Agencies Face a Huge Obstacle in Responding to Racism: Their Own Failure to Act

Yet when it comes to the heartbreakingly obvious inequalities of race in America, agencies have been notoriously slow to offer tangible solutions and, despite years of industry dialogue, have little to show for all their talk when it comes to diversity in top-level leadership. So when a moment flares up such as the current national protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, agencies seem to find themselves racing to catch up on conversations they could have been leading proactively.

“Agencies are reactive. That’s the biggest problem I’ve seen,” said Keni Thacker, founder of 100 Roses From Concrete, a platform for black male professionals in advertising and marketing. “They’re tripping on their shoelaces all the time because they’re not paying attention.”

Over the weekend, as demonstrations that began in U.S. cities spread around the globe, often escalating into clashes with police, Adweek spoke with industry veteran Thacker and five younger black professionals—who asked to remain anonymous so they could be candid without risk of workplace backlash—about how agencies should be responding to this pivotal moment.

Their responses make clear there is no one specific path forward that all will agree on, and the agency world has burned a large amount of potential goodwill by being years late to the conversation. But they also illustrate why it’s more important than ever for agencies to be turning words into actions and demonstrating the same level of creative intensity that’s brought to bear for client brands each day.

Action and transparency instead of sympathy

While there appears to be a rush for people to say something or offer some level of comfort, in the mind of one person in the media department of a holding company agency, that’s not helpful.

“To me, and many people I’ve spoken to, the thing we’re tired of is sympathy,” they said. “Feeling sorry for us is not going to foster the change that we’re all looking for. Don’t make that the core focus of how you portray yourself as an ally. Feeling bad does not bring about change; it’s an emotion.”

According to a creative at a media company with several years of agency experience, most of the communications that they have seen has been more in response to the riots rather than the killings of Floyd, as well as Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. Additionally, none of the outreach has included naming Floyd or what happened.

“Saying that we want to acknowledge ‘tragic events’ is palatable,” they said. “If you send it on a Friday night—the [police officer] has been charged with murder—call it what it is and be transparent or open about what you are reacting to. Be actionable in the communications.”

Additionally, this individual noted that when “the effect or ramifications of tragedy are large enough for people not to ignore, often the conversations—to the pained person that represents the same group as the victim—tends to be, ‘Tell us what to do. What should we be doing now?’ That’s what I don’t want to hear, and hate when victims have to figure out the remedy.”

Another creative at a holding company agency based on the West Coast agreed with the sentiment, noting that black people shouldn’t be the ones to solve the issues related to diversity, inclusion, equality and equity.

“We don’t want to hear how much we matter to you. We don’t want to hear how about how this is unjust,” they said. “We know that it’s unjust. We know that racism is real. We want to see action and thinking outside the box. If we can get an entire generation hooked on cigarettes, we could do something to solve racism without having black people be the mouthpiece or the ones advocating for that change.”

This employee also pointed out the systemic inaction of agencies in finding diverse talent, only paying lip service when bringing the issue up.

“I feel like a lot of agencies give the excuse of, ‘We don’t know what to do, we don’t know how to fix this,'” they said. “And a lot of people let that pass and give the agencies the benefit of the doubt because they also feel like they don’t know what to do. To me, that feels incredibly lazy. But that’s the entire nature of the work we do: We get problems, don’t know what to do with them at first, and then solve them.”

This employee also pointed out that there is a constant—and public—pool of talent and prominent black voices that people interact or connect with on platforms like Instagram and Twitter.

“Bring them in. It’s not hard,” they said. “Whenever people say they can’t find diverse talent, it’s because they’re not looking for diverse talent for the value that it adds. They’re looking for people that tick a particular box or have a precise lived experience. It’s like an act of choice that we as an industry are making not to be more inclusive and representative of what talent looks like or is.”

Thacker noted that “it’s not that I don’t appreciate” when agencies speak out, make donations or host conversations and roundtables. “But it’s way too little, too late,” he said. “I’ve sat in those rooms knowing I don’t have a voice, so I don’t say anything because I know my voice doesn’t mean shit. I’m just there as window dressing.”

Mental health and well-being is a must

A sales and marketing executive at a media platform said the most critical move an agency—or any company—can make is providing for employees’ well-being.

“I want to hear you simply acknowledge that you see what’s happening and understanding that, at this moment, I might need to take some time for myself,” they said.

Creating safe spaces for employees, whether through affinity or other groups, is another crucial action that demands the attention of leadership.

Such spaces are important for the company as a whole, not just for everybody that’s part of this group, the executive noted. “We’re creating this space led by an employee resource group—and it’s [critical] having leadership there even if they’re just listening. I don’t expect my CEO to experience racism or police brutality in the way that I do, but I appreciate it when you listen and you can see why I show up the way that I do, or why I may need to take time off, and you won’t think twice about it.”

Agencies need to hold clients to account

Just as important as what happens inside an agency’s walls is what public steps should be taken, including how agencies approach their clients and how their actions could impact talent.

An employee in the strategy department of a media agency within a holding company said common sense dictates that agencies and brands shouldn’t “use this as a marketing opportunity” and “not to bandwagon on an issue that has traction to use it to be a part of the conversation, because this is about real peoples’ lives and an issue that people face from birth.”

However, a possible issue is that an agency or company could force a narrative, and being honest and authentic is the right way to approach it.

“This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t be an ally or use your voice, but if you’re doing it just to do it, it’s better to refrain. But silence is also very telling. A lot of my friends and people I’ve connected with are watching the actions of some of the companies they were interested in applying to or interviewing with.”

To the holding company media agency employee, making sure that brands are held to account—and pressed—is of great importance and sends an appropriate message.

“At the end of the day, you’re an advertising agency,” they said. “You should be pitching your clients the same way that you [communicate] internally. It should be at the forefront and recommend that there needs to be a stance because this isn’t an argument about wrongful incarceration or opportunities in the workplace. This is about human rights and the right to life.”

“I think the biggest service that an agency can do is to talk to their clients not about whether or not they should say something, but about what they should say and how to use their voice and resources in this time to make a difference,” added the media company creative.

“I truly believe most brands want to say something, but they will make any excuse not to if the agency doesn’t hold them to the fire. So I think that it’s the agency’s responsibility to be doing that right now.”

Additional reporting by Minda Smiley.