The power of the collective.

For too long, agencies have been pitted against each other and tension in communications to capture attention has been taught, but as I listened to people from all walks of life at the recent Unstereotype Alliance Global Member Summit, the message was clear: let’s do this together.

I was honoured to be provided with the opportunity to talk amongst such esteemed company at the annual event. The Unstereotype Alliance is an initiative convened by the UN to unite advertising industry leaders, decision makers and creatives to end harmful stereotypes in advertising. My panel discussed the perils of saying and doing nothing for the communities who brands wish to speak to and how brands can be brave and shift out of arrested development. The following is a summary of my key points.

Examine and act on your core values. Often, brands look to avoid reputational loss —  but they miss the reputational gain also. A lot of the time we need to look at our core values; for most humans that’s a challenge, let alone brands with multiple layers of approvals.  Reflective change can feel nearly impossible, but for people to buy into you, they need to know where you’re coming from, which might mean you need to stop thinking about being right for the moment and evolve for the longer term.

Bring everyone to the table. Creating that internal culture of change will allow you to start to feel brave when talking to the outside world and when you’re being brave, you’re taking an element of risk, and that’s OK — you just want to have confidence to take the right risk and that’s where you need to add the EQ to the IQ. Adding that emotionally intelligent person to the table, the person who is culturally connected and who’s a part of the communities you wish to speak to, or curious about them, will give you the confidence to be bold.

That emotional intelligence has layers and is intuitive, and unlike AI, is better at predicting the unpredictability of humans. These people can assess campaigns through what we coin here at FleishmanHillard as our cultural mapping approach — the three E’s: Empathy, Earnestness and Empowerment. It’s a powerful lens for your brand and bottom line. 

Think about the long game. Marketing professions are familiar with the concept of pace. When piggy-backing, news-hijacking and jumping on trend bandwagons, the need to have sincerity when dealing with communities is often unconsidered. Culture has roots and longevity. A brand’s integrity when mapping to culture is more important than the speed. As June Ambrose, renowned creative director, said at the summit — impact takes intention.

Be brave. There’s a rising amongst the youth that feel there’s a lack of originality out there — as famed record producer Mark Ronson suggested, part of originality is just evolving the story for the next generation. Does the current state of affairs and the frozen position many brands find themselves in attribute to the bland over the bold? By brands shifting their mindsets from talking about their own benefits to being an activist for others, they can have the full force of youth on their side.

In closing, keep in mind that to have a platform is a privilege. Sima Bahous, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and executive director of UN Women, made the following suggestions:

Invest in gender equality and you accelerate progress

Highlight the youthful voices

Commit to accountability

It sounds simple but too often forgotten and with the power of our communications, we can be bold and push the agenda for others and our clients – a win-win!

Welcome to the Fellowship Focus, a new quarterly feature about the Alfred Fleishman Diversity Fellowship program. Here, you’ll get a glimpse into the lives and perspectives of our talented Fellows as they begin their careers and leave their marks on our industry and the world around them.

If you ask Zhiyao (Allen) Yang which first name he uses, he will say “both.” Born in the Guangxi Province of China and raised in Los Angeles, Zhiyao (Allen) learned that it’s best to embrace who you are, where you come from, and the unexpected lessons you learn along the way. We talked to him about his passion for PR, his path to the Fellowship program and what he looks forward to as he begins his career.

Lesson One: See the possibilities

After completing an internship in Austria, Zhiyao (Allen) pursued a master’s degree at the famed Graduate Institute of Geneva. It was while researching the relationship between the European Union and China during this internship that the idea of studying in Switzerland first presented itself. “I always knew I wanted to pursue international relations, but I didn’t care where I went. I applied to The Institute because of the program’s focus on global governance, and I wanted to learn more about how the world works.” It was an unexpected path, but he soon found that his intuition was correct — Switzerland was precisely where he needed to be. “Going to school in Geneva was not my initial plan,” Zhiyao (Allen) said, “but I’ve learned to go with the flow. You can focus on your goal, but your journey there should be flexible.”

