ADVERTISING SHOULD NOT HAVE THIS MUCH WHITE SPACE!
Muse Communications unleashed a powerful spot challenging the lack of diversity in adverting. It is raw, devoid of all flowery PR coatings often used to broach this issue.The spot aired in a premiere episode of The Pitch and Muse hopes that it will drive conversation between consumers and this industry. Jo Muse, chief creator officer of Muse Communications commented :
The rate of hiring and retention of people of color has always been dismal in the advertising industry. It’s time the public felt the outrage of these people who, even now, can’t find a job in this business, much less move up to the executive ranks
Some will most likely call the spot divisive, but in the words of Jay-Z numbers don’t lie. Madison Avenue Report anyone. Let’s not forget the disparity between women in senior level management positions compared to their male counterparts. The stats are appalling!
The lack of diversity in the advertising/ media is omnipresent. I’ve written about this before in an old blog entry. Let’s face it, creative heads, account managers etc. often miss the mark when it comes to matters relating to race and sexuality. Sometimes you seriously have to ask WTF were they thinking, case in point, Belvedere’s recent rapey ad. Other times consumers tend to be overly sensitive. Creative is more or less subjective, but still there are some lines that advertisers should never cross or tinker with.
When gate-keepers lack cultural sensitivity, sometimes they are not even aware how offensive the creative is. Before you know it, it’s a PR disaster and different groups are boycotting. Perhaps they don’t have sensitivity towards certain issues because they can’t identity with or relate to a certain group. I’ve been in that position before, sometimes an RFP lands on my desk and target is a group I’m not too familiar with. Sure I can pull data on MRI, gather research to ideate on a sponsorship; but a person on my team belonging to the target audience is better able to provide personal insights that will help to create a more compelling campaign.
There is a need for diversity in this industry, not just diversity in regards to ethnicity and gender but diversity in thought.
