The Adcolor report on DEI, the missing color and what to do next
In 2021, 73% of Agency Leaders Were White. In 2022, It Was 90%.
And, we wonder… how many of them were gray?
According to the 2023 Diversity in Agencies Survey Report, 73% of agency CEOs, owners and C-suite employees identified as white in 2021.
In 2022, that number jumped sharply to 90%.
Black representation among agency leaders fell from 5% to 0.75%, while leaders who identified as Asian or Hispanic dropped from 12% to 1.5% and 10% to 5.3%, respectively.
The report excludes age, reinforcing the fact that ageism is the one “ism” that is socially acceptable.
The Adcolor report identifies 17 different acronyms… not ONE of them refers to POAs (People Of Age).
- AAPI – Asian American and Pacific Islander
- ARI – advertising-related industries
- BAME – Black, Asian, and minority-ethnic
- BIPOC – Black, Indigenous, and people of color
- BLM – Black Lives Matter
- BRG – business resource group
- CRT – critical race theory
- CSR – corporate social responsibility
- DEI/DE&I – diversity, equity, and inclusion
- DI – diversity and inclusion
- DIRE – diversity, inclusion, respect, and equity
- EP – executive presence
- ERG – employee resource group
- ERG theory – existence, relatedness, and growth theory
- LGBTQ+ – lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and other
- identities (intersex, asexual, questioning, etc.)
- POC – people of color
- WOC – women of color
The Adcolor report also identifies five macro factors that impact inclusion and retention:
- Subjectivity and ambiguity in creative industries breed bias
This includes nuanced discrimination such as racial discrimination, color discrimination, disability discrimination, sexual orientation, gender identity, sexual harassment, age discrimination (ageism), national origin, sex discrimination, pregnancy or status as a parent discrimination, retaliation discrimination, and religious discrimination
- Consumer- and client-facing nature of the industry encourages performativity
- “Culture fit” criteria promote homogeneity
- Psychologically unsafe work environments create unhealthy workplaces
- Lack of investment signals a lack of dedication
If you are over 55, do these three things:
- Register with the LinkedIn Adcolor Group https://www.linkedin.com/groups/60889/
- Contact Tiffany Warren and respectfully ask her to add 2 things to Adcolor: (1) The Color Gray and (2) the acronym POA for People of Age
- Contact your head of DEI or HR and ask that your organization join Adcolor
Is your company engaging in discriminatory conduct? Click HERE for two easy tests
👉👉 Want to participate actively in the fight against age discrimination? Contact us: msalup@yourgraymatters.org👍👍
