Ethnic Diversity Spiking Upward in Marketing Industry: ANA/AIMM Study

Workforce Remains Largely Female

NEW YORK (November 16, 2021) — The overall ethnic skew of employees in the marketing/advertising industry is more diverse than ever, according to a new study by the ANA and the ANA’s Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing (AIMM). The figure represented the highest ranking since the study’s inception in 2018.

The study, “A Diversity Report for the Advertising/Marketing Industry,” also addressed gender equality and revealed that the industry continues to skew female, including top marketing industry executives. This is the fourth annual iteration of the report, which tracks the gender and ethnic diversity of ANA member companies and recommends steps to improve diversity.

The report consists of three surveys designed to provide a broad understanding of diversity at ANA member companies.

1. ANA Board of Directors and Select Member Companies Diversity Benchmark: Gender and ethnic diversity among the U.S.-based marketing departments of 61 ANA member companies, representing 16,514 marketers in total.
2. ANA Overall Membership: Gender and ethnic diversity of the overall ANA membership, representing 31,790 individuals who provided gender identity and 28,862 who provided ethnic diversity information.
3. ANA Member CMOs: Gender and ethnic diversity of the CMO/CMO-equivalent at 873 ANA member client-side marketer company members.

ETHNICITY
The overall ethnic skew of the marketing/advertising industry continues to improve and is more diverse than ever, as noted in two of the ANA/AIMM surveys. Although the two studies yield somewhat different results, the general trends are similar and reinforce the assessment that diversity strategies are beginning to take hold among the client-side marketer community.

According to the Board/Select ANA member company study, Asian representation continues its strong trends relative to their proportion of the U.S. population. However, African American/Black and Hispanic/Latino are significantly underrepresented.

Ethnic diversity improved across every tier of seniority, including CMOs, senior-level executives, and entry level professionals:

(1)    ANA Member CMOs study
(2)    ANA board/select member study

“This report reveals that marketing industry is making important strides toward improving diversity among our ranks at all levels,” said ANA CEO Bob Liodice. “However, it also shows that we still have work to do to achieve a truly diverse balance in our workforce. I urge our membership and the marketing community at large to review the report carefully and to consider taking the recommended steps to reaching representative diversity levels.”

GENDER
All of the reports point to continued strong representation by women. Approximately two-thirds of ANA members are female, with women occupying more than half of senior level positions including CMOs

LGBTQ+/PERSON WITH A DISABILITY
The study of ANA board of directors and member companies asked, “Do your employees have the opportunity to self-identify as being either LGBTQ+ or a Person with a Disability?”:

OTHER
Respondents were asked in the study of ANA board of directors and member companies the open-ended question, “Are there any key action steps that have helped your company improve diversity within the marketing department?” Broad areas that received substantial feedback were strategic framework for DEI, talent recruitment, talent retention, external engagement, and multicultural marketing/brand recognition.

Ferrara and Kimberly-Clark provided case studies for the report. Both companies are taking leadership positions on gender equality and diversity.

A copy of the full report can be accessed here.

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ABOUT THE ANA

The ANA (Association of National Advertisers) accelerates growth for marketing professionals, brands, and the entire industry. With a mission to shape the future of marketing, the ANA sets the agenda for the industry, connecting its members to unparalleled expertise, industry-leading resources, and an influential global network. Representing over 1,600 companies — including 1,000+ client-side marketers, 600 marketing solutions providers, and 20,000 brands — ANA members collectively influence $400 billion in annual marketing spending. By championing the 12-point ANA Growth Agenda and the CMO Growth Council, the ANA drives actionable change, empowers marketers, shapes the marketing ecosystem, and delivers exceptional experiences at every touchpoint. Since 1910, the ANA has been setting the agenda for industry transformation. It enables marketers to advance their ambitions, make better decisions, and create lasting impact for their organizations and the industry.

ABOUT AIMM
The ANA’s Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing (AIMM) was established in 2016 to provide corporations with viable solutions for growth by addressing opportunities in multicultural and inclusive marketing as well as prioritizing DEI. AIMM comprises senior-level advertisers, media/publishers, research and data companies, agencies, and trade organizations to spotlight the missed growth potential in General, Hispanic, African American, Asian American, LGBTQ+, American Indian, Age Groups, and People with Disabilities markets. This extraordinary working group of industry leaders is transforming the way multicultural and inclusive marketing is seen and understood via an industry-wide reboot — the largest ever in this space. Beyond simply identifying where growth potential lies, AIMM shows its members (and the industry) how to best maximize this potential toward positive bottom-line impact. AIMM is the leading authority in the space.

MEDIA CONTACT:
John Wolfe
ANA
Director of Communications
Office: 212.455.8011
Cell: 914.659.8663
Email: jwolfe@ana.net