Editorial Introduction

Abstract

Editorial Introduction Edward Timke The adage April showers bring May flowers is fitting these days. And it's not just because it's spring. The phrase is also timely considering where the world is today after enduring many harrowing months of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the world has gone through one of the most unpleasant and traumatic events in modern history, there is hope on the horizon for better things to come. As of writing this introduction, nearly 60 million adults in the United States have been fully vaccinated.1 Within a matter of days, vaccinations will be available to all adults in many states. There is talk of schools reopening their doors for in-person classes in the fall and people being able to travel and meet up again in small groups with family and friends. These glimmers of hope are a much-needed injection of optimism at one of the worst periods of time in recent memory. Advertising continues to adapt and make its way amid the pandemic. Advertising & Society Quarterly will continue to assess how the industry grapples with an unsettled economy, lingering political divisions, race-based violence, and calls for more diversity, equity, and inclusion in business and throughout society. This issue largely focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion. James West's (Northumbria University) original article assesses how corporate advertisers in Black consumer magazines responded to the creation of the US federal holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. West found that advertisers took opportunities to honor King, and by extension, Black history and the Black consumer market. However, these representations appeared while debates ensued over King's legacy, and thus provide insights into the complexities of corporations using advertisements to address social justice and commemorate important figures in American history. To continue to meet ASQ's long-term goal of preserving and sharing advertising materials, ASQ asked West to develop a digital collection for this issue featuring 40 years of advertisements and other media texts commemorating the MLK holiday. In upcoming issues this year, the journal will continue to collaborate on developing and publishing digital collections of advertisements for future teaching and research. The goals are to centralize the collection of materials related to particular issues or topics and to save items that might be difficult to access or find in the future. Kathryn Ellis (Southampton Solent University), an award-winning advertiser and professor, conducted original research focused on women in the advertising workplace in the UK. In particular, Ellis asks an important question about gender inclusivity: Why do many women choose not to pursue, or stay in, creative positions in advertising? Through a series of in-depth interviews and focus groups with women in the UK, Ellis reveals the many contributing factors as to why the industry is losing women interested in creative positions. She also offers advice on how practitioners and educators can do a better job of training, recruiting, and retaining women in creative positions in advertising. Disability is not usually the first identity that comes up in discussions surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion. Therefore, this issue organized a roundtable of leading academics and practitioners well versed in how advertising intersects with disability. Professors Katie Ellis (Curtin University) and Beth Haller (Towson University) define what is meant by disability and how disabilities have been treated in advertising over time. Practitioners Josh Loebner (Designsensory), Kathleen Hall (Microsoft), and Christina Mallon (Wunderman Thompson and Open Style Lab) share how they have taken disabilities into account in their advertising, marketing, and product development work. Unfortunately, the advertising industry and brands have not given disability enough attention, but Loebner, Hall, and Mallon describe how they have advocated for, and achieved, much-needed change through their roles in advertising. Loebner also shares how his doctoral training has informed his work as a partially blind and visually impaired practitioner. For change to be effective and lasting, he calls for more bridges to be built between academia and the advertising industry. To continue the discussion about disability and advertising, this issue includes an interview where Loebner talks with Mallon and KR Liu (Google) about how disabilities are taken into account in design work. Loebner, Mallon, and Liu share...