Why has advertising declined in terms of Black media?
We have improved on what our choices are. So we’re finally starting to see diversity and what it looks like across all the screens and platforms. But advertising agencies that focus on us aren’t necessarily getting the dollars to spend on placement across those platforms. So they may be brought in to help develop or create content, but they’re not being given the same budgets to decide where those creative spots will be placed. So you’re still looking at people who are not of color, making those decisions in the industry and the industry itself isn’t really very diverse.
What can be done to change those numbers?
We’ve got a special section included in this year’s report where we point through how it helps to make sure that multicultural talent and agencies are diverse enough that they are going to be able to lead the industry with making some of these choices. You have to give Black agencies what’s necessary to place advertisements on the channels where Blacks are. It is an opportunity for the industry itself to kind of self-correct. But it starts with hiring more people who look like us in seats of leadership, and people who have decision-making capabilities to make these decisions. Because right now, it’s not there.
