Abstract
I was privileged to spend a week last spring at The Poynter Institute studying “Diversity across the Curriculum” under the tutelage of Lillian Dunlap, Keith Woods, and Aly Colon. Here I honor their concept of teaching diversity because it solves the problem of how to “infuse” diversity “seamlessly” throughout our curricula, rather than append diversity as a footnote. Their approach brilliantly yet simply locates diversity within core values defining craft excellence. In other words, diversity becomes indistinguishable from our highest ideals of who we are and what we do. If diversity is part of our definition of advertising excellence, then diversity becomes what we teach.
Defining Advertising Excellence
Of course, I have begged the question, “What is advertising excellence?” In journalism, for example, excellence is defined as truth, accuracy, fairness, and balance. Upon examination, diversity is already embedded within this definition because, unless the news represents diversity, it cannot be truthful or accurate. Unless reporters are sensitive to diversity, they are not being fair, and, unless the coverage accounts for diversity, it certainly is not balanced. So, to return to advertising, what do we stand for?
Reflecting on that question is a productive exercise. We might begin by thinking of advertising excellence in terms of principles, or competence/skills, or processes/practices, or our credibility and the public's confidence in what we do—all intersecting ethics. 1 But we need not reinvent the wheel. We have professional organizations to remind us of what we value. Visit the websites of the American Advertising Federation, the American Academy of Advertising, the Advertising Education Foundation, the American Association of Advertising Agencies, the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, the AEJMC Advertising Division, and the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. Each offers definitions of excellence, and most address diversity, such as ACEJMC's Standard 12. The AAF's Mosaic principles, for example, state, “Require accountability and measurable results, including data on employment and targeted ad spending to measure the industry's pace and investment in multicultural marketing and workplace diversity.”
Here I honor Bob Steele, The Poynter Institute.
Nevertheless, I am uncomfortable relying solely upon mainstream institutions to define advertising excellence. I fear an absence of the very perspectives our diversity efforts hope to include. Walking our diversity talk demands consulting minority and diversity organizations for their definitions of advertising excellence. Groups such as the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies, the Organization of Black Designers, the National Alliance of Market Developers, The Association for Women in Communication, Advertising Women of New York, and The Commercial Closet, among others, provide powerful critiques of our diversity shortcomings in advertising, as well as particular visions of excellence. The mission of the LaGrant Foundation, for example, “is to increase the number of ethnic minorities in the fields of advertising, marketing and public relations by providing scholarships, educational support, career advisement, mentors, internships and resources … not commonly available to minorities.” Indeed, I argue that if our mainstream professional organizations were truly inclusive, minority and multicultural groups would not exist, for their missions would be moot.
Beyond explicit references to diversity, doing diversity as advertising excellence means identifying ideals from which diversity always already emerges. Otherwise, diversity remains an afterthought. The key lies in understanding that words and phrases representing “people” and the “social” (audience, students, market, society, community, industry, and government, etc.) are inherently inclusive, if only we consciously would read—and practice—them that way. The 4A's mission, for example, states: “To improve and strengthen the advertising agency business in the U.S. by counseling members on operations and management, by providing the collective experience of the many to each, by fostering professional development, by encouraging the highest creative and business standards, and by attracting excellent people to the business.” Inclusive terms here include “agency business,” “the U.S.,” “collective experience of the many to each,” and “excellent people,” even as we need to question the demographics of 4A “members.” Locating diversity in advertising excellence, then, also involves continuous self-critique.
Perhaps the most profound thing I learned at Poynter was that “A Complete Picture” of excellence “makes diversity ordinary practice” (Dunlap, Woods & Colon, 2003). As a result of my personal search for a definition of advertising excellence that makes diversity ordinary practice, I offer the following:
A Complete Picture 2 of Advertising Excellence
Adapted for advertising from Dunlap, Woods & Colon (2003).
The advertising industry should reflect a complete picture of the society it emerges from and represents. Excellence in advertising honors the profession's principles of truth, creativity, fair business practice, commercial free speech, and economic support of a free, democratic, plural media serving all peoples in the United States. To be complete, thus excellent, the advertising industry must bring the broadest range of credible products, services, people, and issues before the most inclusive range of viewers, listeners, readers, and users. There are three parts to a complete advertising picture:
Inclusion in the Industry & Its Processes. Include people frequently left out of all levels of the advertising industry, its practices and its processes, particularly black peoples; Asian Americans;
The American College Personnel Association's Latin@ Network states that “the ‘@’ symbol represents the combination of the written form of ‘a/o.’ Therefore, Latin@ replaces the written form of Latina/o.” (http://www.acpa.nche.edu/comms/scma/latino/)
Serving the Underserved without Exploitation. As ordinary business practice, serve under-served consumers, audiences, populations, and markets without exploitation. Do business with independent, minority-owned, and alternative media. Address un-addressed social and economic issues.
