Assembly’s Partners for Progress Promises Measurable DEI Results
Global omnichannel media agency Assembly is putting its money where its mouth is: The Stagwell subsidiary just announced an investment program that will directly support minority-owned and operated businesses, creating a cohesive way for clients to reach underserved consumers.
The Partners for Progress program will see Assembly serve as a partner for clients looking to deliver on their DEI initiatives, ensuring that not only are minority businesses seeing sustained investment, but that clients have measurable accountability in reaching DEI goals.
"Proper representation has measurable benefits in our industry and beyond, and it's critical that we continue to invest in and champion levers that advance underrepresented communities," says Rick Acampora, Global COO of Assembly. "We are committed to doing the work and welcome the opportunity to partner with like-minded companies to drive true progress. Our business depends on it."
The ad business has for years understood the need for more diverse and inclusive practices, but progress has been slow in an industry still dominated by a single demographic. "We need to move beyond intention and design standards and principles that truly support underrepresented and under-recognized communities," says Shannon Pruitt, Chief Content and Partnerships Officer for Stagwell Brand Performance Network.
One issue in ensuring a fully diverse and inclusive from creative brief through execution is that there are so many points of fragmentation in the creative and media supply chains. To that end, Assembly’s Partners for Progress has a three-pronged approach:
Brand Strategy and Operations – Assembly will work with partners to update strategic briefs to ensure diversity is central to client campaigns and usher in diverse suppliers through memberships with organizations like the National Minority Supplier Diversity Council (NMSDC).
Media and Marketing Investment – Assembly will partner with companies to drive internal commitments about dedicating media spend to minority-owned and operated companies and public declarations that ensure external accountability. Assembly will also partner on solutions to payment terms that minimize the burden on small businesses and alleviate the obstacles minority-owned media faces in reaching scale. And the agency is working on a solution aimed at reducing the pay equity gap within the creator community through partnerships with companies like Spotter, the top provider of creator-friendly growth capital.
Research and Audience Insights – Powered by the agency's proprietary martech platform STAGE, Assembly will develop tools to access diversity and nuanced audience resonance across clients' advertising in-market and help brands fine-tune audience development with dedicated research and deep insights into diverse groups and the intersectionality wherein.
“Partners for Progress allows Assembly to leverage our sustained relationships with global brands to ask different questions, have different conversations, and find new ways to enable impact, investment, and opportunities for diverse companies and communities," says Pruitt.
