Award winning creative and social impact strategist Chloe Davies is calling on the advertising industry to get behind the wheel and drive meaningful change.

According to the 2022 Major Players Survey, Black women are paid £20,000 less than white men, despite similar educational levels. While there has been a further 0.2% decrease of black female representation within the industry. Last year’s 2023 All In Census showed that over 30% of Black respondents stated they were likely to leave the industry due to a lack of inclusion and/or discrimination. 

To change this experience Davies is launching ‘It Takes A Village Collective', which is a global hub for Black women in advertising, media, marketing and communications. 

The collective’s mission is to celebrate and champion Black women, for their talents to be seen, heard and amplified and together shape the collective industries into a space where they can have agency and succeed. 

Davies was named on the 2024 Campaign Magazine UK A-list and as one of their 2023 Trailblazers of the Year. She says that It Takes A Village (ITAV) is the culmination of her life work which has always been centred around authentic storytelling, creating spaces of belonging, empowerment, culture change, social impact and advocacy. 

She explains: “From the very beginning, the concept of representation has held a profound place in my narrative. The realisation of not belonging has shaped my desire to foster inclusivity and pave the way for others in all aspects of my life and career. We cannot do this work without the data and our creative industry is built from insight and research. We design, create and shape the stories society sees outside in the world. We are the facilitators. Within this industry I adore, it is full of phenomenal and often unseen talent and there is an abundance of underutilised skills and opportunities.” 

The power of social impact in brand building

In 2021 Davies took on a first of its kind role as Head of Social Impact for Lucky Generals – the creative company for people on a mission. Here she was largely responsible for setting the company’s social impact, sustainability and ESG goals. Her most impactful work there was on the Virgin Atlantic account for the iconic campaigns ‘See the World Differently’ campaign and 'Runway on a Runway’. Work which not only continues to break new grounds within the world of advertising and marketing but that has also brought positive change to the aviation industry. 

Since the campaign launched airline brands including British Airways, Westjet, United, JetBlue have updated their uniform policies for staff globally.

For the last three years, Chloe’s work has been under a social impact lens from inside the advertising and marketing industry. She has been a huge force for change, helping to create ground-breaking work for the likes of Lucky Generals, Virgin Atlantic, Amazon, Zoopla, Pablo, Mother, Mindshare, Barclays, Channel 4 and more. In a wider industry ecosystem in which talking about change has often become a substitute for making change, Davies’ impact, in both the work itself and the people she works with is palpable. 

Measure what you treasure

ITAV will embrace this ethos of measuring real progress with the launch of the 'We Can't All be Lying' global insight study. The research will be an exploration of the experiences of Black women across the  industry. This study is the first of its kind and takes a comprehensive look through the intersectional lens of both the Gender and Ethnicity pay gaps. It has been built in partnership with the Diversity Standards Collective. 

Over the course of three years, ITAV will collect data, engage communities, and analyse results producing detailed insights and global reports. The result of this will be the creation of the 'ITAV Industry Charter' in 2027. This charter will provide industry stakeholders with internal and external toolkits to best cultivate the skillset and ethics of Black women. A drive which aims to ensure that at least 1 in 5 individuals in advertising are Black women by 2028. 

Rich Miles, CEO of The Diversity Standards Collective, explained: “We are delighted to have been chosen as the research partner for It Takes A Village Collective. In partnership, we’re looking to bring our knowledge and expertise to uncover insights and truths to fuel this unique global insight study. It will be a truly in-depth exploration of the experiences of Black women across the Communications industry. It’s a very important and long overdue piece of work.” 

Ultimately, the work of It Takes A Village will shine a spotlight on the underutilised and unrecognised power & influence of Black women not just within advertising and media but across all industry sectors and territories across the globe. This contribution is driven and backed by data reinforcing that it is vital for Black women to be seen, heard, championed and have true agency. 

The business is focused on citizens (Black women) and residents (agencies, brands and businesses.) 

Collette Philip, the Founder of Brand by Me is a founding resident of ITAV. She explained: “As a Black, female-led business, Brand by Me are so proud to be the first Founding Resident of It Takes A Village. It is so rare to see something that so beautifully and unapologetically centres and champions Black woman - a collective founded from and fuelled by sisterhood and that invites and equips brands and companies to tackle misogynoir head on. As residents, we will have the data, insight and support to create solidarity and drive real systemic change.”

The launch follows significant research and engagement with stakeholders across the industry. ITAV aims to ensure the creative industries can be a space where Black women can have agency and thrive on their own terms.