WFA, VoxComm, Campaign, Kantar, Advertising Week, Cannes Lions, Effie Worldwide, IAA, Global Web Index (GWI) and Adweek – has also been backed by a growing list of leading companies from across the marketing and advertising ecosystem, including Bayer, BP, Danone, Diageo, Dentsu, The Estée Lauder Companies, Haleon, Havas, Kraft Heinz, L’Oréal, McCann, Philips, Reckitt, Sanofi and WPP.

The questionnaire is the same as the one led in the UK by the Advertising Association, IPA and ISBA as the All In Census  but with slight adaptations for legal and cultural reasons and will be driven by equivalent local industry coalitions in 33 markets; Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, SAR, Italy, Ireland, India, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the Gulf Cooperation Council (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE), and USA. Marketing professionals in other markets will also be able to take part by completing a shorter version of the survey in English, helping to give a full picture of the situation at a global level.

The goal is to measure the state of diversity, equity and inclusion in the marketing and advertising industry, as well as people’s sense of belonging, the absence of discrimination and presence of negative behaviours, in order to monitor progress on the results of the inaugural 2021 census, which covered 27 markets.

To participate, marketing professionals from across the marketing ecosystem - advertisers, agencies, media, ad tech and platforms - will be asked to complete a totally anonymous 15-minute questionnaire covering their demographic profile including race, ethnicity, religion, age (in accordance with local legal frameworks) as well as their experiences at their place of work.

The Census will be open for responses between 15 March and 15 April, with the global coalition working closely with national associations, multinationals, agency groups and all other relevant industry groups to promote participation.

The results are due to be released in June 2023 and will be used to showcase areas of progress as well as highlighting areas where performance may have slipped back.

So far, more than 100 organisations have pledged to promote and help support the initiative, making it the biggest collaboration to date by the industry.

These include local advertiser and agency associations, as well as international and regional associations such as the Global TV Group, the World Radio Alliance, the European Association of Communications Agencies (EACA), the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance (EDAA), EGTA – the European association representing TV and radio sales houses, the Federation of European Data and Marketing (FEDMA), European Publishers Council (EPC), the International Council for Ad Self-Regulation (ICAS) and the European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA).

The inaugural Global DEI Census of 2021 found that one in seven professionals said that they would likely leave their company and the industry because of a lack of diversity and inclusion. It also identified that the most common forms of discrimination were experienced on the basis of gender, age and caregiving responsibilities (those looking after the young, the elderly or the sick) as well as on the basis of race, ethnicity and disability. The full results and analysis from Wave 1, which covered 27 markets and attracted more than 10,000 responses, can be seen here.

Since the first global Census, the WFA has published a Charter for Change, outlining how global organisations, such as advertisers, platforms and agency holding groups, can take concrete steps to drive more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces. The Charter is designed to complement action plans devised and driven at local level by local coalitions designed to address specific local challenges.

“What gets measured gets managed. Our industry is facing a well-documented talent crisis. Ensuring our industry is more diverse, equitable and inclusive will go a long way to addressing this challenge. There are patently clear moral and business cases for why our industry must better reflect the diversity of consumer we all aim to reach. This is why this exercise is so critical,” said Stephan Loerke, WFA CEO.

“Taking an honest look at our industry and companies’ marketing representation requires exactly the type of data the Global DEI Census makes possible. Thank you to all the marketers who participate. This is how we move our industry forward,” said Raja Rajamannar, WFA President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Mastercard.

“The challenges that we face when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion vary by country and by region. The more people that complete the global census, the greater the granularity of our understanding and the more focused our solutions can be. There are lots of actions that we can take, this global survey will help identify the most effective ones,” said Susan Akkad, Senior Vice President, Local and Cultural Innovation at The Estée Lauder Companies, and WFA Global Diversity Ambassador.

“Over the past two years, the industry has had to deal with numerous open fronts that have radically changed our agendas to find solutions to crises such as rising inflation or the war in Ukraine. We must never forget that industry is not an abstract body: it is made up of people. And there is nothing more human than talking about how we feel and what we need. The Global DEI Census is the perfect space to listen to each other, to learn and to build a stronger, safer and more plural industry to face these challenges together. Please take 15min of your time – we want to hear what you have to say!” said Tamara Daltroff, VoxComm President.

