There has been conversation bubbling within the advertising, marketing and media industries in recent years about hiring policies. About how best to dismantle the nepotism that has for so long sat at the heart of who works in this industry and instead, invite and welcome different perspectives into the businesses. It’s a conversation that needs to translate into action if the creative industries are to successfully reflect the diverse communities it seeks to connect with through its work.

Change is typically slow to be actioned but there are initiatives and agencies striving to hire differently, to open up their businesses to people with different perspectives, experiences and backgrounds. This is something that Saatchi & Saatchi is aiming to do with the launch of several internal initiatives as part of the agency’s 50^th anniversary celebrations. Rather than taking the landmark as an opportunity to look back on its legacy the agency is instead using it as a jumping off point to open the doors to diverse talent.

“Changing engrained behaviours about ‘how it’s done’ is always going to be a challenge but that doesn’t change that simple fact that this is the right thing to do,” says Sam Hawkey, CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi.

“We need to create more mentoring, networking and critically more internships, apprenticeships and permanent entry level jobs,” adds Sarah Jenkins, Managing Director of Saatchi & Saatchi.

Future action

The three new initiatives include Saatchi Ignite, Saatchi Open and Saatchi Home, each with a different focus but all designed to improve entry into the advertising industry for Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority talent and those from low social mobility backgrounds.

Hawkey is clear not just on the importance of both future action, but also ensuring that that action is sustainable: “Creating real change requires investment, time, money and resources. That’s why when planning these initiatives, we wanted to make sure that they were as sustainable as possible, with long term commitments with expert partners in place (our partnership with Harris Academy Greenwich is for a minimum of seven years), and with measurable targets that we could monitor in order to improve our efforts over time.”

The partnership with Harris Academy Greenwich is part of the Ignite school outreach programme designed to inspire and inform students around the UK about the power of creativity. The agency will be designing a blueprint, curriculum resources and tools for the Academy which have also been designed to be shared and used at any school by any student.

Jenkins believes that this is an essential step in how businesses can be proactive allies in the push for greater representation. Her advice? “Create opportunities. Right now, there cannot be enough opportunities; there is so much talent out there.”

Openness and transparency drive equality

For Hawkey, transparency is the most important thing when it comes to pushing the diversity and inclusion agenda. Honesty is the only way to bring about lasting change, he feels, a belief which is at the heart of each of the new initiatives.

Saatchi Open is an entry level programme for six people each year, designed to work with each individual to create an opportunity in which they can thrive. The agency has partnered with experts such as Brixton Finishing School and Commercial Break to ensure that they are supporting the new hires in every way possible, from mentoring to entrepreneurship schemes and ensuring they have autonomy within their careers.

Saatchi Home is designed to support this scheme by working in partnership with the London Hostel Association to provide affordable accommodation for interns, Saatchi Open candidates and junior staff members. This initiative in particular has been designed as a blueprint for the industry, created to dismantle one of the key barriers to entry into the advertising industry: affordable housing in London.

Jenkins explains why each agency initiative has been designed specifically so that other companies can also make use of them: “The scale of the challenge is so far reaching and so complex we absolutely need collective learning and shared actions. One agency, even one holding company acting alone won’t create the change we need.”

“The more open we are, the more trust we build, the more we learn, the better our initiatives become. That’s only ever going to be a good thing,” adds Hawkey.

At the heart of Saatchi’s new programmes is a desire for change, brought about by cross-industry collaboration. As Jenkins adds, “As an industry we’re uniquely positioned to do this together; generosity, openness and connections should be hardwired into our collective approach.” 

The agency is also determined to set the bar when it comes to holding business to account around hiring diverse talent. It is only through examining long-held patterns of behaviour and dismantling them in turn that we can all, together, bring about lasting change.

Hawkey’s advice to young creatives overcoming a crisis of confidence in the midst of the crisis is simple, yet inspiring: “Remember we need your ideas and new and fresh ways to look at problems and opportunities so be confident and bold bringing your stuff to the table.” As to Jenkins, her approach is, “Be humble, ask questions, listen and act.” Because it is within that action that we begin to see the shoots of real, actionable, long-lasting change across the industry when it comes to who walks through those doors.