More Inclusive Marketing Makes the World a Better Place
I recently toured the University of Georgia campus with my son and noted a display in the library about the historic integration of the school in 1961 when a judge ordered the immediate admission of two Black students, Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter. I looked at the black and white photos of these brave young adults and wondered, how did they feel? History tells us they were met with taunts and crowds throwing bottles and bricks. It must have been terrifying.
This year's ANA Marketing Word of the Year is "Inclusion." It makes sense that this would be the choice after last year's word was "Diversity." To be inclusive, you must first be diverse. To be diverse, you must be known for being inclusive. As marketers, we, along with our agency partners, have two great opportunities to support diversity and inclusion in our communities -- through the dollars we spend and the marketing we create.
I'm proud to say that AT&T was one of the first companies to realize the importance of diversity and inclusion, way back in 1968. Because we know that to "connect the world, we must reflect the world" we have prioritized bringing people together from diverse backgrounds. It's making an impact. In 2021, our supplier spend contributed directly to supporting over 400,000 diverse jobs with our suppliers and their subcontractors.
Advertising and marketing are two of the top spend categories for AT&T and this year, in close partnership with our agencies, we are very proud to have more than doubled our spend with diverse suppliers. We got there by focusing and measuring diverse spend across all attributes of agency management -- in our relationship assessments, our regular check-ins and even our compensation models. We also started thinking differently about our ways of working to increase opportunities for diverse supplier consideration, which led to 44 percent of production bids being awarded to diverse suppliers YTD.
The question facing all marketers once you have the right players on the team is how do you build a culture that embraces different perspectives to ensure they are represented in your marketing? How can you make sure that diverse team members and partners not only have a voice, but one that is loud enough to impact the work? Inclusion is defined as a "set of behaviors (culture) that encourages employees to feel valued for their unique qualities and experience a sense of belonging." It's critical to make sure your employees and your agency partners, your best assets, are performing at their highest potential.
I think it starts with a belief that our differences are the source of our greatest strengths. The business case for diversity and inclusion has been proven. We know that it's critical to open new markets and engage customers from all kinds of diverse backgrounds. We know that consumers today are actively seeking brands that represent their diverse backgrounds. And we know that innovation comes from diverse perspectives. Finally, we know these are made possible by an environment where all our talented team members, including our agency partners, have the opportunity to contribute, grow and thrive.
This article was written by Kerry Kielb, Director, Agency Strategy and Operations, for AT&T.
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The opinions expressed here are the author's views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillage.com/MyersBizNet.
