*This is the first article in the Diversity in Digital series by The Tech Effect, published once per month.

“What’s your mission?” 

That’s a question that every brand and agency in the Canadian advertising and marketing industry asks itself. 

For The Tech Effect, the answer lies in supporting entrepreneurs and preparing early-career professionals for meaningful employment in tech and marketing through its services, resources, training, mentorship and career advancement opportunities.

Diversity, inclusivity and training are key in this goal to contribute towards closing the digital skills gap and providing access to core transferable skills that apply to the future job market. We, at The Tech Effect, are proud that our mission aligns with the Canadian advertising and marketing industry’s need to embrace diversity, value BIPOC and non-Canadian perspectives and create mentorship opportunities for the community. 

A recent survey conducted by People of Colour in Advertising and Marketing (POCAM) points to this effect.

POCAM’s Visible & Vocal study sampled 309 BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) working in marketing or advertising in Canada to understand their lived experiences in the industry. More than half of the respondents (52%) were not born in the country. This puts a spotlight on the role of immigration in Canada’s future.

The 2016 Census indicated that 21.9% of Canadians were immigrants. This number will continue to increase significantly. Canada will seek to welcome over 1.2 million new immigrants over the next three years, as stated in the Immigration Levels Plan 2021-2023. According to Statistics Canada, by 2031, nearly half (46%) of Canadians aged 15 and older could be foreign born or could have at least one foreign-born parent, up from 39% in 2006.

Clearly, the country is changing. Its advertising and marketing audience is changing. And it’s important for agencies to reflect that change in their work and workforce alike. 

According to POCAM’s study, with the demographic projections expecting the number of immigrants in Canada to increase, the default depictions of Canadians that brands have relied on for long will become increasingly irrelevant. Agencies that don’t incorporate the immigrant BIPOC experiences and perspectives “are either not going to be around or absorbed by another agency very soon” says Chasson Gracie, director of insights and analytics at John St., who helped POCAM with the report.

We are an education and talent development ecosystem for entrepreneurs and digital marketers at various stages throughout their journey. Through mentorship, coaching, and collaborative learning, we create an environment where community members can thrive.

Kareem Perez, founder, The Tech Effect

The results of the Visible & Vocal study also showcase that the BIPOC advertising and marketing workforce is relatively young, with 56% of respondents having 10 years of experience or less, and only 10% of respondents holding management or executive positions. This further calls for eliminating discrimination and developing training and mentorship programs, especially as 78% of BIPOC in the study shared that they do not have a mentor or sponsor at work.

As a Digital Marketing Talent Accelerator and Incubator, The Tech Effect has been providing training, mentorship and career advancement opportunities to diverse talent in the digital marketing and tech community through workshops, training, and the ongoing Digital Mentorship Circle, which aims at helping marketing professionals find meaningful employment.

Come, connect with us. We would love to support you in elevating your skills, building your network and discovering your passion.