Luke AG - Using poetry to question Diversity & Inclusion within the creative industries.
“No one expects to hear a poem about diversity in marketing. That’s why, I hope, it’ll start making a change.”
– Luke AG
Luke AG is a poet, writer, public speaker, and change maker. He’s currently heading the Diversity & Inclusion team at VCCP, and if his recent TEDx talk is anything to go by, then we can expect to see him make real, inclusive, change happen in the creative industries.
We got in touch with Luke to chat about his concept ‘The Camera Lens Conundrum’, how to address Diversity & Inclusion across the creative industries, and why using poetry as a medium to talk about D&I will make people listen.
1. We watched your very engaging TEDx talk which we highly recommend, can you tell us more about your idea ‘The Camera Lens Conundrum’?
Whenever we talk about ethnic diversity in our industry it’s seen as a problem, but rarely a solution. Diversity has become a buzzword that is referenced in agency manifestos and recruitment objectives, but it is a conversation that often makes us feel like we’re part of a guilty party or victimised group.
We all know that diversity is important. The business case is indisputable and has been clearly articulated by many industry leaders, the IPA, and dozens of academic or business papers.
Ultimately, consumers are changing; by 2045, the BAME population of the UK will be double what it is now, and it’s more important than ever to understand our society’s multicultural bubbles.
When talking about diversity in our industry, we tend to pose the question: "Why can’t people from multicultural backgrounds work in our industry?" Often, we turn to those belonging to ethnic minority groups to answer this question. It’s a question that I’ve been trying to answer myself ever since getting a job in ‘adland’ in 2017…
Why can’t the people behind the lens be as diverse as the people in front of it?
This question is what I call The Camera Lens Conundrum.
Photo Credit: TED x Royal Tunbridge Wells & Frankie Julian
2. What is one piece of advice you would give to businesses who want to see systemic change and are working to improve D&I?
Diversity and Inclusion is often seen as a term that unites two distinct concepts: 1) Diversity 2) Inclusion.
For me, a helpful metaphor is this: Diversity is opening the door, inclusion is being invited up the stairs. For many of us who climb the first few stairs and take a look up at who’s on the landing, we don’t often see anyone like us, and run back out the front door.
Change comes with aspiration. There is such limited diversity in the senior management of our industry, it feels unlikely that I will ever become a chief executive of an advertising agency.
When I was younger, I looked at the music charts, famous dancers, singers and models, and I did see people like me, and they became my role models. If we had more role models behind the camera, more of us would aspire to work in the creative industries.
That means that opening the door and inviting people up the stairs is only as important as a welcoming party on the first floor. Instead of us asking "why can’t people from diverse backgrounds work in our industry?", let’s start asking, "‘Why should they want to?".
“There are many brands and companies that talk about D&I, but they rarely walk the walk. As consumers, and outsiders, we’re getting better at sniffing out who is using diversity as a marketing strategy, and who is genuinely fighting for the cause. ”
Photo Credit: TED x Royal Tunbridge Wells & Frankie Julian
3. Is there an organisation or brand that you want to highlight who is doing great work around diversity and inclusion?
Channel 4 are making real waves with their embrace of diversity. For them, diversity is their point of difference and the reason they’ll do well. They don’t see diversity as something that can be solved with casting directors, or multicultural affinity groups, but through radical inclusion on both sides of the lens.
There are many brands and companies that talk about D&I, but they rarely walk the walk. As consumers, and outsiders, we’re getting better at sniffing out who is using diversity as a marketing strategy, and who is genuinely fighting for the cause.
4. You are a published poet and spoken word artist. Can you tell us about the importance of this as a personal platform? Is there a piece you are particularly proud of that you would like to share with us?
Poetry has always been a tool for me. I love writing, but poetry helps me distill big ideas into something a lot more tangible and simple. Rhyme helps people remember. Across our industry, we see dozens of D&I articles, thousands of webinars and a tonne of confused, shouty voices. Poetry cuts through. It’s different. No one expects to hear a poem about diversity in marketing. That’s why, I hope, it’ll start making a change. My TED talk was my first experiment in marrying poetry and D&I, and I’ve got a lot more I want to try.
I started using poetry to explore my identity. I wrote a poem called Half-Stereotype which talked about the struggle with being mixed-race in the UK. That poem gave me confidence in writing, and also taking a triggering topic and turning it into something a lot more tangible and soft. Poetry is my venting system, but also my way of sharing my thoughts. I sometimes struggle to put words to paper, but a lot easier to rhyme on stage.