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Defining Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Diversity is great, but it’s not enough. We need equity and inclusion too.

Diversity

Everyone is different

Our agency and the ads we make should reflect that diversity. Some common types of diversity include:

  • Race

    The U.S. Census uses White, Black or African American, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander and “Some Other Race.”

  • Ethnicity

    Ethnicity can include national, tribal, religious, linguistic or cultural origin/background. Hispanic/Latino is considered an ethnicity and can include people of any race.

  • Gender identity/expression

    This spectrum includes men, women, nonbinary, fluid and more. It’s important to consider people who are transgender (their gender identity doesn’t match their sex assigned at birth) and cisgender (their gender identity does match their assigned sex).

  • Sexual Orientation

    Gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual and straight are most common, but it’s also a spectrum, so there are endless identities.

  • Body shapes and sizes
  • Disabilities (including those that aren’t visible)
  • Language/accent/speech pattern
  • Age
  • Socioeconomic status
  • Religion
  • And more…

Demographics

This is what America looks like

Not every brand will have the same demographics as the whole United States, but these numbers aren’t a bad place to start.

Race/Ethnicity

age

religion

The U.S. Census estimates that the country is:

59%
 

18%

13%

12%

13%

12%

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045219

The U.S. Census estimates that AMERICA’S AGE BREAKDOWN IS:

25%

27%

25%

19%

4%

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045219

Pew Resarch Center found that america is:

70.6%

22.8%

1.9%

.9%

.7%

.7%

https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study

Chart - Race
Chart - Age
Chart - Religion
Gender/sexual identity

LGBTQ+ stats are generally thought to be underreported, but the number of people identifying
as LGBTQ+ is growing, especially among younger generations. Gallup found that:

5.6%

Identify as LGBTQ+

5.6% of U.S. adults identify as LGBTQ+. Within this group, 54.6% identify as bisexual, 24.5% as gay, 11.7% as lesbian, 11.3% as transgender, and 3.3% using another term such as queer.

72%

Identify as bisexual

One in six Gen Zers identify as LGBTQ+—and a full 72% of those Gen Zers identify as bisexual.

Body Size

Body size comes up a lot in advertising. According to the National Center for Health Statistics:

American Women

The average American woman is 5’4” and 171 pounds with a 39-inch waist (≈size 16).

American men

The average American man is 5’9” and 198 pounds with a 40-inch waist.

Disability

There’s no universally accepted definition of disability, which means that estimates vary widely, but the CDC estimates that 26% of Americans have some kind of disability

Equity

All get fair treatment, access, opportunity and advancement

Equity doesn’t mean treating everyone the same. It means meeting them where they are.

We must identify and get rid of the barriers that have kept some groups out and/or treated them as less valued than others.

We’re committed to equity in how we hire, pay and promote people, how we work with vendors, how we portray people in our ads and more.

Bus Bike and Car

1. Imagine three people’s commutes to work.

Boss and 3 clients

2. Their boss wants to help them commute.

3 gas cans

3. Not equity: She gives them each a gallon of gas.

Bus Pass, Gas Can, Bike Air Pump

4. Equity: She gets them each what they need.

INCLUSION

Everyone is valued, supported and welcomed

If we hire diverse talent but only really listen to what one group says, then we aren’t being inclusive. And we won’t get the benefits of diversity.

Everyone needs to be heard and feel like they can be themselves and contribute their unique perspectives. That’s inclusion. And it’s where the magic happens.

How does this translate to our creative work? Well, diverse casting isn’t enough. The characters must also be complex, relatable human beings, not just stereotypes (this concept is sometimes referred to as representation).

Megaphone

Diversity is being at the meeting.
Inclusion is being part of the discussion.

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