Open up the industry - more millenials need a chance

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I also enjoy using this platform catching up on the pop culture side of things both in terms of the local and international scene. But most of all, I prefer this platform as a tool we as millennials use to exchange ideas and conversations with those who have been in the industry for years and who have a wealth of knowledge. Let me unpack this further.

So not so long ago I was perusing the Twitter streets, as one does, and I came across a tweet that was posted by an industry great and veteran which really got me thinking. It read something like this:

“Diversity of ideas is the new creative economy. And it can only be achieved through having diverse minds in the room.”

It also validated the daily approach that we adopt around changing how clients and consumers see their product and how it is advertised and positioned. Fun at most times but tougher in some instances.

Break the barriers around creativity

I think more than anything, this commentary spoke to a broader issue we face in the industry around who is allowed in the boardrooms that come up with these solutions. And are they in fact aligned with what audiences and consumers are looking for on the ground.

It also spoke to the fact that we need to break the barriers around creativity and allow ideas to flow so that we are able to produce solutions that will take our economy forward. Many have commented on the issue of transformation and how we need to see diversity in the industry. But are we really seeing enough of this?

My take is that we are slowly making strides but we need more advocates who will speak to the much broader issues like the inclusion of more women in the boardrooms, black, great minds in positions of making decisions but most importantly for more amazing millennials in position of leadership leading the process of creative solves.

This is largely driven by the understanding that the audiences and people that will continue supporting the work we do, are millennials and we need to speak to them in a way that will resonate and ultimately make a difference.

In essence, if we are aiming to acknowledge and lead with the thinking that “diversity of ideas is the new creative economy. And that it can only be achieved through having diverse minds in the room,” we need to have broader conversations around how we can open up the industry to make it more inclusive.