Findings of landmark study prove that progressive advertising drives growth

Publish Date: Jun 18, 2024

Cannes, 18. 06. 2024 – The Unstereotype Alliance, an industry-led initiative convened by UN Women, is at Cannes International Festival of Creativity to preview the first-ever global study proving that consistent and progressive advertising can drive sales and growth.

In a first for the industry, leading advertisers and members of the Unstereotype Alliance including Bayer Consumer Healthcare, Diageo, Mars Incorporated, Mondelez International and Unilever provided proprietary data for the study. The Alliance already understood the social benefits of more diverse advertising and predicted ROI, but wanted to better understand its effects on business performance and sales. The initial research findings, analysed by Saïd Business School at Oxford University, empirically prove its positive impact.

The full results of the study will be published in a report launching in September 2024, however attendees at Cannes Lions will be able to hear about the initial findings and the social issues currently affecting the industry. 

The Unstereotype Alliance, alongside a selection of members across the world’s leading brands and advertisers, will host several panel discussions at the festival to highlight the challenges and the long-term opportunities for growth from progressive advertising. The sessions include:

  • Inclusion = Income: The Business Case for Progressive Advertising. TUESDAY 18th JUNE, 15:15 - 15:45 CEST – Rotonde Main Stage.

  • OutrAGE: Addressing Ageism in Advertising. WEDNESDAY 19th JUNE, 15:00 - 16:00 CEST - IPG, Common Ground, at The Carlton Hotel

  • Protecting the DE&I in AI. THURSDAY 20th JUNE, 10:30 - 11:15 CEST – World Women Foundation atCanopy by Hilton. ( REGISTER here)

  • Are We Leaving Men and Boys Behind? THURSDAY 20th JUNE, 15:00 - 16:00 CEST. Yahoo Beach, Martinez Beach.

Sara Denby, Head of the Unstereotype Alliance Secretariat at UN Women, said: “The Unstereotype Alliance was created to drive positive social change through more inclusive advertising and positive representations of our communities. We believe that progressive advertising can act as a force for good and now, we can definitively prove that it is also good for business. I look forward to discussing the initial findings at Cannes, and their significance for the industry.”  

Andrew Stephen AM, L’Oréal Professor of Marketing, Deputy Dean for Faculty and Research, Director of the Oxford Future of Marketing Initiative commented: “Understanding the impact of diversity and inclusion in marketing is an important question for many businesses, who want to both do right by their customers and do what’s best for their business. We are excited to see the early results of our global study provide strong, empirical proof that diversity and business growth are in perfect alignment.”

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