Sophie Maldonado, Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at GMR Marketing, speaks on supporting intersectional perspectives throughout the creative process, and how brands can shift the paradigm.
How do you make space and support your employees in marginalized communities, beyond hiring?
Beyond hiring, GMR Marketing has taken significant steps to create space and support for StoryMakers (our employees) in marginalized communities through our employee resource groups (ERGs). In 2022, GMR refreshed its decade-long ERG platform with an eye towards addressing the specific needs, challenges, and barriers faced by historically underserved identities. The ERGs are designed to be for-member, by-member communities, ensuring that StoryMakers have a voice in shaping the mission and scope of these groups. Our ERGs have proven to be vital spaces for StoryMakers to connect, network, share experiences, and support one another.
As a complement to our ERG platform, we also honor commemorative months through reflections from our executive leaders, offer celebratory events and educational DEI programs, and host several formal and informal learning opportunities to grow our StoryMakers’ cultural fluency and curiosity. By offering this full suite of opportunities for the agency to learn and grow with one another, we’ve been able to build a supportive workplace culture that is open, curious, and appreciative of difference.
In what ways does your team ensure that diverse, intersectional perspectives and ideas are included in the creative process?
To embed diverse, intersectional perspectives into the creative process, we have been very intentional about our approach to our People and our Processes.
From a people standpoint, we are deliberate in striving for diverse representation within all levels of our agency. Change doesn’t happen magically, so we actively support underrepresented groups through development and advancement opportunities. For us it’s not just about the creative output, our allegiance is ensuring our people feel included across the entire employee lifecycle. We hold ourselves accountable by tracking our progress through KPIs such as hiring, representation, promotions, and turnover – all evaluated through the lens of different demographics.
From a process standpoint, whether it is a new project for an existing client or a brand-new RFP, we apply a DEI lens to our work at various points in the creative process. Far too often, we see agencies bringing in a DEI lens at the final hour – focused only on catching red flags and not meaningfully impacting the work. Through our approach, we require StoryMakers to be intentional on identifying how we can make a client solution more culturally real, relevant, and resonant with our audiences.
Calendar holidays and honorary months put a momentary spotlight on marginalized communities, creating a wave of temporary support and celebration. While this is a positive step, the industry agrees that authenticity comes through consistent engagement. What can brands do to maintain continuous connection with groups?
Honorary months are important, but they should be just one aspect of a brand’s larger DEI commitment. At GMR, we follow a DEI by Design model which empowers us to integrate DEI within three key areas of our business: our client work, our workplace culture, and our people. For us, continuous connection with marginalized communities dictates a relentless dedication to leveraging our platforms and influence for good in all areas of our business.
One of our DEI Guiding Principles is, Never be Neutral on Issues of Inequity and Human Rights. Through our DEI by Design model, we are continuously pushing the envelope and identifying opportunities to foster connection and build trust with communities that are often subjected to inequity and injustice. When asked what brands can do to maintain continuous connection with groups, my advice is to focus on how you can leverage your existing platforms to shine a light on issues of inequity that otherwise goes overlooked and unnoticed. With a large sphere of influence, brands can change the tides in meaningful ways by harnessing their power to change the paradigm.
Which brands do you see as true agents of change, across the full spectrum of DEI, including social issues? How do they inspire you?
I continue to be impressed with some of the great work of our GMR clients who are dedicated to challenging the status quo and shifting the spotlight to issues that matter. One such client is Nissan which has done incredible work to increase awareness around the issues impacting the LGBTQIA+ community. Despite our ever-changing political landscape, Nissan hasn’t taken their foot off the gas (pun intended) and continues to renew their commitment to ensuring their internal policies and external brand story acknowledges their support of the LGBTQIA+ community.
They are also uniquely focused on elevating minority-owned media and production companies. In 2021, Nissan made a commitment to transform how it invests in minority-owned media. This required outside-of-the-box thinking to ensure their dollars were landing with minority-owned properties and not just minority-targeted media.
During a time when brands are under immense public scrutiny, I turn my attention to those brands like Nissan who demonstrate the courage to stand up for what they believe in at any cost. Relentless dedication in the face of resistance is what is required to be a true agent of change.