Page 27 - AdNews magazine Jul-Aug 2021
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Reconnecting
and diversity
Creativity and diversity have an intrinsic relationship, yet adland continues to struggle with a diversity problem. As an industry that commodifies creativity, it beckons
questions around how good the work is if everyone working on it is the same. AdNews speaks to the industry to find out how the two can be tied back together.
The start of a new decade, some would say, has been more “roaring” than 1920 of a century ago. Australians were faced with an intense bushfire season, a Black Summer, followed quickly by the dark shadow of a global pandemic.
Donald Trump was ousted as president of the United States and the death of one man, George Floyd, from police brutality became a catalyst for people across the globe to protest against racism, discrimination and police brutality against black, Indigenous and other people of colour (BIPOC).
Movements such as Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate have seen people around the world calling for unity and change. At home in Australia, people marched to protest
against Aboriginal deaths in police custody.
Younger generations in particular are not only challenging law enforcement
but are rallying for brands to use their platforms to help initiate change. This means being representative of society today both internally and externally. Those brands not reflective risk boycotts and loss of customers and revenue.
Victoria’s Secret has undergone a major rebrand following ongoing criticism of its Angels, a group of supermodels donning hypersexualised lingerie looks. Many are questioning whether it’s too little, too late.
The company, founded in 1977 specifically as a place for men to feel comfortable buying lingerie, has been called out for its outdated and sexist stereotypes of female beauty and lack of ethnic and body shape diversity. As a result of this, the brand’s stake in the American women’s underwear market dropped to 21% last year from 32% in 2015. Its revenue also dropped 7.7% in 2019, even before the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a bid to save itself, the brand has ditched its Angels and replaced them with the VS Collective, which comprises a group of accomplished women from diverse back- grounds including actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas, LGBTQIA+ activist and professional soccer player Megan Rapinoe, and refugee and model Adut Akech.
In an interview with The New York Times, the company’s CEO, Martin Waters, admitted the company responded “too slow” to criticism, but with the VS Collective the company is making plans to put women first.
“At Victoria’s Secret, we are on an incredible journey to become the world’s leading advocate for women,” he said in a statement. “This is a dramatic shift for our brand, and it’s a shift that we embrace from our core. These new initiatives are just the beginning. We are energised and humbled by the work ahead of us.”
While brands such as Victoria’s Secret have a long and bumpy road ahead to gain credentials as an inclusive business, others such as Dove (owned by multinational
Investigation
creativity
  PAIGE MURPHY















































































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