28 Mar Exclusion of black-owned agencies still an issue in advertising industry

FILE IMAGE: Advertising Regulatory Board CEO Gail Schimmel testifies at the SAHRC inquiry into allegations of discrimination in the advertising industry on March 15, 2022 in Johannesburg, South Africa. This comes after several submissions of racial discrimination were given to the institution by the public, advertising agencies, retailers, and regulatory bodies. Image: Gallo Images/Luba Lesolle The SA Human Rights Commission recently held an inquiry into the advertising industry. The five-day inquiry, held in Rosebank, Johannesburg, focused on the production chain in the advertising sector to look at ways to eliminate racism, tribalism, homophobia and sexism, among other forms of discrimination. There is no doubt that reform is needed. The problem is not so much racial discrimination in the advertisements. If we are being honest, since the TRESemmé and H&M incidents two years ago, we have not really had another racism incident. The biggest problem is the racial exclusion of […]