The IPA has published a new report, A Future of Fairness, to give brands and agencies a series of tangible actions to consider on diversity and inclusion.
Edited as a series of opinions from industry leaders and interspersed with current industry best practice, the free publication supports the new IPA Diversity & Inclusion Essentials Certificate.
A Future of Fairness seeks to hold a mirror to the industry’s progress, celebrate those who have pioneered change and offer up-to-date guidance on how agencies can recruit, retain and motivate top talent. It also includes a roadmap for companies to follow, no matter where they are on their diversity and inclusion journey.
The publication, which follows the IPA’s previous state of the industry reports Women in Advertising (1990), Women in Advertising: 10 years on (2000) and The Future of Work (2010), recommends five areas to focus on:
- Creating an inclusive culture
- Tracking progress
- Leadership responsibilities
- The work we produce
- Training
A Future of Fairness includes contributions from a wide range of diversity and inclusion experts and industry leaders, including:
- Tess Alps, Chair, Thinkbox
- Ete Davies, CEO, Engine
- Daniele Fiandaca, Co-founder, Utopia
- Ali Hanan, Founder, Creative Equals
- Sarah Jenkins, Managing Director, Saatchi & Saatchi
- Sulaiman Khan, Founder, ThisAbility
- Annette King CEO, Publicis Groupe UK
- Vicki Maguire, Chief Creative Officer, Havas London
- Dino Myers-Lamptey, Founder, The Barber Shop
- Trevor Robinson, Founder, Quiet Storm
- Chaka Sobhani, Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett
- Diana Tickell, CEO, NABS
Says Leila Siddiqi, Associate Director – Diversity, IPA: "Designed as a handbook on the current industry diversity and inclusion agenda, A Future of Fairness is a must read for any agency or brand. With an action oriented roadmap, A Future of Fairness highlights where we need to work harder as well as celebrating those who are already driving positive change.
We urgently need to reset both our culture and our work, and small, incremental shifts just won’t cut it. Through A Future of Fairness, we want to make sure we are reaching out to everyone; no matter what stage you are at in your diversity and inclusion journey – it’s not too late to start now.
Says Julian Douglas, Vice Chairman of VCCP and IPA President-elect: "Inequality in advertising is a complex issue with no single cause or solution. An intersectional approach is required to acknowledge ingrained discrimination and promote opportunity for disadvantaged people. We must hold ourselves to account for continued and systemic failures. Some of those failures were recognised by Marilyn Baxter thirty years ago in her ground-breaking IPA Report, Women In Advertising. As an optimist, I believe this will be the decade where equal opportunity is finally a reality for all. Regardless of age, class, gender, geography, race, religion, visible or invisible disability, or sexual orientation."
Download A Future of Fairness
A Future of Fairness was discussed in detail in a panel session with Channel 4's Samantha Cannons, NABS' Diana Tickell, IPA President-elect Julian Douglas and IPA Associate Director of Diversity, Leila Siddiqi. Watch the full session:
Last updated 01 May 2024