17398: Mo Money No Money Mo Problems.

Adweek reported on a study revealing the obvious: women in Adland continue to make less money than male counterparts.

 

While Adweek did not indicate if the study broke down racial and ethnic data, here’s another obvious revelation: underpaid White women in Adland continue to make waaaaay more money than underpaid—and underrepresented—women of color peers.

 

Bet cash money on it.

 

Women in Advertising Are Closing Every Gap They Can. The Pay Gap Persists Anyway 

 

A new study finds a stubborn 5% pay gap and points to managerial gatekeeping and workplace social dynamics as key culprits

 

By Audrey Kemp

 

A new study examining pay in the U.S. advertising industry finds that women are still earning less than their male peers, even after accounting for nearly every variable commonly cited to explain the disparity.

 

The research, conducted by strategist Jess Watts in partnership with Dr. Nancy Wayne of UCLA and data scientist Ryan Crone, analyzed survey responses from more than 900 advertising professionals across agency types, roles, and seniority levels.

 

DNA&Stone, the independent agency where Watts joined as chief strategy officer in December (and an ADWEEK Small Agency of the Year 2025 finalist), is publishing the study.

 

After controlling for factors such as education, experience, hours worked, geography, and agency type, the researchers found that women earn about 5% less than men in advertising on average. For mothers, that figure climbs to 8%.

 

Both numbers are smaller than the broader U.S. gender wage gap but still statistically significant and, according to Watts, impossible to explain away through the usual structural arguments.

 

“We wanted to test the arguments that are often made about why the pay gap exists,” she said. “Things like education level, job choice, performance, negotiation, or hours worked. What we found is that women are aggressively mitigating all of those factors, and the gap still exists.”

 

The study began as a personal project for Watts, a notable hire for DNA&Stone who previously served as director of integrated marketing strategy and brand planning at Expedia Group since 2022. She spent roughly two and a half years researching pay disparities independently, motivated by years of anecdotal accounts from colleagues across the industry.

 

“As soon as you start working in advertising, you hear stories,” Watts said. “Women comparing salaries with co-workers or realizing a male hire at the same level is earning more. It’s something many people felt in their bones, but there wasn’t enough rigorous data validating it.”

 

Watts developed the survey in partnership with academic researchers and distributed it across professional networks including the American Advertising Federation, alumni groups, and industry communities. She ultimately collected more than 1,000 responses, with 926 included in the final analysis.

 

The perception problem

 

Beyond measuring the pay gap itself, the research also examined how industry professionals perceive pay equity, and how those perceptions compare to reality.

 

Nearly all women surveyed (96%) said they believe a gender pay gap exists in advertising. Yet only about one-third believed they personally were being underpaid because of their gender.

 

Watts said that disconnect may reflect a psychological tension between acknowledging systemic inequity and wanting to believe one’s own workplace is fair.

 

“So much of our identity is tied to our work and our salary,” she said. “It can be easier to believe the industry has a problem in general than to accept that your own company might be treating you unfairly.”

 

The study also found that pay transparency remains limited across agencies. Nearly half of women surveyed said they do not understand how salary decisions are made at their organization, and more than two-thirds said they had worked at a company where employees were discouraged from discussing pay with colleagues, a practice that is illegal under federal labor law.

 

Where the gap gets made

 

Structural opacity, however, is only part of the picture.

 

One of the clearest patterns emerged when women attempted to address perceived pay inequities with their managers. Women who raised pay concerns with supervisors, who were predominantly male in the sample, were significantly more likely to encounter indifference or stalled conversations than male employees making similar requests.

 

“Women were going to their managers and asking about pay disparities, but the conversation often stopped there,” Watts said. “Managers would say they’d look into it or push it off, and nothing would happen.”

 

By contrast, male employees were more likely to receive direct answers about promotions or pay decisions, even when the outcome was negative.

 

“That gatekeeping point, where the conversation stops at the manager level, is one of the biggest places agencies could intervene,” Watts said.

