The Advertising Association, ISBA and the IPA are launching the third All In Census today (12 March) to encourage the industry to measure its progress on inclusion.

Figures from the last survey, shared in 2023, showed there is still considerable work to be done to improve marketing’s talent and skills gap.

The industry has undergone a lot of change in two years. In response to this, the census will ask questions around AI and how it is impacting effectiveness and productivity, as well as more detailed questions on hybrid working and caring responsibilities following insight that 17% of marketing professionals take on caring responsibilities. 

Anyone working in UK marketing roles can take part here anonymously. The first survey in 2021 recorded 16,000 responses, followed by 19,000 in 2023. The advertising and marketing trade bodies hope 2025 will attract even more responses.

Entries are also now open for Marketing Week’s Talent Trailblazer award. Marketing Week has teamed up with the Advertising Association for a third year to spotlight organisations that have opened up marketing to diverse talent.

Creative agency John Doe Group won last year for its Unlocked Internship Programme. Launched in the summer of 2023, the programme aims to kickstart opportunities for emerging talent looking to join the UK’s creative industries, based on insight that young people from low-income backgrounds are massively underrepresented.

Marketers urged to ‘crack industry open’ to older talent as study confirms youth bias

Since the census launched in 2021, 140 businesses have signed up as All In Champions, committed to implementing the All In Action Plan and improving representation and retention within UK marketing’s workforce.

One such brand is Tesco. “At Tesco, everyone is welcome. There’s a place for everyone, whoever you are and whatever you do, and we want to attract and retain brilliant and diverse marketing talent,” says marketing director for Tesco UK, Murray Bisschop. “The data from the All In Census helps us understand how best to do this.”

In 2023, the All In Census revealed some progress, but also harsh truths on what the industry should be doing better.

Around three-quarters of marketers were below the age of 45, underlining the industry’s youth bias problem. Just over one in 10 (12%) of respondents within the 55 to 64 age bracket said they felt personally discriminated against due to their age.

Discussing the data, Boots CMO Pete Markey said there was a need to “crack the industry open” to older and more diverse talent.

The census also asked questions around the experience of going through the menopause in the industry. Around one in four women surveyed said they would not feel comfortable approaching their manager about menopausal symptoms. Almost three in 10 (29%) women felt their gender was a hindrance to their progression in the marketing and advertising industry.