Race + Advertising: MEC Case Study
"Outside is for everyone. It’s time we acted like it." – David Labistour, CEO of Mountain Equipment Co-op
“I’m excited to be an MEC Ambassador, and to change stereotypes about who has access to outdoor activities... Nature is beautiful in the sense that it doesn’t discriminate.” – Judith Kasiama, MEC Adventure Ambassador
Who companies choose to include in their ads says a lot, but who they choose not to include says even more. Representing racial diversity in advertising expresses your company's values, corporate culture, and simply makes good business sense, allowing more people to relate to, and feel connected to, your brand.
Some industries have been more aware of and responsive to this than others. Like many people in Muskoka, here at Well Known, we love the outdoors and therefore were especially interested in the critical eye that MEC recently cast on its own advertising norms.
As Canada’s most iconic retailer of clothing and equipment for the outdoors, MEC plays a big role in setting trends and inspiring Canadians to enjoy camping, cycling, skiing, paddling, hiking and climbing. In 2018, David Labistour, CEO of Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC), wrote an open letter admitting that MEC had for decades been ignoring non-white Canadians in its advertising. Labistour pledged to members that they would do better and the company swiftly refreshed their advertising to better reflect Canada's racial diversity.
To our fellow local advertisers: let's work to create advertising material that welcomes and encourages people from all racial backgrounds to come to our lakes and forests to enjoy the adventure and tranquilly that Muskoka offers.
Read an expert's insights on this case study: https://www.utoronto.ca/news/do-white-people-dominate-outdoors-u-t-expert-race-outdoors-advertising
Read David Labistour's letter to members: https://www.mec.ca/en/article/outside-is-for-everyone
Read this first-hand account from two Black women advocates, Jacqueline L. Scott (@BlackOutdoors1), a PhD student at the University of Toronto, and @MEC Outdoor Ambassador Judith Kasiama (@jujumil) who are passionate about the outdoors and planning to take their own, deeply meaningful, Canadian adventure: https://www.cbc.ca/playersvoice/entry/black-canada-hike-claiming-space
Watch this @thegreattrail video for more on Judith's passion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVcVJheDW8g
Visit Jacqueline's website for more about her work: https://blackoutdoors.wordpress.com/about/