Mitigating Bias & Prejudice in Advertising Messages. Produce messages and images free of euphemisms and stereotypes. Employ under-represented peoples and show them in their ordinariness by representing them as meaningful, contributing members of society. Be ever conscious of the dangers inherent in juxtaposed words and visuals to avoid delivering unintended messages.
Entry Points to Advertising Excellence
Each of us may develop different definitions of advertising excellence, but the objective is to (a) process the question and (b) look for diversity embedded in the answer. Moving from the theoretical to the practical, a first step to teaching diversity as advertising excellence begins with the syllabus because it functions as both map for the semester and contract with students. Send a strong message to students —and yourself. Look for opportunities to “infuse” diversity as inclusion, covering the under-covered, and mitigating bias and prejudice (Dunlap & Woods, 2002; Dunlap, Woods & Colon, 2003).
Syllabus Entry Points 4
Adapted from Dunlap & Woods (2002).
Course title: It may be as simple as adding “in a diverse society” or as complex as retooling the entire course.
Course description and objectives: Incorporate your definition of excellence.
Departmental diversity statement: My department includes the following on syllabi: “The USF School of Mass Communications complies with national accrediting standards designed to help prepare students to understand and relate to issues of interest to women and minorities in a multicultural, multi-ethnic and otherwise diverse society.”
University mission statement 5 along with policies such as accommodation of disabilities 6 and students' observance of religious holy days. 7
Example: “The University of South Florida promotes freedom, unity, democracy, and understanding in the presence of the nation's historical diversity.”
Example: “Any student with a disability is encouraged to meet with me privately during the first week of class to discuss accommodations.”
Example: “In accordance with university policy, I reasonably accommodate any student who misses class to observe a religious holy day.”
Texts and reading list: Look again at authors and content. Where are the women and people of color, for example?
Lectures, units, topics: Do they demonstrate your definition of advertising excellence? Do you cover the diversity issues, and, again, where are the women and people of color?
Additional resources, including websites and supplemental and AV materials: Ditto.
Assignments (in-class, homework, major projects/papers/presentations), including grading policies and rubrics: Emphasize and reward what you value.
Guest lecturers: Maybe it is time to rethink those invitations.
Classroom decorum 8 and sensitivity 9 statements: Make your expectations clear.
Example from my syllabi: “Decorum: Every-one in this class has a responsibility to contribute to a positive, productive classroom environment or esprit de corps. Mutual respect, tolerance, sensitivity, and good manners will prevail.”
Example from Birgit Wassmuth, Drake University: “Sensitivity and Respect: As an individual and member of this academic community, Dr. Wassmuth is strongly committed to sensitivity concerning gender, race, age, religion, sexual orientation and disability. Should you feel embarrassed or hurt by any sexist, racist or otherwise offensive remarks or behavior displayed by an instructor, guest speaker, teaching assistant or student in this class, please bring this matter to Dr. Wassmuth's attention.”
Pedagogy
Beyond syllabus and curriculum, pedagogy and classroom environment also communicate. We are wise to remind ourselves that we teach students, not courses, and mutually respectful relationships are built one student at a time. In order to appreciate students' different and multiple standpoints, we need to consciously recognize our own in terms of age, institutional power/status, sex/gender, race, ethnicity, socio-economic background, nationality, religion, first language, dis/ability, sexual orientation, etc. 10 Only then can we demonstrate an honest desire to connect despite our differences, rather than presuming to know something about their differences. Additionally, until we learn to listen for voices and silences in the classroom, we can't teach students how to do the same in the workplace.
My friend Michael Smith, a special education graduate student, shares a difficult but telling exercise: List 10 personal identity points. Then draw a pie chart, and assign each of the 10 identity points a percentage of the total you. (Self-discovery is more important than the math.)
To conclude, I am not so naïve as to believe that this solution to integrating diversity into the advertising curriculum is easy to implement. I can tell you it is hard work demanding research and planning. However, I am optimistic enough to believe that if we commit to teaching diversity as integral to advertising excellence, then students will learn to practice advertising that way. On behalf of my committed advertising colleagues, thanks, Poynter.