Diversity in agencies: exploring the idea of 'doing different'

Staff members at Livity South Africa. Photograph: Uma Ramiah/PR

13 years ago, I decided to do something different. I quit my job at a traditional Soho agency and teamed up with someone very unlike me. Together, we set about trying to create an agency that would make a difference – an agency with a soul.

We set up shop in Brixton, where a local youth worker named us after the Rastafarian concept for the positive life force that flows through all people and living things: Livity.

During the intervening years, something amazing happened. Our “differentness” slowly evolved from being the thing that held us back, to the key to our success: the thing that confused people, to the thing that attracted them most. It took us from two people with one computer and no clients, to more than 73 people doing amazing work for dozens of clients and a thriving sister company in South Africa. It was also the thing that made it possible for me, finally, to feel able to take a step back and reflect on what got us here and what I want my own role to become next.

So what was it that we did that was so different?

First, we’re proud to have a social mission – “to measurably improve the lives of young people” – written into our memorandum of articles at Companies House. We measure this with as much robustness and ambition as our finances.

We embraced the advantages of being audience-specific and discipline-neutral. We took co-creation and ethnography to new levels by creating a space that brings dozens of young people into our offices every day – and we’ve been rated excellent by Ofsted.

Livity is one of the most diverse agencies in the UK, across a range of measures including gender balance and ethnicity, according to a recent member survey by the Marketing Agencies Association (MAA). But this hasn’t come about because of any politically correct box-ticking or pro-active policies. It has simply been a by-product of the genuine belief that the more we reflect on the world around us, the better equipped we will be to communicate with it. The more interesting our cultural backgrounds, skills, experiences and life stories, the more interesting coming to work will be – and the more interesting our work will be.

Sometimes the easiest way to “do different” (the main theme at this year’s Best awards) is by simply not knowing how things are supposed to be done or what’s not possible, by not fixating on how other people do things, and by preserving some naivety. Being surrounded by bright, enthusiastic, unblinkered teenagers all day really helps.

Naturally, we want to maintain the competitive advantage that our differentness gives us, but I’m also a little bit happy each time I see people take inspiration from what we do. We really do think we’ve stumbled upon something powerful: proof that purpose and profit, fun and effectiveness, can co-exist.

Now feels like the perfect moment, in my role as chair of youth and diversity at the MAA, to kick off this industry-wide conversation around diversity – however you care to define it – and doing things differently. I want to shout about the enormous business benefit #DoingDifferent has done for Livity – and can do for you.

I also want to shine a spotlight on other agencies who are also thinking and doing things differently. I want to share their stories and examples as well as learn and be inspired myself. So, we’ve put the call out to some of our member agencies as well as my inspiring fellow MAA board members:

What does #DoingDifferent mean to you and what are the business benefits?

We’ll hear from them in upcoming articles and beyond.

The idea of #DoingDifferent is to simply start a conversation: to explore, share and celebrate diversity. Our ambition is that by doing so, we’ll create a compelling and magnetic influence that encourages a spirit and confidence of trying new thinking and doing, which will not only make our individual business stronger, but also our membership and wider industry. If it doesn’t work – if there’s no benefit or value – well, we can always do something different.

Michelle Morgan (nee Michelle Clothier) is co-founder of Livity and chair of youth and diversity for the Marketing Agencies Association

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