 

Another striking finding involved workplace dynamics between male and female colleagues. The study found that men who reported being uncomfortable working closely with women tended to earn more than women overall, a pattern Watts attributes to homosocial reproduction: the tendency for leaders to reward and promote people who resemble themselves.

 

“If decision-makers feel more comfortable with people who remind them of themselves, those employees may get more opportunities, bigger projects, and promotions,” Watts said. “Over time, those advantages compound financially.”

 

UCLA’s Wayne said the insights into social dynamics were among the most significant to emerge from the study. “Too often, men default to comfort and familiarity, even when it quietly reinforces inequity,” she said. “Closing the gender pay gap means encouraging men to choose fairness over comfort, and there is still a ton of work to be done to get men on board and fix this continuing problem.”

 

For Watts, the findings underscore how seemingly modest pay gaps produce substantial long-term consequences. Over a 25-year career, the study estimates the gap could translate into more than $167,000 in lost earnings for women who have never been pregnant, and more than $271,000 for mothers.

 

“That’s not small potatoes,” Watts said. “That’s student loan debt, that’s buying a home, that’s building generational wealth.”

 

Samantha Choi Cadley, founder and CEO/CCO of independent agency Manual Labor, said the dynamic is familiar. A friend of hers at a larger agency discovered she had been underpaid only when an acquisition forced the agency’s books open.

 

“She found out she was absolutely getting paid less, even as she was doing more work,” Choi Cadley said. “Not even peer-to-peer.”

 

Now running her own shop, Choi Cadley said the solution starts with who is making compensation decisions. “It’s about who you’re putting at the table,” she said. “If you have the same group of people that have come up through the same organization or model, you’re still playing the same habits, the same structure, whether intentionally or not.”

 

Watts hopes the research will prompt agencies to take concrete action, recommending pay band transparency, regular compensation audits and escalation processes so pay equity concerns do not stop at the direct manager level. Though the research predates her appointment, DNA&Stone has already begun implementing those measures internally, revising promotion guidelines to clarify how employees advance.

 

“Transparency is important,” Watts said. “But accountability is what ultimately closes the gap.”

 

Without those changes, she warns, the industry risks losing the very talent it depends on: “When nearly half of women say gender discrimination is affecting their career, eventually some of them are going to leave. And that’s not the kind of industry any of us want to be building.”

17034: Black Consumer Research—New Data, Same Old Story.

Adweek reported The Africa Channel collected new research—which feels like old research—on Black consumers. The breakthrough data includes:

 

• Black viewers are an underserved audience

 

• The Black community is not monolithic

 

• To reach Black audiences, authenticity is key

 

• Blacks represent significant purchasing power

 

• Culturally competent messages increase intent to purchase and brand loyalty

 

• Building relationships with Blacks demands more than performative promotions during Black History Month

 

Too bad such insights have never positively impacted underrepresentation, underutilization, and underfunding for Black consumers.

 

In fact, there’s ample data showing marketers prefer to connect with Blacks via crumbs.

 

New Research Reveals Gap Between Black Consumers and Brands Ahead of TV Upfronts

 

The Africa Channel shared its findings exclusively with ADWEEK

 

By Ethan Alter

 

The advent of TV Upfront season means that brands are thinking more and more about the audiences they’re reaching, or not reaching, through their investments in linear and digital advertising.

 

According to new data collected by The Africa Channel (TAC)—a pay cable network that brings pan-African programming to U.S. shores—Black consumers are among the viewers underserved in the current landscape.

 

The network and media company exclusively shared its findings with ADWEEK ahead of the upfronts, as well as the announcement that it has a potential solution. TAC is launching Pulse 360, which aims to assist brands in connecting with the wider diaspora of Black viewers in America.

 

“This community is not monolithic, and effectively engaging Black audiences requires a cultural, not just racial, approach,” Dean Cates, TAC senior vice president of sales and business development, told ADWEEK.

 

“Brands looking to succeed must align with these evolving identities to drive deeper engagement and long-term loyalty,” he added.

