https://www.thetimes.com/uk/media/a...e-still-being-shunned-in-tv-adverts-56dnpmncw/https://archive.is/SVIuX
Although showing of ethnic groups is improving, a study reveals a stark disparity in representation of minorities
Diversity in representation of racial groups has improved in adverts, but other minorities are rarely featured
A study into the representation of minorities in television adverts has found that more than half feature black people, but disabled people remain severely underrepresented.
Jack Thorne, the creator of Adolescence, has called for “self-examination” from advertising bosses after Channel 4’s Mirror on the Industry study found that representation of the disabled, elderly and pregnant lagged well behind that for people of colour.
The research was carried out by the agency Tapestry, which for a sixth year audited the top 500 adverts across all broadcasters over two separate four-week periods.
Jack Thorne
It found that the proportion of adverts featuring black people jumped after the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, from 37 per cent in 2020 to 51 per cent in 2022, and has remained stable since.
Black people make up about 4 per cent of the population of England and Wales, according to 2021 census data.
Meanwhile people from a south Asian background appeared in 17 per cent of adverts, up from 13 per cent in 2023, and east Asians featured in 11 per cent of ads. The groups account for 8 and 1 per cent of the population respectively.
Other minority groups were less common. Despite accounting for almost 18 per cent of the population, disabled people featured in just 4 per cent of adverts last year — a proportion that has not changed since 2018.
Those categorised by researchers as LGBTQIA+ appeared 2 per cent of the time, down from the previous five-year average, and below the 3 per cent of the population they account for.
The over-70s were included in 2 per cent of adverts, while pregnant women appeared in just 0.1 per cent.
Thorne, who is autistic and previously suffered from a severe skin condition, campaigned for disabled accessibility in UK television, which led to the creation of the TV Access Project. He said that brands should follow the progressive strides being taken by broadcasters.
“It is a huge shame the advertising industry is failing to see what broadcasters do. It limits what they can do,” Thorne said. “I hope these figures have an impact and lead them to some self-examination and change.”
Melissa Johns, a disabled actress who stars in the ITV drama Grantchester and is co-founder of the advocacy group TripleC, said that early in her career she faced discrimination from an advertiser that did not want its brand to be associated with her.
Melissa Johns says she got fewer roles in adverts because of her disability
“I was told not to expect to get many ads because people associate with what they see. They said that viewers will question if a chocolate bar is only for disabled people if they see a one-armed person eating it,” she said. “Or whether their own arm would drop off if they ate it!”
Johns added that advertisers had a powerful role to play in changing perceptions of disabled people. “Brands should ask to see a greater range of potential actors when they go to casting agencies,” she said.
Currys’ “sigh of relief” advert was praised for its inclusiveness
Currys’ “sigh of relief” ad, produced in partnership with the Royal National Institute of Blind People and featuring a shop assistant showing how technology can meet blind and partially sighted people’s accessibility needs, was singled out for praise.
Marcus Ryder, chief executive of the Film and TV Charity said the research demonstrated a need for greater diversity among advertising bosses, which would result in a more “authentic” representation of Britain.
“The findings reflect the prejudices and biases of those making the adverts. What do they think is sexy? What do they think is cool?” Ryder said.
“If [black people] are over-indexing, that speaks to the people behind the camera and reflects the fact that popular culture is dominated by African Americans, who are often seen as sexy or fashionable.”
Researchers found that more than 70 per cent of black people polled felt that companies “should do more to represent people like me” in adverts.
Ryder noted that the study highlighted “colourism”, where lighter-skinned black people featured more frequently, while those darker-skinned actors who did appear were more likely to be male and working-class.
“Diversity should always be far more than just about counting heads,” said Ryder. “Is the black person just seen as a regular dad? Sometimes it feels as if, after the age of 30, all black people die off. Bosses look at hitting targets as opposed to hitting accuracy.”
