Available today from the Association of Canadian Advertisers, Diversity & Representation: Guide to potential areas of bias in the creative process takes marketers through[...]

November 29, 2021: Marketers now have a tool they can use to help ensure diversity and representation in their creative campaign process from end to end. Diversity & Representation: Guide to potential areas for bias in the creative process was created by the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) and adapted for the Canadian market by the Association of Canadian Advertisers (ACA) as an initiative directed by its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. The Guide is available for anyone in the marketing community to download from the ACA site.

The Guide takes readers through twelve key stages in the creative process, from creative briefing to strategic insights and localization to media placement.

For each one of the twelve stages the Guide identifies where bias can occur and proposes questions that can be used as a litmus test at every stage. It also includes best-in-class examples of campaigns from around the globe meant to inspire.

Some marketers might find it a formidable task to tackle all twelve stages at once. Nonetheless, picking a couple of areas to focus on now and building out from there will allow marketers to work through all twelve stages. The Guide reminds readers that brand authenticity is key.

The Canadian edition of the Guide includes a forward from Joel Scales, ACA Board Member, DE&I Committee Member and Sr. Vice President Global Marketing and Strategy at Jamieson Wellness. Scales issues a call to arms for marketers, stating "To fully support improved diversity, equity and inclusion in our communication, we first need to look inward. It starts with the makeup of our organizations and our partners in the creative process."

Created in 2020, the ACA's DE&I committee's primary objective is to provide the marketing community with tangible tools to educate, cultivate and advance diversity, equity and inclusion in Canada. It is made up of senior leaders from national brand marketers, including CIBC, Jamieson Wellness, L'Oréal, Metrolinx, Molson Coors Canada, P&G, Nestlé Canada, TD Bank Group, Toyota Canada, and Unilever.