 

Identity matters

 

Diving into the numbers, TAC found that America’s African-born population has increased 96% since 2010. And that growth was accompanied by an equal emphasis within that audience of seeing their particular culture reflected in the media and advertising they consume. Per research assembled by Nielsen and My Code, TAC found that 69% of respondents are seeking authentic representations of their identity group.

 

“The rise of social media and the growing cultural influence of Africa in America has inspired second-generation and younger consumers to reconnect with and embrace Africa and their heritage,” noted Cates. “This shift is closing the gap between Black Americans and the African continent, creating a global cultural village and countering long-held stereotypes and misinformation.”

 

TAC’s own programming lineup reflects the broad diversity of African entertainment. The network is home to South African shows like the dramedy Lavish and the morning entertainment and lifestyle series Expresso, as well as new movies from Nollywood (the nickname for Nigeria’s vibrant film industry), and travel series like World Wide Nate and First Time Africa.

 

And the audiences for those shows have significant purchasing power. TAC cites eMarketer data indicating that Black consumer spending is projected to reach $2.1 trillion in 2026. “The overwhelming consensus in the community is that a wider cultural lens is necessary to reach all Black Americans,” Cates said.

 

On the pulse

 

TAC developed its ad solution, Pulse 360, as a way to assist advertisers with activating some of that purchasing power. Some of offerings include custom solutions like branded creative elements, as well as more general turnkey approaches. Besides its own linear network, the program brings brands to media partners that service the same audiences.

 

Drawing on research from the Association of National Advertisers’ Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing, TAC reports that authentically representing African-born cultures contributes to a 185% increase in that audience’s intent to purchase, as well as a 70% gain in brand loyalty.

 

Those findings dovetail with a 2024 report from Samba TV revealing how brands that have specifically targeted Asian, Black, and Hispanic households saw significant returns on their investment.

 

“Investing in reaching Black audiences is not just about doing good; it’s about doing good business,” Cates observed. “It’s clear: People don’t just buy in February during Black History Month. If we want consumers to show up, we need to show up—with consistency and cultural alignment.”

16847: Midweek Muddled Musings On Multicultural Marketing.

 

Advertising Age interviewed the Reckitt U.S. Chief Marketing Officer for Hygiene, who advocated prioritizing multicultural marketing—in contrast to other major brands scaling back and/or abandoning DEIBA+ initiatives.

 

Herein lies an inherent issue. That is, why must multicultural marketing be categorized as a DEIBA+ maneuver?

 

The Reckitt CMO insists targeting Black and Latino audiences constitutes a business imperative for brands like Lysol and Airwick. Reaching distinct consumer segments with relevant marketing has resulted in heightened brand awareness and greater sales. Although it would be interesting to compare the White marketing budgets with the multicultural marketing budgets. Is it a case of cash versus crumbs?

 

So, why is multicultural marketing thought of as DEI marketing? Dove and Always primarily target White women—a group typically at the top of DEIBA+ prioritization lists—yet these brands’ campaigns aren’t viewed as DEI marketing. It’s highly unlikely that the advertising generated for such brands is financed with crumbs.

 

Indeed, “prioritizing multicultural marketing” might be an oxymoron of sorts, as categorizing an effort as multicultural automatically de-prioritizes it.

 

In short, White marketing—and its White advertising agency creators—receive top priority. No amount of Lysol and Airwick could affect the stink of that reality.

 

Why Reckitt Is Prioritizing Multicultural Marketing As Others Eliminate Policies

 

Gary Osifchin, U.S. CMO for hygiene, on his multicultural playbook and why it works for the company

 

By Jack Neff

 

Numerous brands have scaled back or scrapped diversity, equity and inclusion programs in recent months, including Lowe’s, Ford, Harley Davidson, Deere, Toyota and Tractor Supply. Others have pulled back on investments in diverse-owned media or content focused on Black or Hispanic consumers, at least pending the outcome of next month’s election.

