“We all benefit when organisations treat everyone equally”

From left to right: Jerry Daykin, Daniela Tabarracci, Efrain Ayala and Susan Akkad.

Poor DEI affects all of us

Jerry Daykin, Head of Global Media at Beam Suntory

I think the main action that we can take from these results is the fact that ultimately poor DEI affects all of us. We are all going to be older workers one day, we have all been or still are younger workers. Many of us will have family care or childcare responsibilities too.

As advocates of better DEI, we need to make the case that we all benefit when organisations treat everyone equally, when colleagues respect their co-workers and when everyone has the opportunity to succeed and gain promotion. We now have two waves of evidence that show that we’re all impacted when we don’t get this right.

The WFA DEI Census as a tailor-made benchmark

Efrain Ayala, Global Diversity & Inclusion Director, Marketing Excellence at Reckitt

The second wave of the WFA DEI Census has shed light on the lack of progress in achieving inclusion. As marketers, understanding our role in fostering diversity, equity and inclusion within our organizations and agency partnerships can often be challenging.

One valuable insight is that it is crucial to incorporate the Census into the RFI and RFP process when considering the onboarding of new communication agencies or marketing partners.

We often ask potential partners about the diversity of their talent, but also struggle to discern if the data is ‘good’. Some seek comparisons between the shared information and demographic data, but the WFA DEI Census can act as a benchmark.

It is tailor-made for the marketing and advertising industry, allowing for a more customized assessment of an agency's diversity profile. By comparing their data against the baseline captured by the Census, you can determine whether their diversity efforts are on par or falling short. Armed with this knowledge, you can empower agency partners to act and boost their talent pool.

As a marketer, you can contribute to the solution even when you may not have the authority to implement people changes within your own company. Every step, no matter how small, can make a significant impact.

Looking beyond national markets 

Daniela Tabarracci, Senior Regional Manager, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at The Walt Disney Company Latin America

Social impact and cultural change take time. It should not come as a surprise that two years since the first Census the worrying gap between awareness of DEI related efforts and the actual perception of their effectiveness across our industry remains mostly unaltered.

But waiting is not an option. So what do we do in the meantime?

The Global Census is an invaluable resource to help us identify common priorities and challenges, define action plans, benchmark our progress and, most importantly, learn from and collaborate with others.

The information contained in this report opens a window of opportunity to look beyond national markets for learnings, strategies and best practices that have proven effective in driving change, allowing entire regions to catch up and scale impact across our industry.

This is very important for regions like Latin America, where all sectors of society are being urged to address the rapidly intensifying demand for greater and more effective inclusion and where, as the Census data shows, an above average sense of improvement is being perceived by our industry colleagues.

It is time we work together to leverage resources and expertise to gain time and impact peoples' lived experiences today.

Time to roll up our sleeves

Susan Akkad, Senior Vice President, Local and Cultural Platforms, Corporate Innovation at The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

The Global DEI Census 2023 results show we still have work to do.

Rather than take action to nurture a more inclusive industry as a reaction, I encourage my fellow marketers to take pro-active action: we can roll up our sleeves and dive into the data to understand where we should prioritize.

Together, let’s commit to make our industry not just welcoming, but a place to belong and thrive because of our diverse identities, experiences, and perspectives.