Bobi Carley, director of industry relations for ISBA, the society for advertisers, said its members were committed to being “fully representative of society”.
Although showing of ethnic groups is improving, a study reveals a stark disparity in representation of minorities
Diversity in representation of racial groups has improved in adverts, but other minorities are rarely featured
A study into the representation of minorities in television adverts has found that more than half feature black people, but disabled people remain severely underrepresented.
Jack Thorne, the creator of Adolescence, has called for “self-examination” from advertising bosses after Channel 4’s Mirror on the Industry study found that representation of the disabled, elderly and pregnant lagged well behind that for people of colour.
The research was carried out by the agency Tapestry, which for a sixth year audited the top 500 adverts across all broadcasters over two separate four-week periods.
Jack Thorne
It found that the proportion of adverts featuring black people jumped after the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, from 37 per cent in 2020 to 51 per cent in 2022, and has remained stable since.
Black people make up about 4 per cent of the population of England and Wales, according to 2021 census data.
Meanwhile people from a south Asian background appeared in 17 per cent of adverts, up from 13 per cent in 2023, and east Asians featured in 11 per cent of ads. The groups account for 8 and 1 per cent of the population respectively.
Other minority groups were less common. Despite accounting for almost 18 per cent of the population, disabled people featured in just 4 per cent of adverts last year — a proportion that has not changed since 2018.
Those categorised by researchers as LGBTQIA+ appeared 2 per cent of the time, down from the previous five-year average, and below the 3 per cent of the population they account for.
The over-70s were included in 2 per cent of adverts, while pregnant women appeared in just 0.1 per cent.
Thorne, who is autistic and previously suffered from a severe skin condition, campaigned for disabled accessibility in UK television, which led to the creation of the TV Access Project. He said that brands should follow the progressive strides being taken by broadcasters.
“It is a huge shame the advertising industry is failing to see what broadcasters do. It limits what they can do,” Thorne said. “I hope these figures have an impact and lead them to some self-examination and change.”
Melissa Johns, a disabled actress who stars in the ITV drama Grantchester and is co-founder of the advocacy group TripleC, said that early in her career she faced discrimination from an advertiser that did not want its brand to be associated with her.
Melissa Johns says she got fewer roles in adverts because of her disability
“I was told not to expect to get many ads because people associate with what they see. They said that viewers will question if a chocolate bar is only for disabled people if they see a one-armed person eating it,” she said. “Or whether their own arm would drop off if they ate it!”
Johns added that advertisers had a powerful role to play in changing perceptions of disabled people. “Brands should ask to see a greater range of potential actors when they go to casting agencies,” she said.
Currys’ “sigh of relief” advert was praised for its inclusiveness
Currys’ “sigh of relief” ad, produced in partnership with the Royal National Institute of Blind People and featuring a shop assistant showing how technology can meet blind and partially sighted people’s accessibility needs, was singled out for praise.
Marcus Ryder, chief executive of the Film and TV Charity said the research demonstrated a need for greater diversity among advertising bosses, which would result in a more “authentic” representation of Britain.
“The findings reflect the prejudices and biases of those making the adverts. What do they think is sexy? What do they think is cool?” Ryder said.
“If [black people] are over-indexing, that speaks to the people behind the camera and reflects the fact that popular culture is dominated by African Americans, who are often seen as sexy or fashionable.”
Researchers found that more than 70 per cent of black people polled felt that companies “should do more to represent people like me” in adverts.
Ryder noted that the study highlighted “colourism”, where lighter-skinned black people featured more frequently, while those darker-skinned actors who did appear were more likely to be male and working-class.
“Diversity should always be far more than just about counting heads,” said Ryder. “Is the black person just seen as a regular dad? Sometimes it feels as if, after the age of 30, all black people die off. Bosses look at hitting targets as opposed to hitting accuracy.”
Bobi Carley, director of industry relations for ISBA, the society for advertisers, said its members were committed to being “fully representative of society”.
