The Inclusion Group, formed in April 2020 by the Advertising Association, ISBA and the IPA is launching All In, a campaign to help build back a better, inclusive industry for all. 

The first element will be a full confidential and aggregated industry census on 10th March 2021 recorded and analysed by Kantar. 4creative proposed the name for the All In initiative, while branding agency Two Stories designed the promotional campaign. 

The short census, which respondents will be able to complete online in under 30 minutes, will be recording all aspects of diversity and inclusion to provide the industry’s leaders with comprehensive data for the first time on how the industry performs on inclusivity. 

All UK advertising and marketing service professionals will be invited to complete the survey. It will be a vital benchmark for informing the actions that the Inclusion Group will then put into place to make genuine and concerted progress on building a workplace that is inclusive for all.

If it doesn’t get measured it won’t get done

The Inclusion Group is focused on improving the diversity of the UK advertising’s industry through its workforce and creative output. Kathryn Jacob, Chair of the Inclusion Working Group, explained: “We know there is a systemic problem to tackle in our industry, that of fully inclusive representation in our workforce. 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.”

The census comes at a pivotal time for the industry, with a myriad of data points showing how the coronavirus crisis has disproportionately impacted women and minority groups and communities. According to the IPA’s 2020 Agency Census, the proportion of BAME employees fell at each of the highest levels of seniority within the industry last year. While 31% of aspiring young professionals from diverse backgrounds believe their race to be a barrier to entry, according to Brixton Finishing School.

The data points will be vital for providing the creative industries with accurate information to make progress when it comes to inclusion, by helping make diversity a KPI.

The Inclusion Group will be conducting an All In countdown to the Census and is looking for support from across the industry to show that they are in, with their own ‘I’m In’ and ‘We’re In’ messages to help secure the biggest number of participants.

Any company wishing to take part can register their interest to receive Census details to share with their teams on the All In page on the Advertising Association’s website