By John Liang

For Nigerian-American Peter Ukhurebor, getting more people of color through the door into the advertising world is a top priority.

Ukhurebor, who is managing director at Uniworld Group, a multicultural advertising and marketing agency, is striving to make the annual Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in France more diverse and inclusive.

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is the oldest advertising award event in the world and happens to be the biggest that cuts across different genres of all the different segments of the advertising industry, from digital to print to radio and television.

Cannes is the most respected event in the world when it comes to the world of advertising and media in terms of awards that people in the industry want to be recognized for, for their level of creativity.

“Cannes is the most respected event in the world when it comes to the world of advertising and media in terms of awards that people in the industry want to be recognized for, for their level of creativity,” he says.

To that end, Ukhurebor founded Black at Cannes to do three things:

• “Create systematic change in advertising by increasing representation of black people at Cannes on the Jurors, speakers, and attendees list. This will create more diverse work in the advertising industry and in turn create more equity for brands and agencies alike.

Black at Cannes started out from basically an initiative that the advertising industry is not inclusive of people of color and it’s not as diverse as we want it to be in relation to what the world holds in terms of numbers for people of color.

• “Ensure increased representation of Black creatives in advertising in all levels via using the biggest advertising platform to educate brands on the need for diversity through panels, fireside chat, and much more pushing black culture at the center of the festival.

• “Create a space for black vendors and brands to attain a level of success on the global stage, thus changing the world of advertising to be more diverse and inclusive.”

“Black at Cannes started out from basically an initiative that the advertising industry is not inclusive of people of color and it’s not as diverse as we want it to be in relation to what the world holds in terms of numbers for people of color,” he says.

A few years ago, Ukhurebor and a few friends approached the organizers of the festival and spoke with them on the possibilities for infusing more diverse judges at Cannes.

Fast forward to 2022, and there was a tilt from 30% representation for people of color to 47% representation after he and his friends engaged them, according to Ukhurebor.

“So we now decided this was step one, but how do we create an avenue?” he says. “When people actually get to Cannes, what are the possibilities for them to feel inclusive and be part of those private parties that you don’t have accessibility into attending?”

After that, Ukhurebor and his friends created the “Green Book,” a list of festival events that are known to be inclusive of people of color, modeled on the “Green Book” that African-Americans used to travel to places throughout the country that were friendly to and safe for them.

The Black at Cannes Green Book, in addition to giving people of color access into parties and events at the festival, also has a safety component, according to Ukhurebor.

“I’ve seen black women who are in C-suites being told at Cannes by certain unscrupulous people that maybe they were prostitutes or you were basically there for some notorious reasons,” he says, adding: “So in terms of safety, we also use the Green Book as … what it was originally meant for safe spaces where you can feel welcome, safe spaces where you can feel appreciated, safe spaces where you know what to do.” spaces have a Pinterest or Google venue as a venue because such positions weren’t available for black people.

That said, the Green Book is for people of all colors, according to Ukhurebor.

“Now, this was post-Apartheid South Africa, and to be told that the space wasn’t something for me, that actually … gave me a drive in relation to ensuring that spaces where I’m not welcomed, I make my own room and I make sure that those possibilities that they say I couldn’t achieve, I make sure that I achieve them by making sure I can push.

Further, he also wants to see more brands that capitalize on the African diaspora market in places like Brazil and others.

“It doesn’t only mean that it has to be black-related,” he says. “You can also have a Pinterest or Google venue as a venue that people of color can actually go into because they’ve been certified that they are welcoming to us. So for us, we want that same accessibility, but we want that same respect to be accorded to us.”

The origins of Ukhurebor’s drive to start the Black at Cannes initiative actually goes back nearly two decades.

When he was in advertising school in Cape Town, South Africa, a professor discouraged him from pursuing an ad career

“So for me, that has been my drive, from walking out as a copywriter to an ad director, to a brand manager, to a brand director, and for me, that has pushed me to the position of wanting to see change for people that look like me,” Ukhurebor continues. “So they won’t get those kind of statements or get those kind of words from somebody who has been in the industry for a period of over 50 years.”

Consequently, Ukhurebor is seeking “systematic change based off the fact that I want to see more possibilities for people who are coming after me and be able to be in the C-suites.”

Additionally, Ukhurebor wants the Cannes Lions festival to feature more brands that are of African origin.

“When we speak about Cannes, it’s not only for the agencies, but we also speak about the brands,” he says. “We don’t see African-based brands who are doing a billion dollars in Africa, yet they are not showing up on the global stage.”

“Those are the things that we see that those markets are not being capitalized,” he says. “And how do we focus on the strategizing and connecting with all these sets of people by creating a Pan-African plan. And that is the idea of Black at Cannes.”

To listen to the full podcast interview, scan the QR code below. cultursmag.com/peter-ukhurebor-on-making

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