Q&A: Brands owe it to consumers to represent the underrepresented

Katya Des Etages is a Senior Research Executive at Channel 4, supporting the commercial arm of the business, Channel 4 Sales, and specializing in research designed to educate the media and advertising industry on how to create representative and inclusive campaigns.

She has delivered insight for some of Channel 4’s most prestigious projects, such as Black to Front and Diversity in Advertising Award, and for award-winning insight initiatives 'Mirror on The Industry’ and ‘Black Owned Businesses: The UK’s Untapped Business Potential.’ She was also highly commended as an MRS ED&I Changemaker in 2023.

We wanted to interview Katya to find out more about how she combines her challenging day job with her passion for ED&I.

“If research has taught me anything, it’s that people are complex and there is no one-size-fits-all solution; my curious mind finds this invigorating. My aspiration is to thread a diversity and inclusion lens through our insights and solutions; this excites me about the future of media.”

- Katya Des Etages, Senior Research Executive, Channel 4

I think I work with some of the most incredible minds in the industry. Every member of my team keeps me engaged and motivated to challenge myself, shares their knowledge and provides unwavering support. I’ve worked hard and it’s paved the way for lots of incredible recognition, but nothing is achieved alone, and any accolade attributed to me is extended to my fabulous team.

I also love the variety that my role entails, but there is nothing more satisfying as a researcher than seeing through a research project from conception to actual real-world impact. At Channel 4, I have been able to take the reins of some incredible thought leadership projects which have resulted in tangible outputs that contribute to social change. 

I love how my role has allowed me to harness my passion for ED&I while pushing me far beyond my comfort zone in the process. At the end of the day, seismic change can’t be made quietly, and my role has certainly helped to amplify my voice and purpose.

I’ve had the absolute pleasure of collaborating on the Mirror on the Industry project, an annual audit of representation and portrayal of minority and marginalized groups in TV advertising, as well as a temperature check on viewers’ opinions of diverse ads.

The reports serve as an industry guideline to help advertisers improve representation and inform Channel’s Diversity in Advertising Award. It’s an incredible honor to contribute insights that set the foundation for some of the most highly anticipated inclusive ads in the UK every year.

I then drove the expansion of Mirror on The Industry into the ‘Mirror on’ insight series which deep dives into representation of specific groups. In the last two years, we’ve produced reports on body diversity, women’s safety, neurodiversity, social grade and Mirror on Transgender People is coming soon. This has been a beautifully collaborative process, working with different members of the team who share a particular passion for the topic and partnering with clients and agencies who have a shared ambition to educate the industry.

I also played an instrumental role in the creation of Black Owned Businesses: The UK’s Untapped Business Potential, a deep dive into the lived experiences of Black business owners. Our findings fed into the development of ‘Black In Business’, a Channel 4 initiative to support Black owned businesses with industry knowledge, mentorship and TV advertising air-time. 

Seeing the resulting campaigns live on TV is the most fulfilling experience I’ve had in my career to date. My parents are minority ethnic business owners, and my partner is an extraordinary Black entrepreneur, so I really felt I was making an impact on the world for the people I love, and people just like them.

After observing my commitment to working on and developing projects that create real world impact, my manager recommended that I write an entry for the MRS Changemaker Award in 2023. I’m so thankful that she did, as being highly commended has been a massive validation of the value of my work and an even bigger motivator to continue driving forward work that supports ED&I – no matter where my career takes me.

I promise I’m not saying this because I’m a researcher. My advice is…do your research. Fear is a massive blocker to progression and advertisers can be risk-averse when it comes to representation of minority and marginalized groups, because they fear misrepresenting and they fear backlash from the more prejudiced members of society. 

Through research you can understand how different audiences across society engage with and support your brand; you can investigate how minority and marginalized groups would like to be supported by your brand in return; you can go into communities to gain insight into lived experience and what authentic representation and portrayal looks like and you can test the authenticity of scripts and creative executions with the very communities you want to represent. 

With this level of investigation, advertisers should be confident that they won’t fall into misrepresentation as they’ve done their due diligence. Ultimately, representation should be informed by the group a brand wants to represent, having a diverse team and conducting research are the best ways to nail it. 

We’ve also consistently found that avoiding progressing inclusivity due to the fear of backlash is seen as brands accepting the status quo and reinforcing existing privileges and exclusions. Brands owe it to all their consumers to be brave and normalize the representation of people who are currently underrepresented. I’d love to see more advertisers acknowledging the power of visibility, grabbing it with both hands and standing their ground in support of underrepresented groups.

Finally, I’d recommend advertisers who are looking to create more representative campaigns that display authentic portrayal to have a read of Channel 4’s Mirror on The Industry reports and the ‘Mirror’ series of deep dive reports. Each of these reports encapsulate key tips to help advertisers on their journey to creating successfully diverse and inclusive campaigns. Of course, advertisers can always get in touch with me to find out more.

My advice would be to think beyond what you’re capable of right now and pursue a career at an organization that will allow you to grow and develop your professional passions into the future.

When I was looking for jobs, before I eventually landed at Channel 4, I wasn’t just applying based on my current ability to deliver on a job spec. I was applying based on how I thought the company’s values and environment would aid my growth in knowledge and experience in an area I am incredibly passionate about – ED&I. 

In all my interviews I made it clear that while I understood ED&I work wasn’t written into the job description, I knew it was core to the organization I was applying for and therefore a shared passion that I’d love to incorporate into my role in any capacity they were willing to let me. So, be expressive about what you care for and be intentional about where you want to work. These two in tandem will help you mold your development in a way that supports your passions, your career and the company you work within.

It’s been a privilege to hear from Katya about how she combines her work with her passion and makes a real contribution to positive change. We hope that you’ve found it as inspiring as we have.