DE&I: Accelerating Change with Bukola Garry

Bukola’s expertise in the culture space over the past 15 years has helped brands tap into millennial and gen z audiences by aligning them with black and marginalised culture in an authentic way. Storytelling is at the heart of everything she does, working with emerging artists, collectives and brands to deliver credible, stand out activations and experiences including GUAP Gala, Blanguage’s Live At Sunset, Virgin Media, O2, adidas and Ballantine’s.

LBB> What drew you to the field of DE&I? 

Bukola> It happened quite organically. I had been working in media planning and creative strategy and specialised in target audience exploration. At the time tools were limited and TGI touchpoints was as robust as it got. Therefore, being able to layer audience profiles with lived experiences, and more diverse perspectives through my own networks added richness to our campaigns. Working in this way, I became acutely aware of the lack of diversity in the room, lead to a lack of diversity in thought and therefore became intentional about being a voice that challenged ‘sameness’. 

Simultaneously, I was the only black woman in the room for most of my career. I unfortunately experienced the laziness of stereotype and limited imaginations of an agency / industry that did not value the contributions of someone who looked like me. Everything was twice as hard for half as much. Having to recite my CV in every room, to help everyone else understand why I was there became frustrating and tiring. The WhatsApp group with the few other black employees, was not enough safety and I found myself wanting more from an industry that I loved but didn’t love me back.

LBB> Before it became your job role, what was your specialism? And how did you get involved?

Bukola> I always knew I wanted to work in advertising in some capacity. I studied marketing, advertising and PR. My first role was at Xerox as a marketing executive, then I joined a graduate scheme at Zenith Optimedia. 

Working as a media planner on P&G (2010), which at the time was the world’s top advertiser, taught me a lot about client service, account management and strategy. They had high standards and expected work to be delivered with thought leadership and integrity. By the time I joined Havas in my first full time DEI role (2018), I had a broad level understanding of the needs of both a client and an agency and what the different levers were that would lead to action. Now I’m at M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment in a role that’s both internally and client-led which combines all of my skills and enables me to bring a fresh perspective to how the agency model looks. 

LBB> There’s a lot of frustration around the industry’s glacial pace when it comes to improving DE&I across all sorts of axes. What’s getting in the way?

Bukola> Archaic ways of working and processes that create unnecessary barriers. Everything from long payment terms that don’t support new / small / minority-owned businesses to lack of representation in senior / decision making roles that can action change (not just advocate for it).

Binary thinking and limited imaginations about the opportunity and value that diversity and inclusion brings – the evidence is there; we’ve seen the numerous amounts or reports on both the business case and the people case. What more convincing is needed?

Reduced or removed investment means DEI professionals are expected to operate without resource, or support and no real infrastructure or long-term strategy can exist. We are still relying on volunteers and ‘free’ time to deliver work in this space.

LBB> Outside of the advertising industry, where do you see examples of large-scale meaningful progress (if at all), and what should our industry learn from it?

Bukola> A brand that is often top of the list for their DEI efforts is Ben & Jerry’s. Ultimately, they sell ice-cream. However, they have a long legacy of social activism, using their power as a corporation to make change. They are a brand that is both responsive and reactive to social injustice, unafraid to use their platforms to speak up. They are informed about where and how they can drive impact by the people and partners they engage with so don’t often get it wrong and they are action-led rather than intention-led.

LBB> The dimensions of DE&I can differ somewhat according to geographic/cultural context - I’m curious, where you’re based, what are the big issues or most urgent elements of DE&I that you need to address? (And if your role covers more than one market/territory, how do you and your team navigate the local nuances while having a cohesive and consistent set of values?)

Bukola> I’m based in London however I have experience working in both global and local markets. Working in a global role, one of the biggest challenges is that ‘global’ can often be predicated on Western cultural references. There is a gap in understanding of the more nuanced and expansive cultures outside of the UK & US but also a lack of knowledge on the complex legal landscape that can prevent even the basic capture of demographics. The importance of local representation / contribution to DEI strategies is key to successful implementation.

