Conversation and education are vital steps when working toward improved diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in any industry. Chung developed the first-ever VAB Diversity Leadership Summit, which ran for a week in June. “The summit aimed to illuminate how marketers can approach their decision-making around diversity, inclusion and belonging to bring about real, lasting change,” she says. “We wanted to provide actionable takeaways to help people in the industry think differently about how to create a more inclusive mindset.” Chung and her team secured more than 30 speakers with fresh and varied perspectives and created a comprehensive marketing campaign. In the end, the inaugural summit had more than 500 participants, brought in two new VAB members and saw significant incremental sponsorship revenue.
Do you think there has been significant progress on DEI in the industry in the past year?
There has definitely been progress, as there has been improvement in the industry on the awareness of diversity and what equity and inclusion actually means. Brands have begun to enhance the authenticity of their communications, improve their cultural relevancy, and increase their diverse representation and inclusivity in their campaigns. There has also been a growing importance of connecting through culture, creating quality connections that lead to incremental impact. At the VAB, we have seen proven success for brands that have more diverse representation and inclusivity in their marketing. Marketers have begun to truly embrace this inclusivity – seeing the proof that “doing good” impacts their bottom line, correlating inclusion to business outcomes.
How have you been a champion of diversity, equity, and inclusion?
I am proud to work for an organization that has always been committed to embracing equality and supporting efforts of diversity and inclusion – both in our work and in the workplace. In June, we hosted the VAB IMPACT Diversity Leadership Summit – with the goal of inspiring actionable shifts in mindset and offering practical guidance through new voices and fresh perspectives. The summit aimed to illuminate how marketers can approach their decision-making around diversity, inclusion and belonging to bring about real, lasting change. Through this event, we wanted to provide actionable takeaways to help people in the industry think differently about how to create a more inclusive mindset. We also chose to shine a light on younger industry leaders that are advancing the ideals of diversity and inclusion. The topics covered at the event were meant to inspire people to effect change and spark meaningful action in the workplace, industry, community and in their personal lives.
My best advice for fostering open, honest communication…
Sometimes starting the conversation is the hardest part. Accept that you don’t have all of the answers, and allow yourself to start with a beginner’s mindset that can lead you on the path to openness and empathy. Understanding that there are differences between all of us is the first step to addressing the need for communication. Any type of bias we may have comes from witnessing learned experiences that we must uncover in order to be able to connect on deeper levels – and we should prepare ourselves to have some unlearning to do. Unraveling thoughts about your own culture and background, including taking a look at your own insecurities, limiting beliefs or self-doubts helps as well. Because some issues are systemic, we have to acknowledge them, unravel them and figure out why and how they became – and the more you know, the more you will be more open to diverse and multi-cultures. Companies should not shy away from talking about diversity and inclusion. Senior leaders play an important role in setting the tone and influencing company culture, and can have on-going formal and informal conversation between leadership and employees – which is important to fostering an inclusive and open work environment, empowering diverse voices to speak up. And most importantly, don’t make assumptions, always ask questions and be curious.
