Beyond the Pledge: Equity in Advertising

There was a groundswell of support in corporate America last summer on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion following the murder of George Floyd and the demonstrations that followed. Companies quickly reacted by updating their policies, with some releasing diversity numbers in a bid for transparency. But what’s happened since? Are commitments being upheld?

To continue the conversation, Adweek has teamed up with R/GA and the 4A’s on a limited podcast series called Beyond the Pledge.

To kick off the series, R/GA’s VP and global executive director of Culture & Operation, Jai Tedeschi chats with Simon Fenwick, the 4A’s EVP of Talent Equity and Inclusion about the importance of prioritizing equity in the workplace.

R/GA has prioritized equity, shifting to EDI (equity, diversity and inclusion), rather than DEI. Tedeschi explains, “when you focus on diversity, it becomes a talent problem. It becomes numbers, it becomes about quotas. And when you speak about equity, you’re forced to look internally into the organization and think, ‘what are we doing to support and promote and nurture the talent that already exists within the organization?’”

Tune in to the full conversation and stay tuned for future episodes dropping Wednesday’s at 6 a.m. ET. You can also listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or find it on Spotify.