October is over and times are changing. Not only have the clocks been turned back, but also the standards in our national dialogue. Adland found itself hot under pressure when cocoa prices skyrocketed to the point where there was no longer enough chocolate in a club to justify being called a candy bar. Temperatures were raised even further in a very short segment on Talk TV that garnered an exponential amount of attention.
In case you were under a rock: Sarah Pochin, a former Conservative councilor and later Reform MP, explained: “It drives me crazy when I see ads full of black people, full of Asian people.”
Black and Asian people are literally everywhere. Drive your mini taxis. Delivery of your takeaway food. We will treat you in the hospital. Leadership of the opposition party. Campaign for Reform UK. I am writing this column. One of my Sunday afternoon moments was watching a congressman being driven insane by the presence of melanin in 30 second increments: “You what?”
When I was interviewed by Naga Munchetty on BBC 5 Live on Monday lunchtime, Sir Keir had joined the conversation. He reiterated Wes Streeting’s confirmation that Pochin’s comments were indeed racist. The Labor Party’s position became clear and a duel with Reform ensued.
On Linkedin, the “woke liberati” and the “artsy-fartsy world” (Pochin’s words) were quick to condemn her comments, with many practically climbing over each other in the adland to gain influence. Over on X, I read many variations of the following line: “I’ve been saying that for a while. I think she’s right.”
The discord brewing in the United States is racing across the Atlantic and not arriving in a small boat. It crashes onto our shores and our screens. Am I the only one feeling a little nauseous from all this?
Nowhere is there room for actual conversation and nuance about how diversity in advertising has actually become so divisive. Given that people “like me” are over-represented in the medical population (and yet now face more racist abuse in the NHS), I will lay out a prescription for what needs to happen next.
Dose one: Adland must stop playing into the hands of the far right
The fact that the advertising industry and its results are not representative of the British population is not news to any of us. But have we ever thought about the unintended consequence of “over-representation” in advertising spending?
As Eugene Healey argued earlier this year, in The GuardianThis has fed a right-wing extremist narrative – and fueled an already simmering discussion about how “we can’t even be in our own country anymore without someone calling us racist…”
While a few years ago we were all upset about the lack of representation in the industry because (*insert as desired* “it’s not fair”, “it’s not fair”, “it means we’re reinforcing stereotypes”), now we’re grappling with a difficult political issue that most people in adland don’t have direct experience with.
We need a minute to realize this and ask ourselves again why we make the decisions we make and who those decisions really serve.
Dose two: We need a break from our eco-chamber
There is a collective lack of proximity to the ‘real world’ – taking More in Commons’ ‘Progressive Activist’ segment as a starting point, it is clear that this industry only reflects eight to ten percent of the UK population. This means we don’t really have any idea what people are talking about in the pub, in the taxi, at the game or in the doctor’s waiting room.
Through our food and debate series at The Unmistakables, we have delved deep into the line between free speech and bad behavior, and while Pochin’s comments were quickly and rightly labeled racist, others who felt similar sentiments will remain silent only for a short time, only to become louder later. Indicative polling on the rise in support for Reform UK shows us this.
Steven Lacey’s work with The Outsiders and his engagement with right-wing typologies show a proverbial canary in a coal mine. The “Middle Age Rage” segment of those who are actively “Anti-Woke,” combined with the “Hard Pressed” segment who feel no sense of agency or power, is becoming louder and cannot be ignored. Shouting, “You’re a racist!” Staying in your own echo chamber without hearing what’s underneath or engaging in dialogue is a trap.
Dose 3: Representation is not the hill to die on
If brand teams and agencies were truly honest, they would admit that there have been some really difficult decisions around diversity since 2020. Not all of these were insight or data driven, but rather a two-by-two Noah’s Ark approach to representation in advertising. In the truest sense of the word: “We will have two of this kind, we will have two of this kind.”
We need to focus on the boardrooms where decisions are made about the growth potential of different target groups. We need robust strategy teams where brand decisions can cast a long shadow over potential opportunities, profits and goals. We need creative teams that act diversely and confidently and create authentic stories that awaken emotions and generate the right response among different target groups. We need customers who don’t put DEI on the back burner out of fear, but rather recognize the potential in how demographic changes and behavior change their future relevance.
This industry knows something isn’t working – just look at WPP’s results. With all the attacks – AI, holding company consolidation, in-housing – we need to stop taking the same actions and expecting different results.
Because, similar to the club bars, we’re not going back to a heyday where we wallow in chocolate.
Asad Dhunna is the founder and lead actor of the Inimitable
