Ethnicity in Advertising

At Lloyds Banking Group we have a clear purpose – to help Britain prosper. This powerful commitment runs through the heart of everything we do to support the people, businesses and the communities we serve.
In 2015 we commissioned and published our Reflecting Modern Britain report – a piece of insightful research dedicated to understanding more about how advertising was reflecting Britain’s diverse society.
This highlighted that the industry was under-representing minority groups and had more work to do. The research also told us that people expect brands to represent different parts of society, and will feel more favourable towards them when they do.
Earlier this year, Lloyds Banking Group publically committed to increase the representation of B.A.M.E. (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) colleagues in senior management roles. We felt this was a good time to look deeper into how the B.A.M.E. community is reflected in advertising, so we commissioned this report ‘2018 Reflecting Modern Britain – Ethnicity in Advertising’.
These latest findings show that the UK advertising industry has improved.
The proportion of B.A.M.E. people in advertising has doubled, however only a small proportion of adverts feature people from ethnic minorities in lead roles.
Our Ethnicity in Advertising report is a fascinating read and provides insight into how advertisers could do more to authentically portray people from different ethnic groups.
It is thought provoking and driving me and my team to do more, to accurately reflect modern Britain. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope it inspires you too.
To view the report, please use the download button (top right)
Catherine Kehoe, Managing Director, Group Brands and Marketing, Lloyds Banking Group