Event | AAF Diversity panel
“Diversity and inclusion: A Panel discussion on advertising”

May 9, 2017

Design + Art Direction + Strategy + Event Management

The Event: AAF Montgomery presented a diversity panel that consisted of local advertising professionals. The goal was to have a candid conversation on the challenges and the potential solutions to address diversity in thought, culture and gender in advertising and the workplace. The panel professionals represented companies from the River Region area and were asked to consider viewpoints with a particular focus on diversity in advertising and to help answer why diversity is important, what does it mean to you (the attendee), and what does it have to do with advertising. We hosted the panel at the Rosa Parks Museum, a fitting location for such a conversation. 

Target Audience: Members and the greater Montgomery community

Details: The panel was moderated by Lecia Brooks, the Outreach Director for the Southern Poverty Law Center. The panelists were Temisha Young, Director of Diversity and Inclusion for the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce; Jasmine York-Ball, co-owner and editor-in-chief of Blacktie Magazine; Stephen Poff, photographer and videographer at Stamp Idea Group; and Callie Keller Hincy, a principal at 24 Communications. Questions and five commercials to discuss were sent out ahead of time to the panelists. 

Methods of Promotion: We promoted the event with dedicated emails, email newsletter, a Facebook event, Facebook posts, shared relevant articles and event reminders, our website, Ticketleap, third party newsletters and community calendars, flyers around town at local businesses, and indoor Bell screens.

Results: This was the first time we have ever held a diversity panel. We were worried that people would not take to the idea of having another conversation on diversity, but we felt it was important enough to start the conversation and provide a space for open and honest dialogue considering today’s climate on the subject. The panelists (2 black/2 white, 3 females/1 male) were hand picked for race, gender, and workplace diversity. The event was pre-planned for this date but a couple of weeks before the event, the Pepsi commercial with Kendall Jenner and the controversy surrounding Shea Moisture ads had just happened and created an organic buzz for this relevant topic. Most of the attendees were not members and heard about the event via social media. The audience was engaging and participated in the conversation along with the panelist. Attendees left with a better understanding on how creativity and diversity intersect.