The Biggest Message from Cannes: When It Comes to Diversity, We Need Less Talk, More Action

At this year39s Cannes Lions we patted ourselves on the back for doubling the number of female judges in five years 43 of jurors were women this year as compared to 201239s 21 but only eight of the 23 jury presidents were women and none were women of colorOn one Cannes panel PampampG39s Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard shared some shocking statsamp160quotTwentyeight percent of TV ads negatively portray women either through some form of objectification stereotyping or diminishing character portrayalquotFor an industry with unparalleled power to shape culture and the global conversation we must keep asking ourselves How can we truly make progress toward equality amp160Here are some thoughtsStep One amp160We Must Have Constructive Disruptive Conversations The last few weeks have been ripe with examples of communicators who took an oldguard formula and flipped it on its head amp160McCann New York39s Fearless Girl amp160an instantaneous symbol for female resistance ultimately took home fouramp160Grand Prix and 18 Lions at this year39s Cannes Lions amp160And the summer superhero blockbuster on everyone39s lips this year has been Wonder Woman amp160The film had a huge opening weekend easily surpassing The Man of Steel Thor Iron Man and other malecentric action movies defying conventional wisdom that people aren39t interested in female superheroesStep Two amp160We Must Hold Ourselves Publicly Accountable in Hiring Diverse TalentAirbnb CMO Jonathan Mildenhall opened his job recruitment on a global stage and under a bright microscope during the festival amp160He put out a call for any nonwhite employees to send him their book so Airbnb could consider hiring them amp160He has already scheduled 30 interviewsEach of us as leaders should appoint ourselves as a Chief Diversity Officer and challenge our teams and each other to recruit talent that force us to think differently amp160We39ve got to get comfortable with being uncomfortable amp160in that way we can understand perspectives we never have before and build a better productStep Three amp160Diversity Inclusion amp160and BelongingWe need to ensure that we are fostering a sense of belonging for allamp160employees amp160In the battle for talent not only should we hire diverse candidatesamp160we should make sure those we do hire are happy and want to stay amp160In short our employees must feel like they belong with the organization amp160As leaders we must create an environment where people feel seen heard understood and valued for who they areStep Four amp160We Must Be a Motivator Not a Mirror The best brands don39t just reflect culture they work to shape cultureWhen taking the stage to address advertisers Rev Jesse Jackson expressed his own sentimentsamp160quotYou can change the worldquot he said amp160quotYour platform is powerful and your power to do good is immense amp160Many of you are constrained by what you can39t see what you haven39t been exposed to what you don39t know existsquotWhen it comes to exposing the world to unfamiliar perspectives the marketing and entertainment industries have immense power amp8230 and even more responsibility amp160This year many brands like Airbnb PampampG Unilever Nike Equinox JampampJamp160and Mattel amp160heeded the charge to not just reflect an increasingly heterogenous audience but drive the inclusion conversation and push the cultural boundaries with ads featuring empowered LGBT individuals and womenThe time for sweeping diversity policies has arrived and with it brands need to put action to their words and use their immense platforms and super powers to defy stereotypes not perpetuate them amp160In the world of inclusion is your brand going to be a leader or a follower amp160The moment to decide is nowPictured above Mainardo de Nardis CEO OMDamp160Carolyn Everson Vice Presidentamp160Global Marketing Solutions Facebook Lisa Sherman and Tiffany Warren Senior Vice President Chief Diversity Officer Omnicom Group talk about diversity at the OMD Oasis at this year39s Cannes Lions Festival Click the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers amp160

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The Biggest Message from Cannes: When It Comes to Diversity, We Need Less Talk, More Action

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Lisa Sherman

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The Biggest Message from Cannes: When It Comes to Diversity, We Need Less Talk, More Action

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