ISBA and Opinium launch latest representation in advertising tracker

ISBA is committed to working towards an industry that is respectful of the diverse characteristics of both the people that work within our industry and those it seeks to serve. 

The ninth, and latest wave of our Representation in Advertising study has launched. It tracks perceived representation of different groups within modern British society in TV advertising, signalling an improvement in representation and success of this across individual sectors and the advertising industry at large. 

After four years, the study has seen steady, rising trends in TV advertising better representing groups with protected characteristics.

The key highlights from this wave of research include: 

Chart show 45% of respondents agree that TV adverts do a good job of representing all groups within British society (e.g. ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, etc)
  • Over the last four years, we have seen an increase in TV ads doing a good job of representing all groups within British society from 42% in March 2020 when the tracker started, to 45% in the last wave. 
  • LGBTQ+ and Black community see themselves more authentically represented on TV advertising.
TV adverts do a good job of representing all groups within British society (e.g. ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, etc)

You can see the full deck and results here

These results show there is still much work to do in ensuring advertising is truly representative. ISBA and the members of our Inclusion Network are committed to changing this for the better, and believe that tackling the issue of under-representation and lack of diversity in advertising is simply non-negotiable.

To assist you with your own efforts to ensure your brand’s advertising is fully representative of the British society, we have worked with Flock to produce a best practice guide for brands. This and many more resources can be found on our Diversity and Inclusion Hub.