Lesson Two: See different points of view

The Graduate Institute housed a diverse class, as students from six continents worked and lived together, many preparing for a future with the United Nations. The work was challenging and rewarding, giving him a glimpse of what it is like to work with international organizations. While studying, he started an internship where his tasks included event planning and social media management. Here, he zeroed in on a new goal— global communications.  “I realized that what I was really doing was helping clients foster their communication skills.” When asked to summarize his time at the Institute, Zhiyao (Allen) said, “The program showed me that there are many perspectives and taught me how different cultures view the world. My classes helped me look at situations, even global conflicts, holistically.” He added, “There is a Chinese saying that when translated states, 5+5 is 10, but 4+6 is also 10. Just because you are right doesn’t mean the other side is wrong.” Wise words, indeed.

Lesson Three: See the opportunities

When asked if he had any advice for college students, Zhiyao (Allen) replied, “Never say no to new opportunities, even if they seem boring.” It’s a perspective he honed during one of his internships. “It was a state agency in California. I wanted to do international work, so it wasn’t something I saw myself doing long term.” Still, it taught him several valuable skills and gave him the experience of working with new people. “In hindsight, I can see how it helped me and why it was a good foundation.” He added, “I learned to look beyond my silos and comfort zones and to be open to trying new things.”

One of the things that Zhiyao is open to is the potential for AI (artificial intelligence). ”AI is here to stay. Our role as people is to learn how to live with it and use it responsibly. However, I think the government should help regulate it because we can’t rely on tech companies to regulate it themselves.” He continued, “When the ATM came out, people wondered if that would take teller’s jobs, but they made teller’s jobs easier. In 5-10 years, I can see myself using AI as the baseline for my work and then editing it to sound like me. I see it as an opportunity that will free me up to do more complicated critical thinking.”

Lesson Four: See your potential

Starting a new career can be scary, but when left unchecked, fear can hold you back. Zhiyao (Allen) shared, “When I first started at FleishmanHillard, I overthought. I was scared to ask questions. I was afraid to ask for help. I soon learned that it was up to me to believe in myself and to communicate my needs. When I did, I saw that everyone here was so nice and that people were more than willing to help. If I had to do it again, I would say to myself, ‘Just ask, don’t think about it.’” It is a lesson he aims to take with him throughout his career. “When I am in a more senior role, I hope I remember not to overthink things and to ‘just do it.’”

Though it can sometimes be easier said than done, we hope he continues to take his advice because he is right – the team at FleishmanHillard wants him to succeed. We look forward to everything that Zhiyao (Allen) will accomplish, and we’re grateful that he saw an opportunity to grow with us.

The Alfred Fleishman Diversity Fellowship Program is a North America-based internship where diverse talent can combine their PR, communications and media talents with their passion for diversity and inclusion. Our teams across the U.S. and Canada hire, mentor and prepare Fellows for entry-level roles at FleishmanHillard. If you want to start your career with us, you can learn more about openings by visiting our Join Us page.  

Being brutally frank, disability inclusion wasn’t necessarily on my horizon up until a few years ago. I’d been in my role at FleishmanHillard for just a year when I was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer that necessitated four months of chemo, surgery, radiotherapy and physiotherapy. I took a couple of months off after the diagnosis but otherwise continued working, albeit from home and just a couple of days a week. This was a godsend for me personally as it meant when I recovered, I wasn’t having to navigate “the big return.”

But of course, anyone who’s had a serious illness knows recovery doesn’t end once the treatment is over. I had a new perspective on navigating the workplace with physical challenges like post-cancer aches and pains and fatigue. These unexpected difficulties inspired me to get involved with DEI, with a specific focus on disability, firstly leading on Hidden Disabilities here in London, co-chairing Omnicom’s Open Disability ERG and then, in the past 18 months, leading FleishmanHillard’s Global Disability ERG.

