January 22, 2025  |  SIGN UP

Michael Bürgi
SENIOR EDITOR, MEDIA BUYING AND PLANNING

The vibe shift across the country in light of a new (but not so new) president and administration has brought about a pretty sudden reaction from the media and marketing worlds. To see more than $1 trillion (Musk, Zuckerberg, Bezos, Pichai and Chew) in corporate value sitting front and center at the inauguration this week represents the most obvious sign that business is cozying up to the Trump administration like never before (the term "broligarchy" has been thrown around a lot). Among other changes coming, diversity, equity and inclusion efforts are now in the president's cross-hairs.

No agency CEOs were observed on or near that dais, but what's to stop more of them from rolling back pro-social efforts such as DEI now that they're considered by some to be passé or even discriminatory? Publicis has already moved its chief diversity officer Geraldine White to a consultant role. Several major marketers have announced DEI rollbacks too.

Digiday will address this heavy-duty topic at our upcoming Media Buying Summit on March 12-14, to help agencies find a way forward in ensuring a diversity of voices and opinions. As one agency exec told me back at the end of 2024, if you look at the demographic makeup of the U.S., it's only getting more diverse. Agencies will need to reflect that diversity in their talent if they're going to represent what's happening across the country.

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