My current role as head of cultural impact at M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment is future-proofed and evolved from the more generalist work of DEI. The role of cultural impact is more deliberate as it is understood as an imperative rather than an option, to not only what we do, but how we do it. The role exists to drive impact both internally; aiming to positively impact our people ensuring we create an agency culture that values who we are as well as what we do, and externally; aiming to impact the way we show up in culture across passions, ensuring the work we deliver is more representative, authentic, and equitable. 

This role ensures that our cultural impact doesn’t end when a campaign does. It’s a commitment to doing work that’s integrity driven and truly benefits the community. 

LBB> In your role, what have been some of the most meaningful projects or policies you’ve been involved in regarding DE&I?

Bukola> We (M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment) recently published our report ‘Fandom is Dead. Welcome to Fancom. Fancom is our term for coalescing fan communities with intersectional passions who are discerning, borderless and co-authors of the spaces they occupy. The report highlights that gone are the days of homogenised, single minded, inherently un-inclusive fandoms. We're making way for rich, layered expressions of culture defining fans communities. This approach is redefining how we partner brands with consumers and passions spaces, in new, unexpected, disruptive ways.

Looking back, while at Havas I wrote the Press Pause manifesto, recognised by the IPA in 2020, promoting it as an industry-wide initiative in challenging problematic language and behaviour while navigating the creative value chain and client relationships. While at adam&eve I was instrumental to the success of their best work of the year; #WeThe15 turned the world purple, shining a light on disability inclusion, The Midnight Ramadan League in FIFA gave a voice to British South Asian footballers and Skittles were re-coloured for Pride.

LBB> What role are clients playing in holding agencies accountable and driving better DE&I (e.g. via RFPs)? Is this something you are seeing or would like to see more of?

Bukola> Client engagement is necessary as ultimately agencies are in service to clients, and they direct the flow of work, and opportunities via briefs. While we can be proactive and push for better representation, and more equitable decision making, client sign off determines how far we can push / progress. The best-case scenario is shared values, ambitions and KPIs, that mean we work with intention and understanding of where we are credible to deliver authentic impactful work. 

LBB> We often see DE&I siloed or pigeonholed as an HR issue - what’s the key to ensure that it’s embraced as an agency-wide or industry-wide responsibility?

Bukola> This perspective demonstrates a lack of understanding of the ecosystem of DEI and the role of the work across all areas of the business. The work to be done are for individual agencies and clients to interrogate the role of DEI. The evidence is out there so if this is the stance, I’d assume a lack of priority and focus. 

LBB> What are your thoughts about where accessibility fits in the DE&I agenda?

Bukola> I think less about agendas and more about what resource / infrastructure exists to ensure action. Accessibility requires more than narratives, there are fundamental changes that need to be made, policies and processes that need to exist to ensure access and an equitable experience. I think we get caught up in just the ‘talking’ of issues and should find what we can do. Even if we start small, it can open up the opportunity and doors for long term meaningful change.

LBB> Covid-19 changed things up across the industry. On the one hand it opened up remote working opening up opportunities to those who can’t afford city living, but on the other hand it’s had a notably negative impact on other groups, notably mothers. Now that some time has passed since the extremes of lockdowns in most territories, what’s your assessment of the positives and negatives to come out of that time of disruption?

Bukola> I think life after lockdown has presented an opportunity for more transparency about the different ways different people experience life and what matters to them (unapologetically). The response has been a myriad of trial and error polices and initiatives to create the best balance, but what I think matters most, is the autonomy and agency of individuals to determine what works for them and that agencies trust their employees. There’s no one size fits all, there never was therefore the ability to find a working environment and culture that works for you is key. Nowhere is perfect, but I think we’re in a better place where flexible working is less taboo, and more a standard.

LBB> What resources/platforms/programmes have you found useful on your DE&I journey and would recommend to our readers?

Bukola>

Utopia

The Other Box 

TING

Blanguage

POCC

Outvertising 

Stonewall

Free the Work

LBB> If you’d like our readers to take one thing away from this interview what would it be?

Small acts of consistency are key.