Page 27 - WhitePaper_MC&I Benchmark in Covid19 Era

AIMM’s Proposed Actions to Address Broader Systemic Issues
Overall, the impact of COVID-19 has shed light on existing inequalities within the marketing/
advertising industry. Furthermore, after the study, issues of systemic racism have been brought
to the forefront of society and the marketing/advertising industry.

With the increased awareness around MC&I issues that arose from these events came increased
calls to correct social injustices and previously accepted inequalities.

In mid-June 2020, ANA/AIMM put forth a list of systemic interventions for our marketing and
advertising industries to follow. Such guidelines aim to foster an industry that embraces equality
and to raise the bar on D&I efforts so that we can fi nally achieve full equity. With nearly 200
corporate and 300 practitioners’ signatures and counting, this pledge is a big step toward our
industry’s accountability.

The steps outlined below refl ect a synthesized outline of ANA/AIMM’s broader responses to the
results of this study and ANA/AIMM’s actions to addressing systemic issues, as outlined in the
industry pledge.

1) ORCHESTRATE COLLABORATION
a) “Double down on cross-industry partnerships to enable a higher degree of engagement
with and understanding diverse communities.”

b) “Work with Employee Resources Groups (ERGs) to understand the systemic inequities
throughout the industry.”

c) “Work to achieve an equitable creative supply chain through strategic investments in
agencies, broadcasters, suppliers, and producers that are owned or run by Black, Brown,
Hispanic, Asian, Indigenous, LGBTQ+, and People with Disabilities segments.”

2) INVEST IN AND PRIORITIZE MC&I EFFORTS
a) “Demand the accuracy of multicultural and inclusive data from measurement service
providers so that marketers can connect with key diverse audiences and attribute the
growth to the right people and segments.”

b) “Increase our spending in multicultural marketing so that the percentage of investment
is commensurate with the representation of multicultural people we serve.”

c) “Achieve representation that better refl ects our country’s demographics throughout the
industry.”

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