I’ve fumbled two big opportunities to get rich quick. The first was when I wrote a feature for the Guardian about Bitcoin when it cost a mere $32 and I DIDN’T BUY ANY. The second was in 2016 when I launched a satirical website called Rent-a-Minority. My “Uber for diversity” let companies hire a minority on-demand when they needed to look inclusive. It was a commentary on superficial corporate DEI efforts. Reader, I got genuine enquiries from big businesses about my service. I could have made tons of money if I’d turned my joke service into a real one.

The WFA team is constantly working with members to share best practice and smart ways for marketing to make a bigger impact.

Something is happening in our industry that is deeply worrying. Many companies are taking a step back from their public positions on DEI and sustainability.

This case study was originally published in the WFA DEI in Content Production guide (June 2024)

This case study was originally published in the WFA DEI in Content Production guide (June 2024)

How can brands be resilient in polarised times? Sebastian Parker and Ishani Rege from Creative Equals, WFA's strategic partner for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, sum up the key lessons from a recent WFA webinar on campaign backlash.

The industry-led coalition convened by UN Women published the third iteration of its report examining the progress of DEI across the global advertising industry in 2023, including an assessment of progress within workplaces, advertising content and consumer sentiment.

Several years ago, I launched a website called rentaminority.com where — clue is in the name — you could quickly and easily rent a minority. If you were a multinational corporation who’d realized, in a panic, that your conference panel or client meeting consisted entirely of white men, you could go on my site and, with just a couple of clicks, order the minority of your choice to make your organisation look more woke. It was like an Uber for diversity.

Despite one in two saying things are improving, inclusion scores remain the same as in 2021. The greatest forms of discrimination are still on basis of age, gender and care-giving status. Disabled respondents report the worst lived experiences.