The Ad Industry Has Made Little to No Progress on Workplace Inclusion Since 2021

The advertising industry has failed to make any tangible progress since 2021 in building workplaces that are diverse, equitable and inclusive according to the World Federation of Advertisers’ (WFA) Global DEI Census.

Following on from the marketing body’s inaugural 2021 study, the 2023 report interviewed 13,000 marketers from 160 brands and agencies across 91 countries at varying levels of seniority.

The study found that 1 in 7 people would leave the industry based on a lack of DEI progress, a figure unmoved since 2021 despite industry-wide commitments and efforts to increase diversity and retain talent.

Among women and LGBTQ+ respondents, this figure rose to 1 in 6. For ethnic minorities it sat at 1 in 5. Along with disabled people, these three groups reported the worst lived experiences in the industry overall compared to their counterparts.

Though the needle hasn’t moved, there is widespread recognition that efforts are being made by businesses with nearly three quarters (72%) of global marketers saying their company was “actively taking steps” to be more diverse and inclusive. Opinion on progress was split, with 50% saying things had improved since 2021, 30% said things remained the same and 3% said things were worse.

C-suite management were more likely to have a positive outlook on this, with 58% saying DEI efforts were yielding fruit versus 42% of junior staff.  

WFA chief executive (CEO) Stefan Loerke said the results were “glass half empty, glass half full”.

“We are not hugely surprised to see no measurable change across the global industry in just two years because the challenges are so deep rooted and systemic,” he added.

The challenges are so deep rooted and systemic, they take time to overcome.

—Stefan Loerke, CEO, WFA

Loerke said the industry may not have moved the dial globally, but underscored that efforts are visible.

“In time, our efforts will be rewarded with more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces where the best talent will flock,” he said.

Progress stalling when it comes to inclusion

Critically, marketers indicated inclusion efforts had gone backwards.

Respondents were asked questions about their sense of well-being, an absence of discrimination and presence of negative behaviors to inform an “inclusion index” score generated by researchers at Kantar. In 2021 the average score was 64% across all three categories, in 2023 it dropped to 63%.

LGBTQ+ respondents report worse lived experiences at work than their heterosexual counterparts, with an Inclusion Index score of 58% for LGBTQ+ vs 65% for heterosexual staff. The number of disabled respondents has improved compared to 2021 (10% vs 7%). However, their responses suggested they are having a tough time with an inclusion index score of 45% compared to 67% for non-disabled respondents.

We must respond with purposeful action, weaving diversity and inclusion into the heart of our organizations

—Tamara Daltroff, president, VoxComm

As with 2021, the most common forms of discrimination were age, gender and family status. 8% of marketers had experienced discrimination based on their age with 32% agreeing age had hindered their career.

5% of people had come up against preconceptions based on their family or caregiver status, with 42% of all parents agreeing responsibilities at home had help up their career.

36% of women who had taken parental leave within the last 5 years said it had been disadvantageous to their progress at work compared to just 8% of men. 23% felt their gender alone had prevented progression.  

Tamara Daltroff, CEO at the European Association of Communications Agencies and president of comms agency alliance VoxComm, said the ongoing discrimination faced by women, LGBTQ+, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities showed there is still a long way to go.

“These revealing figures are a vital opportunity for our industry – we must respond with purposeful action, weaving diversity and inclusion into the very heart of our organizations, to create a nurturing environment where each person is embraced, valued, and empowered,” she said.

Bad industry experiences

Compared to straight, male and white professionals, women, LGBTQ+, ethnic minority and disabled people had the worst lived experiences with their organizations.

Each of these demographics were more likely to say they are unfairly spoken over, undervalued compared to colleagues of equal competence, bullied or made to feel uncomfortable in the workplace.

Though the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 16% of the world’s population experience a significant disability, just 10% of the DEI census respondents were disabled. 38% said they felt their disability had impacted their career and 27% reported being bullied.

Generally, ethnic minorities reported greater discrimination and less sense of belonging in the workplace. They too were under-represented at senior level with 48% agreeing there was people like them in senior positions against 61% of their ethnic majority counterparts. They were also twice as likely to leave the industry.

While the number of LGBTQ+ respondents had improved year on year they reported a lower sense of inclusion. 28% also said they’d been made to feel uncomfortable at work in last 12 months.

Women and ethnic minorities in particular felt underrepresented in senior positions, with men are twice as likely to be in C-suite roles. Only a third (33%) of women agreed their company provided equal pay for equal jobs, versus 47% of men.  

“There’s not a lack of people recognizing the importance of DEI in the industry, it’s about the level of action needed to really impact change,” said Jason Mander, chief research officer at GWI, which helped conduct the study.

Mental health is another key theme that cropped up throughout the report, with 42% of respondents saying they felt stressed and anxious at work.

Since the first Census ran, the WFA has unveiled a Global Charter for Change. These are a set of universal requirements for global organizations to improve their employees’ lived experiences and ideas for initiatives that companies can adopt.

The full results of the census will be available soon.