Why we need more working-class creatives

Would you launch a campaign to tackle the challenges and stigmatisation of menstruation without a single woman in the room?

Would you pitch to a car client with an entire team made up of people who don't even have a driving licence?

OK, now let’s say you’ve just landed the next big beer brand brief. Would you bank on a bunch of teetotalers to create a campaign that delivers your Q4 sales targets?

Good luck getting inside the minds of beer lovers when you don't know the first thing about cracking open a cold one yourself!

Then why is it, when 49% of the nation consider themselves to be working-class, do we fill our agencies with everyone but working-class people?

We want (and need) the work we create to connect with the real consumer on the street and that’s the working classes – who by the way have immense buying power. They should feel like they are understood.

That we know how they ‘live, laugh, love’. And yeah, by all means feel free to turn your nose up at the fact I’ve just used that phrase, but did you know that phrase used on homewares is the number one selling range at B&M?

And if you don’t know what B&M is, you’ve sort of just proved my entire point.

As an industry, we pride ourselves on being ‘open’, yet we’ve become blind to the huge disparity of class diversity within our agencies. We’re forgetting the true benefits that come from a team that is truly diverse.

Think about it: working-class folks understand the struggles, dreams and desires of their own communities in a way that's totally unique. They've been through it all and know what real life is like.

By embracing those perspectives, we can create campaigns that feel genuine, relatable and downright powerful.

Not forgetting that by creating opportunities for people who are currently being overlooked, we also open ourselves up to readdressing the balance within other areas of diversity and inclusion.

So why has the number of working-class people in the creative industries reduced by nearly half in a relatively short space of time? Well, when I look back on my own experience it’s not too difficult to see some of the near impossible challenges that stand in the way.

Coming from a working-class family in the Black Country, the option of my parents being able to help fund my ridiculous dreams of moving to London and working in advertising was a non-starter.

If I really wanted to move, rent a place and work for agencies that mostly offered unpaid placements I’d have to figure it out myself.

I was lucky enough to have a job that meant I could save for the first three months in London and naive/stupid enough that I thought I’d figure out a plan after that.

But it’s not hard to see why this is an instant non-starter for so many. Think of all the incredibly talented people we’ve lost and the campaigns that will never be because we expected a generation to go to university, get themselves into untold amounts of debt and then move to one of the most expensive cities on the planet and work for free.

If ever there was a model to create a talent pool of privilege, that’s it.

Luckily, today most agencies don’t expect you to work for your travel fare and as much free toast as you can eat, but I fear the divide and damage has already been done.

So, what's the plan? We need to break down the barriers that keep working-class talent from getting into and rising up in creative fields.

Scholarships, mentorship programs, internships – they’re all brilliant, but we must make them more accessible and targeted towards those from underprivileged backgrounds. Why are they all aimed at graduates and not school leavers?

Let's team up with organisations that champion class diversity and provide support networks for aspiring creatives. If you’re looking for one, Brixton Finishing School is great.

It understands that more diverse teams produce better returns and different types of thinking mean new perspectives, fresh ideas and better results.

But it's not just about policies and programs. We need to create a culture that celebrates diversity too. We've got to foster an environment where all voices are not only welcome but celebrated.

It's about having real conversations, challenging our own biases, and giving everyone an equal shot at success. By embracing diversity in every sense, including class, we'll build a workplace that's as diverse as our society itself.

And you know what? That's where creativity, innovation, and empathy thrive.

So, when looking towards your next agency addition, maybe reconsider choosing the son of the MD’s golfing partner, and instead find someone who’s coming from the same world as your client’s biggest audience.

Dan Roberts, creative director, The Romans.