Bored of Diversity?

A new social media campaign has launched with the aim of raising awareness around diversity in the PR and communications industry.

Following comments in M&C Saatchi’s group chief creative officer Justin Tindall’s Private View that he’s, ‘Bored of diversity being prioritised over talent’, the Taylor Bennett Foundation has launched a new campaign to hit back.

Tindall later apologised for expressing the view in an unintentionally divisive way.

The Taylor Bennett Foundation, a PR traineeship programme aimed at increasing diversity in the communications industry, has used the increased focus on diversity released a social media campaign titled ‘Bored of diversity?’. This is led by a video on social media, which you can watch here:

If you’re bored of diversity in PR, you’re bored of what fuels masterful work. Support diversity in PR and the Taylor Bennett Foundation by donating here: https://t.co/I1uUT0N4Ec#DiversityConnects pic.twitter.com/iZ9wybFUIc

— TB Foundation (@PRstarsTB) November 15, 2017

The video features Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) PR professionals sharing what makes them bored as ethnic minorities working in the industry. While the conversation around diversity is being held in the industry, it is often not followed up with much-needed action.

The video made its debut last night at the Foundation’s 10-year anniversary celebration, held at Edelman’s UK headquarters.

Sarah Stimson, chief executive of the Taylor Bennett Foundation, said: ‘We are delighted that our current PR Trainees put this campaign together to tackle, what they felt to be, the industry’s inadequate response to the lack of diversity. There is no room to bored of diversity – there is still such a long way to go to make the PR industry truly diverse.’

John Lehal, CEO of Public Affairs at Four Communications and vice chair of the Foundation, features in the video. He said: ‘For too long, the communications industry has failed to reflect our society, and the recruitment and retention of a diverse workforce has not been a priority.  I empathise with many of the sentiments expressed by the BAME practitioners in this video. That is why supporting the Taylor Bennett Foundation in nurturing future industry leaders is vital for the communications, PR and Public Affairs industry.

‘Like any charity, core funding and donations are essential to sustaining the successes of the organisation, and I urge companies and individuals to support the Taylor Bennett Foundation.’

The social media awareness campaign doubles up as a fundraising effort to raise £50,000 for the Foundation in order to continue supporting BAME graduates hoping to pursue a career in PR and communications.

The video also aims to expand on the conversation of diversity in the industry to include the wider BAME community, encouraging and enabling them to share their own experiences and thoughts on the issues.