FleishmanHillard’s ambition is to be the most inclusive agency, and DEI is very rigorously integrated into the heart of what we do. Within the Hidden Disabilities steering group here in London, we’ve done a range of things in the disability space, including training on neurodiversity and communicating with diverse audiences. Digital accessibility is another focus for us. We’ve refreshed things in 2023 with the establishment of FHAT – FleishmanHillard Accessibility Taskforce – which sees digital accessibility led by our creative studio. It’s very much about embedding accessibility principles into our work and ensuring that clients are aware of it too.

FleishmanHillard’s Global Disability ERG was set up two years ago and is just one of the Global ERGs within the agency. I took on the role of global lead when it was set up – initially just as a caretaker but I knew, and I think all those around me knew, that I’d be in it for the long-haul. It’s a unique space with a casual relaxed remit, no expectation of deliverables and no fixed agenda when we meet once a month. It has been created as a safe space for anyone living with a disability, along with allies, to come together, share experiences, learnings, tips or just take the opportunity to vent, if that’s needed. And, while we don’t have any specific asks of us from senior leadership, we did co-create a neurodiversity guide that was shared with our offices across the globe. The seeds for the guide were sown during one of our meetings when it became apparent that there was limited awareness or understanding of neurodiversity and how conditions in this category can impact the work experience. The guide is used in new joiner inductions and is a part of line manager training.

What does success look like for an ERG? Simply having the group in existence, with people showing up monthly and being there for each other counts as success. Along with the monthly calls, we do check-ins with members to elicit their needs and their feedback to ensure that the group continues to add value and stays relevant. Relevance is vital. It’s about constantly asking the questions: Are we still serving a purpose? Are members still getting what they need from us? And if not, why not? What can we do to refresh our approach?

Lessons from leading an ERG

Recognize that every ERG is different and offers a unique experience.

Some act as informal, safe spaces with a flexible structure and others are firmly focused on encouraging change within an organization. Still more may be a mix of both. And what one ERG looks like in one company may vary drastically to another. The focus should be on what the community needs. Is it to initiate far-reaching change in your workplace led by senior management? Or is what’s actually needed a ‘softer’ group that offers peer support and that sense of togetherness?

Be open to change.

None of us can stand still. What worked last year may no longer be relevant today. The most significant gap that you’ve identified today may not be an issue in the new year. It’s vital to keep informed and be ready to pivot. 

Listen closely.

You’ll only know if things need to evolve if you listen to your ERG members. Pulse surveys carried out quarterly can shine light on member perspectives and needs.

Realize that your impact within the ERG can be more far-reaching than you think. Applying your learnings from the ERG to client counsel and client work can be powerful and instigate meaningful change. We’ve seen this first-hand within FleishmanHillard where understanding what it takes to make digital content truly accessible to all has filtered through to our client work. It’s been so encouraging seeing our clients embrace what we’re doing in this space and commit to applying these principles.

Secure leadership buy-in.

Without it, an ERG will not flourish. In fact, it’s unlikely to last more than a couple of meetings. I’m grateful to be part of FleishmanHillard where DE&I is embedded in all we do with a tangible commitment from the very top of the business. Keep in mind it works both ways – as an ERG leader, it’s important that you keep senior leaders informed of what’s going on and how the ERG is progressing. This can range from informal check-ins to detailed write-ups, depending on requirements and your own style.

Keep the broader team informed.

Any one of us could face illness or disability at any point. Any of us can be an ally to those who are already living with a disability. Twice-yearly newsletters from our Disability ERG have helped ensure we stay visible, relevant and accountable. It’s an opportunity to capture what we’ve done and report on what we’ve said we’ll do.

Know that DE&I belongs to everyone, and not just a select few.

There can be a temptation to take it all on yourself but each of us has a responsibility to ensure that people from all backgrounds, thinking, abilities and experiences feel included, protected and involved. Meaningful change can only happen when we all play our part.