Advertising Age published dual reports on the lack of diversity among directors behind the commercials that aired during Super Bowl LVII.
One story highlighted that the spots were crafted by a director pool including only four women and one Black person. In short, the championship game featured more Black quarterbacks than Black directors. Oh, and women outnumbered Blacks by 400 percent—which is pretty reflective of Adland.
The second story spotlighted 17 Black directors to hire for next year’s Super Bowl advertising showcase. While the report was undoubtedly well-intentioned, it also smelled like culturally clueless bullshit. What prompted naming a mere 17? There is surely a greater collection of directorial talent than that; plus, if considering movie directors—a common choice for Super Bowl spots—the available Black options would dramatically increase.
Sorry, but the problem is not the dearth of Black commercial directors—but rather, the dominance of White creative directors.
The first thing that sticks out to me is how many white women are complaining in this article. White women (directors, production company owners, agency gatekeepers) are all over this, prominently featured, platformed, and upset that they didn't get more of the share of diversity work they already get.
ReplyDeleteWhite women get the bulk of the scant diversity work in the ad industry, and all this article proves is they think it's still not enough.
And you know those white ladies are going to turn around and use this article to drive even more opportunities to themselves. The circle never ends.