Building on our 4Talks series, read our blog to learn how TV advertisers can create more authentic and diverse advertising for Black British audiences.
How can brands better represent Black British culture?
The Black British experience is varied, vibrant and diverse - so why is advertising failing to represent it?
In the past year, audiences have become increasingly aware of representation issues for ethnic minorities in TV advertising. 51% of people told us that movements like Black Lives Matter have made them realise that there’s a problem with the representation of minority groups in advertising. So, how can advertisers get it right?
In our 4Talk, “What does Black British culture mean in 2021?”, we spoke with a panel of 4 advertising leaders to discuss how brands can create diverse advertising that authentically represents Black British culture.
Support Black British creators
For Frances Para-Mallam, Co-founder of DUO Creative Media and Founder of CREATE IRL, supporting the work of Black British creators is fundamental to creating authentically diverse advertising: “It’s our story to tell. Trust us with our story.”
Consumers can recognise inauthentic storytelling, so finding the right creatives to tell an authentic story is vital. One campaign that impressed Frances used a track by UK rapper and grime artist D Double E. The specificity of the artist and the track cut through the noise, creating an enjoyable, engaging advert that resonated with a Black British audience.
However, brands can’t rely on creatives alone to steer projects, and should create an inclusive culture throughout their business. Maria St Louis, Agency and Client Sales Manager, 4Sales and Co-Founder of The Collective, highlighted how important it is that businesses have Black British leaders and decision makers who can step in when projects need them.
Create a diverse team
Kevin Morosky, Director & Artist, ECD & Founder of POCC, stressed the importance of authentic allyship. To produce authentically Black British content, brands need to identify who they aim to speak to and find a team who can tell this story.
Allowing Black British creators the space to work is key to creating better and more diverse advertising. When brands allow creators to tell their stories in their own way, and hand over control to their creators, content is far more likely to be authentic.
Chloe Davies, Head of Social Impact at Lucky Generals, advised that brands and individuals should get comfortable with giving up space in discussions: “When people don’t know, when they don’t have the vocabulary, don’t have the answer, it’s because they don’t have the people, they don’t have the experience.”
Brands need to find and seek out creatives who can speak authentically to Black British audiences, and shouldn’t expect creators to come to them. Finding the right talent, and fairly paying Black British creators for their work and experience, should be one the first steps to creating more diverse advertising.
Tell more stories
Advertising has the power to change people’s lives. On screen representation can influence how people view minorities, so brands need to be thoughtful and can’t assume that one ad will represent everybody’s experience.
For Kevin, the diversity of the Black British experience is an opportunity for brands to tell a vast range of stories that are exciting and unique. With so many individual stories and heritages to represent, brands can’t treat diverse advertising as a box to be ticked. “No one is box shaped”, so brands need to think deeply about who they represent and how they do it.
Frances also emphasised that Black British people should have “more than one representative” in TV advertising. Diverse advertising has to show more variety and highlight the range of people who could be an advert’s hero. With the percentage of lead roles for Black people in ads declining by 3% since 2019, brands can do much more to focus their marketing on Black British people.
Want to learn more about diverse advertising? Watch the full talk now at our website or explore the 4Sales website for more insights about representation in TV advertising.