 

And some brands that have stayed the course in DEI marketing and media investments are staying quiet about their strategies. 

 

But Reckitt’s Gary Osifchin, chief marketing officer of its U.S. hygiene business, which markets such brands as Lysol, AirWick and Finish, said the company is sticking by DEI in marketing because it works for his brands. And he’s not afraid to talk about it.

 

Osifchin, who sits on the board of the Association of National Advertisers’ Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing, spoke with Ad Age about why Reckitt is staying the course on DEI in marketing despite the pushback that has made others turn away.

 

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

 

AIMM has recognized Reckitt for doing a good job with multicultural representation in its ads. But DEI has become controversial in the U.S. How do you deal with that pushback as you try to make your advertising representative?

 

I’ve personally been involved in reaching different audiences for over a decade now, from a brand perspective, because a source of growth for brands will continue to be reaching new audiences.

 

We will continue to reach the population that we reach today, but also bring in new consumers in different subsets of the population that are growing, whether it’s Hispanic, African American or Asian American.

 

The need to reach them from a product standpoint, but also from a communication standpoint, so that you’re relevant, is critical. I really tie it back to Reckitt’s value system. It’s not just on our website. It’s real. It’s a commitment to represent and amplify diverse communities in our marketing and in our product development. It’s part of our growth strategy globally. You take it down to my business in the U.S. and big brands like Lysol, or Finish or AirWick, it’s hugely important for me to reach those growth audiences as a source of business growth, but also to reach them in resonant and relevant ways. We need to make sure that we’re not just presenting stereotypes or trying to go after the dollar.

 

It’s important from a growth standpoint, and the right thing to do in times where things are challenged. I personally believe consistency and conviction matter, and certainly in the last three years that I’ve been in my role, the consistency and conviction as a leader that I’ve had in terms of ensuring that we instill the right insight into our product development or communications development to truly understand what will resonate with different cultures and backgrounds and the total audience.

 

Tell me about Reckitt’s multicultural playbook.

 

I very much built a multicultural marketing playbook that is now embedded in the organization. It’s tied to the full-funnel consumer engagement team that I’ve set up and lead to ensure that from insight to strategy and to product and communications through our testing processes that we’re fairly representing and authentically representing the people we want to reach. Our media investment strategy is then tied to that, in terms of who we want to reach. Our R&D and product strategy is tied to that where it matters on things like fragrance, Lysol with our Brand New Day line, or on AirWick with our Vibrant line, which over-indexes among African Americans and Hispanics and was developed to reach them from a fragrance standpoint.

 

It’s tied to Reckitt’s growth strategy, and therefore it’s important for all of my marketing team to understand, so it’s not just me as a leader championing it, but I really have it hardwired in the thought process.

 

It starts with deep understanding of insights. If you think about Finish, the way Hispanic consumers think about dishwashing and auto dishwashing is, different than the general population. Hispanics, we found, from an insight and data mining standpoint, actually think that doing the dishes by hand is an act of care and part of the family cooking and preparation and cleanup experience, and that a dishwasher won’t do as good of a job as I will hand washing. That comes [in home visits] and ethnographies and diving deep.

 

Our consumer engagement full-funnel team, who are responsible for all of our media investment, planning, strategy and execution across touchpoints, is wired into the insights and analytics team and wired into the brand team. If we know reaching a Hispanic audience on Finish is important, which it is, and we have an insight, we need to create content and communications to do that. Then media investment needs to follow that, and then the right measurement needs to follow.

 

We formalized the creative development process to ensure early on, at the briefing stage, when we want to do Hispanic specific, or we want creative to be informed by African Americans or others, that in the brief we’re clear on it.

 

We’ve been using CIIM [the Cultural Inclusivity Insights Manager developed by AIMM in cooperation with member companies]. It’s helped us [with] pieces of creative, both ones that were intentionally done for a specific audience and ones that were not, just to get a benchmark. And we see that on Lysol, where we were intentional in a Hispanic or African American insight, that we outperform our other creative. So it shows me that it’s working.

