Creative Equals' Rise Event: Going Beyond Buzzwords to Drive Meaningful Impact

Did you know most people just need some space?

When we wrapped up our event, #ChampionConversations in March, it was clear that a few key themes came out of the day.

These cycled around Authenticity and Space.

The space to learn, discover and discuss.

The authenticity needed from us and others to inspire, lead and share with honesty and openness that enable us to learn and grow.

It was a day fuelled by the belief that genuine conversations pave the path to progress.

So, it was great to head to Creative Equals’ RISE event, focusing on the Return on Inclusion, and hear the same messaging echoing out across the incredible event.

What were our key takeaways from the day?

Firstly. Having the comedian Nish Kumar kick off the event at 9:30 am was nothing short of genius. As his comedic brilliance filled the old church event space, it felt like the dawn of a new era—a merging of DE&I with history in real time. His message?

Inclusivity isn't just a buzzword; it's the heartbeat of meaningful change.

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The day moved through how important DEI is for brands, to the roles we must play as Managers and Leaders to drive change, it kick-started with some shining TV ad examples of who delivers inclusion well, all of which I’m proud to say have featured as our #FridayAds at some point over the past few months.

1.??????? Making a stand

Something we spoke about at Champion Conversations, and the subject that kick-started the day was ‘Go Woke or Go Broke’ and the fear we have of doing the wrong thing and getting cancelled. Statistics show that our audiences want brands to speak up on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, with 57% of the UK population saying they think brands should have a voice in this space.

But a voice doesn’t mean you have to go out shouting if you don’t want to be an activist brand. It can be as simple as bringing joyous intersectional diverse talent to your ads. A queer disabled person. A senior trans black female. Just stop with the consistently white stereotypical characters that have taken over the advertising space in the past 100 years.

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2.??????? One change

Inclusion is about reviewing all vectors in inclusivity.

One action we can all take, and that could have a huge impact on inclusion is the use of Audio Description in the ads we create.

Taide Guajardo , Chief Brand Officer at 宝洁 Europe, and overall legend, shared an excellent stat that 15% of the EU population have visual or audio impairments, yet less than 10% of ads are accessible.

So, what’s stopping us? What’s stopping us from adding a layer of inclusive technology that helps us engage with our audience even more?

If we want to be brave and more inclusive, technology is there to enable us.

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3.??????? The Manosphere

Out of all the positive news we see about the rise of Inclusion, we also see the worry of the rise of the dark Manosphere. A subject discussed between Rachel Lowenstein , Tom D'Souza , Dr. Rebecca Swift Fernando Desouches and Samori Gambrah .

Where beauty has always been the pressure for women, success is the pressure for men, and advertising through the years has seen this encapsulated in different ways, from the working man of the 1930s to today’s men of muscle and financial success, flaunting their body and money in locations over the world.

It is creating a loneliness epidemic in men who are diving into social media to find answers and unfortunately being delivered content which pushes a message of male machoism. This defies the current success of the change in the perception of the female role and degrades the role men must play in a woman's life to one of pure ownership. It’s a scary road for anyone, especially those with boys about to delve into this world as they hit their social media eras.

What is this telling us? Ads are failing men, as much as ads have historically failed women. We need to help push a positive representation of men in adverts, to drive new positivity towards male characters, we need to show more diversity, more vulnerability and their capacity for connection and kindness before the epidemic rises far beyond our reach of being able to help.

So, what’s this all worth?

It feels a bit strange to me that we must prove that inclusion is worth doing. When, for me as a non-binary person, this is just life, and I’d like to see my life portrayed in the brands I engage with as do people of colour, disability, age...the list goes on.

But sometimes people want to know the hard stats – what will it do for the brand?

Well, get it right and it can positively impact your brand equity by 33%. (Ispos)

That’s quite a powerful number.

Get it right and your adverts are more statistically proven to win big at events like Cannes.

Get it right and you could see sales uplifts of around 32%. (Ispos)

Get it right and you can engage the 70% of the population who want brands to be more progressive.

Get it right and you can bring joy.

And joyous moments stay with consumers for a long time.

Together, we can create a world where diversity isn't just celebrated—it's expected.

- Kerry Nicholson ?????

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