On March 10 UK advertising will be asked to complete its first ever industry-wide census, kicking off a new campaign to “build back a better, inclusive industry for all”.
The ‘All In’ campaign is being launched by The Inclusion Group, formed in April 2020 by the Advertising Association, ISBA and the IPA and chaired by Kathryn Jacob OBE, CEO of cinema advertising company Pearl & Dean.
The fully confidential and aggregated industry census is to be the first element of the campaign, recorded and analysed by Kantar and providing the best record of the make-up of the UK advertising workforce – a “vital” benchmark for progress, according to the group.
The results will be used to inform an action plan, to be launched at an industry summit this summer, addressing how greater inclusivity across all areas of the industry will be achieved.
“We know there is a systemic problem to tackle in our industry – that of fully inclusive representation in our workforce,” said Jacob.
“To make the most meaningful change, we must set a benchmark to measure and track progress against. This census is a vital starting point for everyone to help build an industry that truly represents the world we live in today.
“I encourage people to spread the word – March 10 is the day for all in our industry to come together and say ‘I’m In’.”
All UK advertising and marketing professionals will be invited to complete the short survey, with the distribution of the census to be supported by the members of the AA, IPA and ISBA, reaching teams at thousands of agencies, media companies, brands and tech businesses.
Commenting on the launch, Jerry Daykin, senior media director, EMEA at GSK, added: “This Census is a hugely important moment for all of us in UK advertising to get involved in. We cannot expect our agencies and partners to take this action if we don’t do the same ourselves, so at GSK, we’re all in – we will be asking our marketing team to take part on March 10.
“I hope all those in leadership positions across our industry, at brands, agencies, media owners and tech companies, do the same.”
The Inclusion Group is looking for support from across the industry in the lead up to the census, asking businesses and professionals to publicly share their own ‘I’m in’ and ‘We’re In’ messages to help generate the largest number of recorded entries possible.
Any company wishing to take part can register their interest here.
