By Geo Craig

Mixed-race, 21 year old, former aspiring footballer who left the education system aged 16 and with no A-levels or uni degree to his name. Not exactly the archetypal platform from which to launch a PR career at a top consumer agency – but why is this the case? In an industry where our job is to get under the skin of brands and what makes their customers tick, why do so many PRs look, dress, speak and think in the exact same way? Surely that can only breed ideas that speak to a certain market of individuals, and if fame, vast exposure and virality is the benchmark here then there should be as much cultural representation in every brainstorm as possible.

 

I’m not going to lie and say it’s easy working in an industry where so few at board level, or even senior positions, look and speak like me. It’s immediately noticeable whenever something remotely ‘urban’ comes up in storm, and heads turn towards me. This will be a familiar feeling for any creative who looks even partially ethnic. Why do we have to be the sole torch bearers of inclusion, why can’t there just be a general attitude shift across the board? It’s time now for a recruitment strategy that actively seeks out those with unorthodox backgrounds, recognising the possibilities having a truly diverse team would open up. 

 

The truth is, brands have arguably the biggest part to play in the issue of diversity, as they have the audience and platform to send out the right messages. They need to start understanding that just installing Common as a face of a campaign, or, worse still, getting Kendall Jener to open a can of Pepsi, does not constitute a ‘diversity campaign’. It just feels like an after-thought and is clearly the brainchild of a meeting that contained not one person who represented the audience they were trying to reach. It’s just simply not real enough, and if anything, it deters BAME candidates from a career in advertising and PR – why would they want to take part in an industry that more often than not, clumsily botches it’s job of engaging with them? 

 

So, more diversity in teams will naturally result in a more wide-reaching and considered suite of ideas. Great. But what benefit does having an ‘unconventional’ mentality have on personal working experiences? 

 

My own unorthodox PR background has, in fact, been my biggest strength early on in my career. It has allowed me to see industry with a fresh mind, chat to various experts around me and quickly pick-up skills. Diversity fosters an environment of constant learning, where no 2 team-members experience is the same, and where creativity is constantly tried and tested amongst a wider sample group of society. If you can constantly challenge your team to learn on-the-job, not only about industry, but also different cultures, then surely as an employer, you are fulfilling your duty to provide staff with the opportunity to grow. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]