“Achieving growth through diverse, multicultural, relevant and resonant marketing requires a representative, equal and inclusive creative and media supply chain – across marketers, agencies, production crews and media companies. The 2023 Census will provide an important read on where we stand so we can continue to make systemwide changes necessary to create a diverse, equal, and inclusive industry that drives the growth we all want,” said Marc Pritchard, ANA Chairman of the Board and Chief Brand Officer, P&G. 

Cristina Diezhandino, Chief Marketing Officer at Diageo said: “The marketing industry is only as strong and successful as the talent within it. At Diageo, we are committed to building a media and advertising environment where, from script to screen, everyone sees themselves represented. We want to achieve impact at scale, and it is only by working together with others to share our learnings and learn from them that we will achieve this. The Global DEI Census is an important part of this, allowing us to work together across the industry to identify the gaps that need to be addressed and take action.”

"As proud inaugural partners of the Global DEI Census, Campaign is delighted to once again add its vocal support for this most important of causes. Whilst ongoing discussion of this topic remains vital, we must all be laser-focused on driving actual change within our industry. This simply won't happen without regular assessment of our progress as a global community, which is why this census is so important,” said Jessica MacDermot, Global Portfolio Director, Haymarket Media Group.

“To be effective, brands and businesses need to cultivate and invest in workplaces where employees feel unafraid, inspired, innovative, and able to show up every day as their authentic selves. Effie Worldwide is proud to continue our partnership with the WFA and the other supporting organizations championing the Global DEI Census. With the industry's support, the next phase of this project will establish clear benchmarks from which we can measure and improve our impact going forward,” said Traci Alford, Global CEO, Effie Worldwide.

"We believe that it is crucial to understand where the industry stands on diversity, equity and inclusion. Only by having true benchmarks can we seek to make the marketing and advertising industries more inclusive and therefore more effective. We are proud to support the World Federation of Advertisers in this aim,” said Ruth Mortimer, Global President, Advertising Week.

“WPP aims to be the employer of choice for all, and we can only continue to thrive by making sure that everyone, from all backgrounds and perspectives, feels supported to grow their careers and create extraordinary work. The Global DEI Census is a welcome addition to our ongoing efforts to build an ever more inclusive culture and is a crucial effort by the industry to identify where we are and what we need to do to accelerate inclusion and representation”, said Jennifer Remling, Chief People Officer at WPP.

“As a global leader in advertising and marketing, we have a responsibility to lead the way in creating a more diverse and inclusive industry. By participating in the Global DEI census, we can identify areas where we need to improve. By doing so we can take equitable actions such as supporting career acceleration, through programmes like Path of Tabei which focuses on female talent and, in, how we use our skills to challenge perceptions through our work with clients to develop meaningful campaigns.  It is actions such as these along with the support of our community of over 2,500 employee resource group volunteers who donate their time to drive meaningful change that we can achieve a more inclusive workplace for all,” said Pauline Miller, EMEA Regional Chief Equity Officer at dentsu.

“We are very proud to support the second wave of the Global DEI Census. This kind of initiative is very precious as it will enable our industry to continue to improve the actions we take to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion across the world, and provide accurate and locally relevant action plans. It will guide us in our ambition to become even more meaningful, for our talents and society as a whole,” said Yannick Bolloré, CEO of Havas.

Valeria Piaggio, Global Head of DEI, Kantar, said: “This year, the Global DEI census will be a valuable check on the progress we are making towards improving diversity and inclusivity across the industry – and an evidence base for future action. I urge marketers everywhere to take 15 minutes on the 15^th to play their role in building a more equitable future.”

“Advertising contributes to how the world perceives itself, and at its best can be a positive force for change. If we are to ensure that vision if diverse, equitable and inclusive, then our industry needs to live those values. As the WFA’s strategic partner for sustainability and inclusion and the home of The Inclusion Index, Kantar is proud to be, once again, leading in the measurement of our industry, so we better understand where we need to improve,” said Edmund Gemmell, Group Corporate Affairs Director, Kantar