The top 5 diversity, equity and inclusion efforts to know about right now

Ad Age's Top 5 DE&I series takes a look at the recent campaigns, entertainment and programs through a solutions lens. Each month, we highlight campaigns and brand initiatives that get DE&I representation right. Campaigns included in this month’s Top 5 touch on voter participation, equity in the arts and equal representation in advertising. See all of the latest Creativity Top 5 here. Ad Age World’s Largest Advertisers 2023 Ad spending, rankings and analysis for the top 100 advertisers Click here 5. Athletic Greens Athletic Greens has launched a docuseries featuring Olympian, entrepreneur and mother Allyson Felix called “Starting Blocks.” @drinkag1 From the most decorated female track and field athlete to advocating for maternal health and women’s rights. Watch episode 2 of “Starting Blocks” now. @Allyson Felix #allysonfelix #olympicathletes #trackandfield ♬ original sound - AG1 by Athletic Greens A nod to where sprinters start their races, “Starting Blocks” also highlights the relentless work Felix put in to become the most decorated track and field athlete in history and start her own business, all while dealing with racial and maternal biases inherent in athletics and sponsorship. The three-part video series, produced by creative agency The Rec League, follows Felix through the defining moments of her life, from becoming an Olympian to starting her footwear brand Saysh when former sponsor wouldn’t offer her maternity protection and she faced up to a 70% pay cut. Also read: Allyson Felix stars in Saysh ads 4. BET In celebration of the 4th annual National Black Voter Day, BET Media Group launched the Reclaim Your Vote campaign. In partnership with the National Urban League and more than 50 community partners, the campaign was developed to protect Black voters against disenfranchisement and suppression, while educating them on their collective power. The campaign’s multi-platform approach included televised events, live engagements, digital resources and social media initiatives. Live voting rights activations were held at historically black colleges and universities during homecoming games, a voter resource hub was added to BET.com and a weekly “Transformation Tuesday” was held on BET social platforms to encourage Black voter turnout. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ileya robinson williams (@ileyawilliams) “Through BET’s Reclaim Your Vote, we’re determined to empower and mobilize Black voters during national elections as well as critically important local and state elections, to safeguard our interests, advance our causes, and make the votes of our community count where they matter most,” Jeanine Liburd, chief communication and social impact officer of BET Media Group, said in a statement. “Our collective voice and action in these elections drives positive change and ensures that the concerns and needs of the Black community are represented at every level of government.” More BET news: BET+ to launch ad tier Also read: New tool aims to improve political ad targeting The initiative comes at a critical time for local and state elections, including seven states with significant Black populations: Louisiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas. 3. Chips Ahoy Chips Ahoy teamed up with Boys & Girls Clubs of America to create a platform for multicultural artists to share their creativity. The “Happy By Design” campaign worked with Atlanta’s High Museum of Art, which is dedicated to displaying artists who are LGBTQIA, woman-identifying or artists of color, to create a virtual museum. Using augmented reality, the immersive experience features artwork from eight multicultural teens and young adults, including teens from Boys & Girls Clubs. Anyone can view, interact and learn about the young artists’ work virtually, breaking down barriers many children of color have to accessing arts programming. Visitors to the High Museum of Art can also use the AR experience inside the museum to see this vision come to life on gallery walls. The Happy by Design Program is part of a $1 million pledge from Chips Ahoy over three years to fund arts programming at Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Every time the artwork is viewed virtually, the Mondelēz cookie brand donates $1 to fund arts programming. 2. The Legal Aid Society The Legal Aid Society created a campaign to empower New York communities to know their rights amid an increase in stop-and-frisk police practices. The “Your Rights, Your Power” campaign showcases the increase in unlawful procedure that disproportionately targets Black and Latinx communities, according to the ACLU of New York. “Knowing your rights during a police encounter is critical amid the rise in stop-and-frisk and can mean the difference between life and death,” Anthony Posada, supervising attorney in the Community Justice Unit at The Legal Aid Society, said in a statement. “Rights are like a muscle. The more you flex them, the stronger they get. For you, and your community.” The campaign, designed by Legal Aid’s Community Justice Unit in collaboration with design firm IDEO, aims to give New Yorkers the tools to navigate police interactions safely while protecting their rights. The framework was created using feedback from legal experts and community partners from the city’s Crisis Management System. The campaign launched across all of Legal Aid’s digital and social platforms. Radio ads also aired on SoundCloud and Pandora. 1. Shift 20 Initiative A coalition of 10 of Australia’s most well-known brands banded together to support disability representation during the “Unignorable Adbreak.” As part of the Shift 20 Initiative, the “Unignorable Adbreak” was designed by Special Group and Glue Society to make Australia notice the lack of disability representation in its advertising. During the Sept. 17 episode of “The Sunday Project,” advertisers swapped out key scenes in their TV commercials to include a person with a disability. Altered spots from ANZ, AAMI, Bonds, Kia, McDonald’s, Oral-B, nib, Pantene, Uber and Weet-Bix ran leading up to the Sunday show and culminated in a total media roadblock during the primetime show. “Changing out something that has already been and including a person with disability is a simple yet powerful way to highlight that people with disability can easily fill the same roles as anyone else,” Ryan Fitzgerald, executive director at Special, said in a statement. In addition to the brands that altered ads, Tourism Australia, Virgin Australia and TikTok joined the initiative as foundation partners. Omnicom’s PHD worked with all of the participating brand’s media agencies to coordinate the roadblock in the Sunday Project and secured further paid and earned media support for the initiative from media owners across Australia.

The top 5 diversity, equity and inclusion efforts to know about right now

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