 

If I’ve been in a pitch of agencies, I put CIIM in as one of our metrics early on, and then we use Link from Kantar for measurement. And then we have our positive portrayal panel, which is unique at Reckitt. [We] have set up a process so that folks in [employee resource groups] are trained on how to evaluate creative and what to look for and watch out for. We also have embedded it with our big agency networks, their own use of their own equivalents of positive portrayal panels, so that they have their eyes on it.

 

There have been times when it’s worked exceptionally well. I’ll tell you, there are times where it worked so well that it stopped me from putting forth some creative, because all of us in the process missed stuff, but when the consumer spoke up in the quantitative and told us, “no, that’s off, or that’s presenting a stereotype,” we listened and didn’t move forward.

 

We set up a process, I call it multicultural closeness … where we can do virtual conversations with consumers of different backgrounds and diverse cultures, and it’s available to everybody from marketing to R&D. We run it with our C-suite and our leadership team in North America, where they have access to have interviews, to just talk about topics … to just get better intimacy and closeness to our consumers from a multicultural perspective.

 

Media at the end of it is so critical for us to ensure that we’re investing in reaching diverse audiences and minority-owned media companies.

 

For influencer content, we have over 250 diverse creators. Some 80% of my creator influencer content is from diverse creators, and that’s a way for us to ensure that we are reaching audiences with voices that they trust.

 

Then, on the back end, it’s marketing metrics [such as] household penetration, buy rate, category growth, market share, looking at that from Hispanic and African American perspectives and understanding are we moving the needle. And our equity trackers are doing that too.

 

How is it different from how you used to do marketing?

 

It’s like what we knew as I grew up in marketing, 20-plus years ago, but applying then a very nuanced approach along the way to ensure that you’re presenting authentically to the people you want to talk to.

 

If you’re Hispanic American watching content in English that everybody else is watching, and I reach you in that, well, then, don’t talk to me in Spanish. Talk to me in English, because I’m receiving my content in English. That’s very different than when I actually am immersing myself in a Hispanic podcast or a piece of content online through an influencer, then talk to me in Spanish, because that’s the world I’m in at that moment.

 

Have you seen any evidence of DEI pushback, either comments or direct communications, based on the work that you’ve done? 

 

I go back to consistency and conviction, conviction that it’s the right thing to grow my businesses for Reckitt and our brands. The process I talked about has prevented missteps and ensured that when we’re doing communications to a specific group, or when we’re launching things like Lysol Brand New Day, which is very much meant to appeal, from a fragrance standpoint, to African Americans and Hispanics, that we’re testing product with them, so that it actually delivers against what we want it to.

16834: Not Kidding With Kidneys.

 

Get answers to the headline from LiveOnNY.

16754: Questioning Brands Cutting DEIBA+ Initiatives—And Cutting Ties With White Advertising Agencies.

 

Advertising Age reported on a survey showing the majority of consumers support brands that hire and promote diverse employees. However, consumers are not necessarily swayed or impressed by brand advertising with diverse casting.

 

This begs questions that have been raised in the past. Specifically, if consumers care about the diversity of brands, how might they respond to the vendors partnering with brands?

 

In short, how might consumers respond upon learning brands conspire with White advertising agencies where diversity is a dream deferred, delayed, and denied?

 

Additionally, how might they respond upon discovering much of the advertising featuring diverse casting is produced by White advertising agencies, denying multicultural marketers an equal opportunity to work?

 

Finally, might consumers be more attracted to and impressed by advertising featuring diverse casting if such work was generated with greater authenticity and relevance by multicultural marketers?

 

Brands Cutting DE&I Efforts—What Consumers Think Of The Different Policies

 

External, diverse marketing efforts are not seen as a way to build workplace equity, but internal programs are

 

By Erika Wheless

 

Even as companies ranging from Lowe’s to Tractor Supply Company to Brown-Forman roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, a new report shows that such programs still enjoy majority consumer support.

