Tag: Diversity and Inclusion

United States – Gatorade, the iconic sports drink from PepsiCo, is expanding its ‘Fuel Tomorrow’ sport platform globally in a bid to address equity in sport. What started as a US-based initiative will roll out globally in a series of initiatives within this year.

For Gatorade, they are committed to help 2,500,000 teens across the world access the life-changing power of sport by 2030. Moreover, it promises to continue its mission to increase participation and to inspire future generations to get active.

Kicking off in May, the brand’s renowned grassroots football tournament for teens aged 14-16, 5v5, will take place in Bilbao with an all-female tournament and in London with both male and female tournaments. Designed to promote and showcase equal opportunities for young talent, the tournament – now in its seventh year – has been delivering positive formative sporting experiences to thousands of young amateur athletes from all over the world, providing over 151,000 young adults from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to excel to date.

May will also see an extension of the brand’s ‘Confidence Coach’ initiative following the successful launch with Rachel Yankey and Andriy Shevchenko in 2023. Fuelled by the finding that a lack of confidence within teens has a huge impact on the drop-out rate of sport, this innovative programme aims to inspire future generations by partnering with some of the world’s most iconic football players as Confidence Coaches to share their experience first-hand and motivate aspiring players.

The final programme coming later this year will be the ‘Fuel Tomorrow Fund’. Created to encourage community integration to cover the cost of equipment and spaces to play sport in low-income areas in key markets.

Bart LaCount, vice president of marketing at Gatorade, said, “Gatorade’s Fuel Tomorrow platform embodies our core mission – that is to ignite the potential that is inside each one of us, that can be unleashed through sport and being active. Unfortunately, not everyone has equal access to those opportunities – but at Gatorade, we believe everyone should be able to access sports and we firmly believe that barriers to participation should not exist. Gatorade looks forward to a future in which everyone, everywhere, can unlock the life-changing power of sport.”

New Delhi, India – Integrated communications consultancy Ruder Finn and digital marketing agency RFI have teamed up to launch a new diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practice to help accelerate business growth in the Asia-Pacific region.

Called ‘Ruder Finn Diversity Communications Practice’, said endeavour will provide dedicated and bespoke consultation services focused on DEI.

Moreover, it will tap into over a thousand world-class communications experts around the world. These accomplished professionals have an impressive track record of developing DEI strategies with a wide variety of clients, including the Singapore Ministry of Manpower, the Women’s Foundation and the upcoming Gay Games in Hong Kong.

For Elan Shou, CEO of Ruder Finn Asia-Pacific, the new practice is in alignment with the company’s recognition of the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as with broader societal shifts towards more inclusive practices.

“For businesses aiming to develop DEI strategies, they must focus on more than just cultural capital. Today’s consumers perceive brands as the voice of their employees and support those brands that resonate with their values. This can be a daunting prospect for businesses, which is where our team of seasoned experts comes in to ease the journey,” he said.

Meanwhile, Atul Sharma, CEO of Ruder Finn India and head of Middle East, commented, “We believe that commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is essential for driving business growth and success in today’s global landscape. As communication professionals, it’s our responsibility to craft messaging that not only reflects the diversity of our society but also resonates with individuals from various backgrounds. 

He added, “With the launch of the DE&I Practice, we will drive focused communication strategies for our clients catering to their specific needs, providing them with tools and expertise required to build inclusive and innovative organisations.”

Australia – ‘Only One In The Room’, a local agency collective, has launched an open industry brief called ‘Destroy This Brief’ to aid the marketing and advertising industry to think of ways of creating a more diverse advertising community. 

The collective was founded in June last year by BMF ECD Pia Chaudhuri, Cocogun’s Creative Partner and Co-Founder Ant Melder, and Dentsu Creative’s incoming CCO Avish Gordhan.

Two briefs will be released every year, with each relating to a specific area of diversity. The briefs will include topics such as, attracting and hiring diverse talent at all levels, preventing diverse talent from leaving the industry, and inclusivity and authenticity in our work. 

With final submissions due on 31 October this year, the first brief asks participants to find ways to open the industry up to, and attract, diverse talent. 

Each brief will invite anyone from, or interested in, the industry, to submit their ideas for the chance of having them brought to life by the #OOITR collective and their partners. The briefs will encourage people to think beyond traditional advertising and into all kinds of media, be it digital platforms, regulation changes, new products, apps, among others.

Judges will consist of a series of industry heavyweights including Greg Hahn, CCO and co-founder of Mischief USA; Sunita Gloster, non-executive director and advisor at Gloster Advisory; and Faycal Benabdellaziz, head of group brand at NAB.

Cindy Gallop, founder and CEO at MakeLoveNotPorn, said, “It’s about time that an industry that claims to want equality, diversity and inclusion but is spectacularly failing to deliver on those claims, brings the full force of its creativity to bear on how to make change happen a damn sight faster. At its very best, what we do is transformative. I can’t wait to see our industry use all of the extraordinary creative brilliance our top talent possesses, to transform ourselves.”

Meanwhile, Terry Savage, global chair of The Marketing Academy and London International Awards added, “Broadening the mix of people working in advertising and marketing, across all levels, is one of the most important issues facing the industry today. This is a very important stride towards real change. I implore agencies and creatives to get stuck in.”

London, United Kingdom – Down Syndrome International (DSi), an international disabled people’s organisation, has teamed up with creative agency Forsman & Bodenfors and global digital modelling agency The Diigitals to create the world’s first virtual influencer with Down syndrome named Kami.

Kami, which is short for Kamilah, will be active on her Instagram account to give people a peek into her daily life, her likes, her quirks, her friends, and her interests. In addition, she will exist to shine the spotlight on people with Down syndrome while fulfilling a bigger and more powerful mission to make the digital world more inclusive with #TheKamiPledge.

The three organisations involved saw an opportunity to revolutionise the digital space by creating the world’s first virtual influencer with Down syndrome.

“By intentionally giving Down syndrome to someone who is universally known as ‘perfect’ in the social sphere, Kami will be a powerful representation that Down syndrome is not a flaw, or a mistake, and that she does not need ‘fixing’,” DSi said in a press statement.

For Kami to be a truly authentic representation of real women with Down syndrome, a panel of over 100 young women volunteers with Down syndrome across the DSi global network were consulted to collaborate on her creation as a virtual model – acting as the faces, physiques, gestures, voices, and personalities that Kami will embody.

Rachel Kennedy and Firrdaus Yusoff, creatives at Forsman & Bodenfors Singapore, said, “In a world filled with pixel perfect virtual models, creating Kami is a way to completely reframe Down syndrome in the online space. We want to make it impossible to ignore Kami and everything she stands for. As we get to know her, Kami’s true potential will depend on how the world embraces her in her virtual form.”

Meanwhile, Andrew Boys, executive director at DSi, commented, “We have always been acutely aware that the digital space has had little or no place for people with Down syndrome. Creating Kami as a welcoming and relatable representation in the digital space for young women with Down syndrome is an incredible milestone for DSi. We have high hopes for Kami and the transformation she can bring to digital diversity.”