Advertising is enduring a seminal transition period amidst a push for more diversity, inclusion and reflection, but why is it a difficult for businesses to change fairly?
DIVERSITY Is something that is not necessarily a prerequisite to successful adverts, but with a financial incentive to evolve, can businesses adapt smoothly?
Yes, but in order for that to occur there needs to be a form of quota, guideline or other incentive to change how advertising is delivered.
Currently, amidst a free-market economy, you cannot expect to artificially control how and when certain businesses advertise, but you can incentivise some form of change.
With the proportion of actors and artists overall utilised in adverts vastly disproportionate to the volume of that particular group in society, the gap between virtue signalling and actually reflecting society is almost impossible for businesses, with the need to appeal to different markets, appease different consumer groups and differ from rival creatives visually and emotively.
Of course steps can be made to be more reflective in advertising, but to ensure that the exact percentages of those in society is delivered in adverts, there would have to be a limit on the amounts of certain people you could use in commercials.
Although zealous in an attempt to expedite increases in diversity; trust in advertising and an increase in economic performance, it would incentivise the need for certain businesses to prepare adverts that would be more suited to their chosen demographics, or ensure more balanced approaches to creative ideas that place emotion before the visual person in the ad.
While issues regarding diversity span more than disparity of inclusion by race or gender; sexual orientation, social demographics and disabilities are crucial in their accurate portrayal in ads, with the need for the adverts to incite memorability and resonance crucial.
At a time where data volumes are proliferating, using these streams ethically, but also prudently is imperative as your business looks to encourage the wider advertising industry to encourage participation from all in society.
GDPR is being implemented in April 2018, therefore how you source data and disseminate it needs to be transparent, but in order to foster a more diverse talent pool for adverts, steps need to be made to encourage the memberships of talent agencies to reflect that of society too; then a true meritocracy can prevail.
Without such reflective memberships in this instance, then fairness for both businesses, agencies and the wider economy cannot ensue.
Artificially affecting who compromises on their advertising is a form of intervention that is not congruent with fair, unregulated free-market economics – principles that allow businesses and the wider economy to thrive.
Therefore, it is indeed possible to encourage and stimulate change in how advertising is delivered without artificial interference, but it requires some ostracised and underrepresented members of society to be inspired and encouraged to participate in careers that they are currently seldom seen.
Without such an intervention, the notion that advertisers have to compete for certain groups in society will ultimately not in itself solve the issue of diversity in advertising; it has to be a tertiary implementation once the volume of artists is available.
Initiatives and directives are consistently deployed by advertising bodies, businesses and the trade press, but are ultimately only pious efforts with a lack of practical solution and avenues to solve the issues that blight advertising.
In order for diversity to not only exist, but be reflective of the society it is serving, a more international mindset needs to forego this principle altogether.
For this system of monitoring how representation is enforced in advertising, you need to look at it nationally.
This principle in itself will suffice for many brands, but is inherently insular and will not serve to support economic success, thus your business.
Amidst the transition between the current state of fiscal and trading activity within the EU and once Brexit is completed, changes will have to be made to support exports, at a time where trade deficits hold the national economy back.
Therefore focusing on emotion should be of equal importance to diversity in advertising, with such evocations superseding emotive importance when compared to physical elements of adverts.
With this in mind, utilising animation can be a cost-effective and lucrative means of mitigating these issues, while being able to cater for an international consumer base that places emotion first, before any subconscious physical bias.
Space City has been producing TV, online and radio commercials for over 25 years, utilising diverse artists to create appeasing adverts that ensure of the award-winning agency being the UK’s most efficient.
Contact the team now and create advertising that is reflective of society, thus is consequently lucrative.
