As an Italian soon relocating abroad to start a new job, I certainly enjoyed this article published on Mediaweek, presenting the the Ethnic Representation in Agencies report authored by COI senior campaign manager Mehboob Umarji.
According to the study published last June, ethnic minorities account for only 8% of the media and creative agency workforce and almost half of those staff can be found in back-office functions. The research points out that the agencies which embraced diversity were also the most successful in terms of new business wins. Colin Colin Gillespie, managing director of All Response Media, shares his opinion on the issue:
"From my perspective, the real key driver for getting ethnic minorities involved in more front-line roles, where they are able to have an impact on marketing strategy and creative development, is the background these people come from. The society we live in is very diverse and to be a media planner/buyer in the 21st Century, one needs to have experiences and, ideally, backgrounds which are reflective of that."
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