We rarely think about the people behind the ads we see every day on social media, on TV, and on billboards. But advertising firms are increasingly recognizing the value of having diverse employees and promoting fresh new voices.
The Brand Lab is on a mission to change the face of the marketing industry. The Minneapolis-based nonprofit organization connects marketing professionals with teens from diverse backgrounds, helping them get paid summer internships, and preparing them throughout their further interests in the industry. The organization’s vision is very similar to that of an effort in the UK. The British Arrows Doorway, aka BAD, is an initiative of the British Arrows, a popular award show that highlights the best of moving image advertising. As the Walker hosts its annual screening series of the Arrows, we invited Erianna Jiles, a journalism major and Brand Lab alumna, to connect with British Arrows managing director Janey de Nordwall to discuss both programs and the challenges and opportunities in a more inclusive advertising industry.
Erianna Jiles (EJ)
Where I’m from in Minnesota, it’s pretty diverse, but now that I’m in North Dakota, I see that communities here are clearly segregated. What does diversity look like where you live?
JANEY DE NORDWALL (JdN)
It depends on what region of London you’re in, but I live in East London. It’s quite edgy and creative. I can be on the bus and be the only white person there. There will be people speaking languages I can’t even understand. I wouldn’t say it’s harmonious all the time, because not everybody is open to diversity. But, overall, in the UK, it’s very diverse.
EJ
What was the inspiration behind BAD?
JdN
You look at advertising, you look on the screen, and it looks really diverse. You look at film, you look at television, you look at commercials, and it reflects this multicultural nation that we certainly live in here in the UK. But behind the scenes it’s not. It’s still white, middle class, and male. And that’s where the idea to create BAD came from.
EJ
When I was in The Brand Lab, mentors and staff of the program worked closely with me throughout my summer internships. How does the BAD program work with its participants?
JdN
We don’t run programs. We work with companies outside of the advertising industry who do run programs, like trainings and bootcamps. At first, we looked to all the different options open to help young people get in. We thought we could train people, we could do bootcamps, we could get people work-ready, mentor—loads of options.
But then we realized, there’s a lot of companies already doing that, so why don’t we work with them? Because we are so well connected with the industry, we can say to the industry, where are you entry level jobs?
We kind of saw it as a big jigsaw puzzle. We will be the conduit between the industry who wants to hire new voices and young people who want to get in but have absolutely no idea how to find a job.
EJ
So companies come to you for help?
JdN
Yes, companies in the industry are coming to us to say, “We’ve got a job coming up; can you advertise out to your community of candidates?” We then go through social media and contacts to highlight that role.
In the industry in the UK, you don’t need a qualification to get in to a lot of the jobs. What we say is: it’s not about qualifications, it’s about your quality. Your qualities are things like your determination, drive, honesty, work ethic, and kindness. These are qualities that will get you a long way. It’s actually as simple as that.
EJ
Why do you think there’s a need to expose more under-represented youth like me to the industry?
JdN
Because the world is diverse. We have people from every country living within London. When you’re selling a product, you don’t just want to sell to white, middle-class people. You’re selling to a whole nation, really. So, it’s important that people behind the scenes understand how to communicate and use a voice for people who want to buy products.
There’s been quite a few famous mistakes that have been made by big brands. They have allowed commercials to go out without realizing how offensive they are. We need to have people in the company going, “Ok, you can’t say that.”
If you’ve got a voice within the creative team or the strategy team, understanding communities outside the white, middle-class communities, they’ll be able to have more impact when you are thinking about selling products.
How would a white, middle-class male know how to sell a pair of sneakers? They don’t know. They bring in young people and go, “How do you market this?” If you’re selling to the nation, you need to make sure the people behind the scenes are actually as diverse as the people you’re selling it to. It’s equal. It’s fair.
EJ
What challenges do the candidates seem to face? You said, qualifications aren’t a huge factor. In my head, when I go for a job, I need to have a degree. I need to have that qualification. What other challenges may people face if they don’t have something like a degree stopping them?
JdN
What’s interesting, actually, is this is why we got rid of the resume. We don’t ask for resumes because we find them a little bit too structured. Some people will tend to say, “I like going to the cinema, socializing with friends, and reading.” And it’s like, well—that doesn’t tell me anything about you.
What we’re trying to encourage is for candidates to dig down and show people what they actually do. Do you do any street art, scribbling in a notepad? If you are showing that you are being proactive in your love of creativity and expression, then that’s enough to get in.
Sometimes candidates face different obstacles. It can be that they have a really rough life. They may have no qualifications because they have to look after their mother, who is sick—even if all along they wanted to work in the industry or be creative.
EJ
The BrandLab is based in Minneapolis, and recently expanded to Kansas City. Is there any expansion happening with the BAD program?
JdN
That will be the plan. The industry is very London-based. If a young person wants to work in the industry, it means moving down to London. BAD is still very new, and we are focusing on London for now. We want to make some big waves down here and then they’ll ripple up through the rest of England. As long as there’s somebody in a different region connecting with the industry who is looking for new talent, and young people, the model can actually work anywhere in the world.
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