H&M Communications’ Post

Back in 2020, many of the more senior briefs we worked on specifically requested people of colour. Our advice then was that this would just be moving the few senior black/brown folk available between agencies. Your agency would be that little bit more diverse but it was a zero-sum game for the industry as a whole. More sustainable change would come from making Adland more open to a wider pool of talent and it is admirable that various schemes were developed to help improve diversity at the bottom of the pyramid. Four years is clearly too soon to see these cohorts in decision-making roles. However, It's disappointing that so many feel that any success seems not to have yet translated to significant opportunities for POCs to even make it to these more senior positions.

Campaign UK’s new article "The deprioritisation of DE&I in adland" highlights the need for long-term DE&I strategies with leadership buy-in. CAN’s advisory group co-chair Dino Myers-Lamptey offers insight into what drives successful DE&I efforts "In each example, there is a diverse leader there championing, pushing and tapping into networks. Places that tend to fail in their efforts often have no representation at the top." This concern is echoed by recent data from the IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) Agency Census which shows a slight decline in ethnic diversity at ad agencies. While the overall percentage of employees from non-white backgrounds dipped from 23.6% to 23.3%, the bigger concern might be the decrease in leadership roles (11% vs 11.2% C-suite). 🔗 Read the article in full: https://lnkd.in/etrAr_89 At CAN, we believe true inclusivity requires diverse representation at all levels. Check out our hashtag #diversity manifesto for best practices on creating inclusive advertising:https://lnkd.in/ei-_T9Yv Email hello@consciousadnetwork.org, and find out more about becoming a member today.

𝕏 CEO Linda Yaccarino highlights Going Public as an upcoming show on their platform ✨ Linda was interviewed by Shelley Zalis, Founder of The Female Quotient, at the FQ Lounge in Las Vegas during CES. When Todd M. Goldberg and I pitched Linda in Dallas last year, she saw the vision immediately. New ideas—like a show that involves the sale of securities—are often met with skepticism, or are tabled due to perceived risk or fear of the unknown. But Linda is a true visionary. Prior to 𝕏, she was the chairwoman of global advertising & partnerships at NBCUniversal, and before that, she modernized ad sales at Turner Entertainment, where she served as EVP and COO. We are incredibly fortunate to count her as an advocate. cc: Michael Axman Jake Fleshner

I can’t believe Destiny K. Chambers is giving all these 🔑s away for free. The brands cutting funding for #DEI must really panic when they see these missteps, if they aren’t the ones already doing the floundering. 🗣️ There’s no excuse for cultural ignorance when the resources are all around you. Destiny’s guide to success at ADWEEK: https://lnkd.in/e8qmhYZf 🔑 Diversity isn’t a trend; it’s the world we live in 🔑 Integrate mandatory “cultural sensitivity checks” into every stage of the creative process 🔑 Employee resource groups (ERGs) should be leveraged as integral participants in the creative process 🔑 Sometimes the most authentic thing you can do is be humble and sit down 🔑 Brands must align their creative endeavors with their core values 🔑 Don’t let your brand become synonymous with reactive damage control—shift your focus to prevention

M&C Saatchi Group, the global creative solutions company, today announced it has appointed Nadja Bellan-White (she/her/ella) as CEO, M&C Saatchi North America Group. Read more: https://hubs.la/Q02-JTMW0

Great session for advice with your Out of Home advertising. Click on the link below to join.

Embrace excellence ⭐ We've all heard the adage, "The reward for good work is more work."  While true, this perspective is limited. Good work often yields diverse benefits beyond just additional tasks. I recall going above and beyond on an extra assignment from my manager, expecting nothing in return.  Surprisingly, I received monetary compensation upon completion. However, the rewards for exceptional work aren't always financial. They can manifest as: ☑ Valuable knowledge and experience gained ☑ Increased trust from superiors ☑ Potential for promotion recommendations ☑ Sometimes, seemingly unnoticed efforts (which may pay off later) Regardless of immediate outcomes, maintain your commitment to quality work. What's your take on this? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below. Follow me on Instagram (https://lnkd.in/dgTfQ8r9) as I share insights on education, professional growth, and living with purpose.

#ThrowbackTuesday ! On the last day of the #KBC shoot with the charming #SRK (2007) . This was the only picture that we took on the sets after SRK met and took pics with everyone who came to be a part of the studio audience. Everyone in the audience would wait for it and he would patiently do that after every shoot. I heard him once say, " I am here because of them " . He was very clear on who created his brand equity. While we ( media , PR, shows , Corp comm ) were all facilitators , he was loyal to his fans. As the PR representatives it was not easy to not go ga-ga over his wit and charm ( why ? see this post https://lnkd.in/eAVhWfnj ) . But well, we were the in charge for the media meets, so we had to be restrained with our enthusiasm and graceful about how we conducted ourselves. And this pic was worth the wait. Throughout our engagement with him , he taught us a lot more about brand reputation, brand credibility, building trust and loyalty than most B-Schools. Sharing the ones that resonated with me :   😍   Be humble & genuine in all your interactions   😍  Know your target audience and prioritise them 😍  Don’t pull someone down for your own gain 😍  Be the bigger person. The good karma will always come back to you 😍   Wait for your moment. It will come. When it does capitalise on it. But with grace and charm.   😍   Self-deprecating humour almost always puts everyone at ease 😍  There are many ways of not answering a question and saying no 😍  Humour helps put everyone at ease 😍   You can have a difficult conversation without being disrespectful 😍 Loyalty, respect and admiration cannot be taken for granted. You have to earn it every single day. P.S : This was pre selfie era . I volunteered to take the pic for my team but am glad they dragged me on to the set and insisted I be a part of the pic. Learnt a little about living it up from them. #brandbuilding #brandreputation #pr #publicity #industryinsights #LoveMyWork #StarWorld #StarOne #StarPlus #KBC  #evergreenlessons

Last Friday we celebrated the awards. Today, we celebrated the people behind the awards. A grand haul of 18 wins. 7 Gold, 4 Silver, 6 Bronze and 1 Grand Prix! Whilst holding bragging rights for ‘effectiveness’, we are beyond ecstatic to also be crowned as most ‘creative’ at the recent 4As Advertising Festival. We are in a business of ideas and people. And thus, these awards are a culmination in the strong conviction of belief in our ideas and pushing to sell through to the client. We salute the 4As for a brilliantly organized and concluded festival, our clients who believe in us, and the team that rallies together - rain or shine - to bring it all to fruition. We believe dissatisfaction is the mother of reinvention. That’s why our icon is the octopus. It’s the only organism on the planet that routinely edits its own genetic material to adapt, innovate, and thrive. It outsmarts the competition by constantly changing. It reinvents, repeats, reinvents, repeats. And so do we. #mullenlowesl #alwaysbeachallenger

On the move: Planet Fitness brings on Brian Povinelli as CMO, effective Feb. 10. Povinelli comes to the company from Marriott International... FREEMAN'S, a Chicago-based art auction house, hires Julia Fitzgerald as CMO. Fitzgerald was most recently CMO at Build-A-Bear Workshop... National Content & Technology Cooperative, a not-for-profit corporation made up of nearly 700 independent cable and broadband operators, hires Christy Drummond as VP of marketing and communications https://odwpr.us/3BZ2z1w