Horizon Media Takes Agencywide Approach to Diversifying Media Strategy

As media agencies confront shortcomings in reaching diverse audiences, there has been widespread acknowledgment of the need to reevaluate approaches for greater inclusivity, in one case even leading to the launch of a new media agency designed to reach diverse audiences. Now, the industry's largest independent media agency is the latest to address the issue with a new agencywide initiative. Horizon Media is driving its Project Embrace, an agencywide effort taking a more inclusive approach in designing media strategies to help clients effectively reach multicultural audiences and support minority media to compete for marketers’ spend. “We felt that we needed to create this umbrella project to really drive inclusive thinking with our teams at the agency,” Karina Dobarro, evp, managing partner, multicultural at Horizon Media, told Adweek. “The goal of Project Embrace is to educate, to drive inclusive thinking from a strategy, planning and execution perspective, which ultimately will lead to higher investments for minority media.” Dobarro noted that more than half of the U.S. population under age 18 is multicultural, so strategy discussions starting with an inclusive mindset is imperative. She said Horizon is committed to the minority media community—making sure that minority-owned and targeted media compete in a fair marketplace. “That's why we feel that introducing a new way of thinking needs to be from the top. We need to apply that cultural lens, because these segments are going to be driving all future growth for businesses. When I speak about multicultural, I'm speaking about Asian, Black and Hispanics and any mixed race heritage,” said Dobarro. Working with partners to create change Under Project Embrace, Horizon Media will work with clients to analyze the level of investment directed toward diverse and minority media to determine where particular audiences and outlets might be underrepresented. It'll leverage data and analyses to build strategies to identify new opportunities for clients to reach different cultural audiences. In addition, Horizon will ensure that minority-owned and minority-targeted media have equitable access to marketing dollars placed by Horizon clients, and the company said it is committed to client investments in Black-owned media. One partner Dobarro said that Horizon has been working with on Project Embrace is Revolt Media. “We hosted Minority Week at Horizon in April, where we invited a number of partners from the Hispanic, Asian and Black media community … the CEO of Revolt will be speaking to our Horizon employees, as well as to our clients to really discuss why brands need to support Black-owned media in a bigger way,” she said. To support Project Embrace, Horizon has engaged ad-tech companies and publishers to find ways to provide minority-owned and targeted media sites with additive inventory and format opportunities, as well as capabilities to better capture and harness first-party data. The goal is to level the playing field within programmatic auction dynamics. The agency is also offering its advanced analytics and measurement practice to help where needed as a free consultancy. Moving forward, Horizon will work with its buyers and sellers of minority-owned media to measure progress in the form of increased ad spend and business results. Building culture from within To make sure employees at Horizon are on board with Embrace, the agency developed an education and training curriculum. Dobarro said that Horizon conducts mandatory nondiscrimination media training that talks about inclusive planning and buying practices. The agency also partners with a cultural anthropologist to further the understanding of biases. “Often when we talk about racial bias, we talk about it from a cultural and corporate standpoint. But it really also impacts our work and what we do day in and day out,” Dobarro said, adding that Horizon has been hosting workshops that dive into preconceptions people might have that can omit cultural perspectives. Project Embrace is intertwined with other DEI initiatives within Horizon Media, Dobarro said, including audience insights, data, tracking minority investment and training. Its nondiscrimination of media training is based on the 4A's Fair Play charter, which helps employees understand the imperative of supporting multicultural consumers and diverse media. The goals for Project Embrace as it pertains to media allocations are determined client by client, Dobarro said. “We do look at what their current consumer makeup looks like, as well as that potential and future opportunity, and also recognizing the contributions that the segments are given to their business.” For Horizon Media, it’s not just about numbers. It will roll out other parts of Project Embrace that will incorporate segmentation and measurement, along with a planning tool to validate and prioritize segment support. It will continue to educate its employees and work with its partners and agency teams to make sure that Project Embrace is sustainable into the future. Why Detavio Samuels Left His Job to Start an Agency That Speaks to Black Consumers