 

A new Morning Consult survey found that 57% of U.S. adults believe that recruiting employees from minority groups is an effective way to support workplace equality, and 55% support efforts to ensure these employees receive promotions. But the survey, conducted last month, found less support for DEI initiatives (50%) focused on featuring diverse actors in ad campaigns.

 

“It’s clear that what consumers view as packing the most punch is hiring, retaining and elevating minorities to positions of power,” said Ellyn Briggs, brand analyst at Morning Consult.

 

 

U.S. adults said recruiting (57%) and promoting (55%) employees from minority groups are effective at achieving workplace equality, while less than half (47%) said the same about companies supporting inclusion in an external manner, such as selling LGBTQ+ Pride merchandise. 

 

Credit: Morning Consult

 

But what is not clear, and what the survey did not address, is how brands should highlight this to consumers, outside of DEI reports outlining the breakdown of employees.

 

“It’s rare that consumers know the makeup of their favorite brand’s leadership team, and yet the findings show that many would rather brands support minorities with dollars and promotions, rather than inclusive marketing,” Briggs said.

 

The survey mirrors a report Morning Consult published last year, which found that internal company actions resonated more with customers than external advocacy. Seventy-one percent of consumers said they viewed a company as more favorable if they paid their employees well and 69% said they viewed a company as more favorable if a company was known to be a place where employees liked to work, according to that report.

 

In the most recent report, a majority of surveyed adults (58%) believed DEI initiatives are either “very” or “somewhat” important to the success of most businesses. But only half of the respondents said that hiring diverse actors for ad campaigns supported workplace equality. That is not to say that inclusive marketing should end: Another report published in January by Morning Consult found that diverse marketing can drive purchases among non-white Gen Zers.

 

The findings come as Lowe’s, Tractor Supply, Deere & Co, Harley-Davidson and Jack Daniel’s maker Brown-Forman Corporation have rolled back or made changes to their DEI programs and policies after being criticized by conservative activist Robby Starbuck, who has pledged to “end wokeness in the workplace, dismantle DEI and eliminate ESG,” referring to environmental, social and and governance policies.

 

The brand backlash is reminiscent of what Bud Light faced after a promotion with transgender creator Dylan Mulvaney in early 2023. The beer brand, which was America’s best-selling beer when the controversy arose, subsequently spiraled into a severe sales slump and has now fallen behind Modelo Especial and Michelob Ultra.

 

Morning Consult found that men, baby boomers and Republicans were the most doubtful of DEI programs and more likely to support rollbacks.

 

Research from McKinsey shows that brands that are committed to diversity perform better financially than their competitors that do not. The consulting firm found that companies in the top quartile for ethnic diversity have, on average, a 27% financial advantage over their peers.

 

For brands that might come under attack for their DEI programs, rolling back policies may do more damage, especially when it comes to retaining Gen Z consumers.

 

“Gen Z is very against rollback efforts because they value authentic brands, so being flip-floppy is not good,” Briggs said. “When a company walks back its efforts, they may do it for a small segment of consumers, but it upsets the majority who were happy the brand had them.”

 

How much it upsets the majority may play out in future earnings reports. If sales are better in the wake of rolling back their DEI efforts, other brands seeking to court conservative buyers may lean in and proactively limit their DEI efforts as well, Briggs said. Poor sales may lead to them reinstating policies to draw back consumers.

 

But this does not mean that brands with more conservative consumers should proactively change or eliminate their DEI policies.

 

“Though majorities of Republican consumers were in favor of all tested rollback efforts in our dataset, there were still sizable portions (around 20% to 30%) that reported opposition,” Briggs said. “So even among the most anti-DEI group, there is still some support for DEI.”

16734: Wild Wild West Side…?

 

Habilitative Systems, Inc presents “How Wellness Is Won” with odd cowboy imagery. Maybe the company is acknowledging—especially for people of color—the healthcare system feels like the Wild West.

16724: Worth Less, More Or Less.

