Issa Rae explained that she requires all her kits to be at least 60% diverse. Golden Globe nominated star and creative Ა Reliable It released the directive today when it challenged marketing and advertising staff as part of a heated debate on how to combat bias in the industry at the Cannes Lions Conference.
Ray said: “I still see[industry bias]. Now there is public discourse about it, people can drop it and see the results. I think it’s healthy. I guess it takes a lot of time to replace it.
“For me, this is a change for me. I now have the task of making sure my team is 60% more diverse, and that comes from recognizing my own strengths. I can turn down a job if the crew is all white, which happens all the time. How is this still happening and how do you want to be representative of diversity when the people behind you are no different?
I say, ‘I would love to do that, but I just want to make sure that teams are diverse in these particular industries,’ and it’s great to do that.”
Yıldız spoke at the lion skin event called “The mirror has only one face”. Other members of the panel included Bob Lord, Senior Vice President of IBM, The Weather Company and Alliance, and Liz Taylor, Global Creative Director at advertising firm Ogilvy.
Inviting the marketing and advertising industries to do the same, Ray said, “Hold these conversations so they can educate and spread. Once we already know what it is, we empower various people to spread the word about diversity.
“My challenge is to stop people from doing their homework. Let these conversations end.”
Ray gave his own example that the HBO executive had limited discretion by questioning the title of the hit show when he sat down at his first meeting on the series. “He asked me, ‘Why do you want to call?’ she asked. Ა Reliable? I see these strong black women…”
The idea that black women cannot be vulnerable is “harmful to us,” she added. “This is what we planned to show. When I explained myself, I had no issues. I realized we were showing these women in a way we hadn’t seen in a long time. [and] “We had an audience that was wide-eyed.”
Ray talked about his next project, Rap shit! joyful, It’s a show about two high school girls who join a rap group. “It’s happening in Miami, so it’s important that locals, including writers, are behind the scenes. It needs to be authentic for people to immerse themselves in the story.”
When asked what he was most proud of, he said, “Building a pipeline is the birth of people in the industry. We don’t usually have to be promoted, and I’m proud when I see these people offer opportunities to others.”
Ogilvy Liz Taylor noted the power of marketing to convey important messages. Discussing the implications of Ogilvy’s consumer and personal care brand Dove, she noted the hair discrimination experienced by women of color and how the company played a central role in changing laws in America’s growing states: “Making a difference through creativity is a huge brand power,” he added.
Cannes Lions is an advertising campaign that takes place every June on the French Riviera.
Source: Deadline
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