Get Your Clients on Board

Clients are half of this equation

On This Page

WORK TOGETHER

Talk it Out

Put it out there

WORK TOGETHER

Neither of us can make the work diverse alone

We have a duty to work together with clients on diversity, inclusivity and equity issues and to help them take action.

This is increasingly important as people care far more about what a brand does than what it says (and not just one month a year—posting a rainbow logo is not real action).

So let’s use this moment (or any moment) to talk about what matters to our clients’ brands and their audience—and then make it happen.

TALK IT OUT

Make diversity, equity and inclusion an ongoing conversation

Start Here

Use this guide as a starting point.

Back it up with Research

Know why this matters for their business. Speaking from a purely idealistic sense is admirable but might not be very effective. Have the research to back it up.

Real-Time Examples

Share real-time examples when brands get it right and especially when they get it wrong so we can learn from them.

Pressure test the work and brand actions with questions like:

“Has anyone noticed that everyone on this list of influencers is White?”
“Love that we want to do something for Pride. How do we support that community year-round?”

“Totally agree that #BlackLivesMatter is important. What kinds of diversity and inclusion initiatives do you have?”

Need to talk casting? We’ve got you.

PUT IT OUT THERE

Put diversity in front of clients whenever you can

We like what we’re used to. (For real, it’s science. Google the mere-exposure effect.)

So let’s get everyone used to seeing all kinds of people in our presentations as a step toward getting all kinds of people into our actual work.

When choosing images, don’t grab the first thing you see. Diversify your decks, comps and storyboards.

Black hands hold iPhones as well as White hands.

Hispanic/Latinx people bank, buy groceries and drive cars just like everyone else.

Same for Asian, Indigenous and Multiracial people, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, older people, plus-sized people and all kinds of other people.

Check out these stock photo resources

Art Producer Assistance

If you’re having trouble finding the right image, your art producer can often reach out to the stock agencies for help on deeper dives for more specific searches. Don’t know who your art producer is? Ask your project manager.