Inspired by the Trial for #ClinicalEquality campaign from FCB Health New York.

16723: Worth Less Shows More Bias.

 

MM+M spotlighted the latest patronizing propaganda from FCB Health New York’s Trial for #ClinicalEquality campaign, an initiative designed to expose the racial and ethnic bias in clinical trials.

 

As pointed out in a previous post, the revelation that people of color receive unequal treatment from the US healthcare system is hardly surprising—in fact, it’s common knowledge—and arguably offensive coming from a White advertising agency likely fishing for awards versus advocating for justice.

 

To compound the cultural cluelessness, the new advertisements feature AI-rendered images of Black patients. So, in addition to using an executional method that has displayed bias, FCB Health deprived talent of color from the opportunity to receive payment and recognition for appearing in a national campaign. Surely the hardest-working man in Black advertising could have been tapped.

 

In short, the advertising stunt presented parallel prejudice: unequal representation in clinical trials and underrepresentation in commercial concepts.

 

AI portraits highlight the lack of diversity in clinical research

 

The Worth Less campaign is the latest initiative from FCB Health New York’s Trial for #ClinicalEquality.

 

By John Newton

 

The initial inspiration for the Trial for #ClinicalEquality, a longstanding initiative from IPG Health’s FCB Health New York, struck seven years ago. In the course of looking at clinical trial data intended to support a creative campaign, the agency realized they didn’t reflect the people it hoped to reach.

 

“It wasn’t an isolated incident,” noted IPG Health chief medical officer Dr. Sommer Bazuro. “We needed data to reflect, first, the racial groups within the overall population and, second, the disease incidence and mortality rates for that specific population.”

 

Since then, the Trial for #ClinicalEquality has highlighted the costs of a lack of diversity in clinical trials — to both individuals and society broadly. One study, for instance, found that there were no Native American participants in diabetes clinical trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov from March 2000 to March 2020.

 

The lack of diversity undermines public trust in scientific research and results in lower-quality data. Also, financial costs accrue due to health disparities that could be reduced with trials that are more reflective of the populations impacted by certain diseases.

 

Worth Less, the initiative’s latest campaign, features 15 portrait-like images that were created using generative AI licensed from Adobe Stock. Its overarching goal is to call attention to the ethnic minority groups impacted by clinical inequality.

 

The campaign’s name is designed to be read two ways, asking whether the lives of patients of color are worthless as well as whether they are worth less than other patients’ lives. The photo captions highlight the wider implications of failing to include patients from certain demographic groups in clinical trials with statistics: “1% of clinical trial participants are Asian, yet chronic hepatitis B affects them the most” and “2% of patients in dementia clinical trials are Black, yet they experience this disease at the second highest rate.”

 

Bazuro believes that many patients and physicians simply assume that clinical trials are reflective of the communities impacted by specific conditions or diseases.

 

“Most people, even those who have been in healthcare for years, don’t realize that it’s not happening,” she says. “They don’t know that when their physicians talk to them about medicines, that they cannot be 100% confident that someone who has their particular background was included. That’s something that troubles physicians.”

 

The Worth Less messaging centers on the financial implications of non-diverse trials. Bazuro explained that the perceived greater expense of diverse clinical trials is a common concern — but that the societal costs of lower-quality data, mistrust of the healthcare system and disparate outcomes need to be considered as well.

 

“We know how the world works: If you can’t fund it, it’s not getting done,” added FCB Health New York chief creative officer Kathleen Nanda. “That’s just the reality of business and, very often, health is a business.”

 

The campaign website includes a host of statistics, including one explaining that, from 2003 to 2006, medical expenses could have been reduced by $230 billion if inequalities faced by patients of color had been eliminated.

 

“We want people to understand the urgency of data equality and clinical equality and to take action,” Nanda said. “We want this problem to be seen and to be fixed by a bunch of brilliant different minds. It’s not just what we are doing; it’s what our community is doing that we’re really, really excited about.”