Originally posted by the ANA, August 16, 2021.
[Updated 8/16/21] A supplier diversity program is a proactive business program which encourages the use of women-owned, ethnic/minority-owned, veteran-owned, LGBTQ-owned, disability-owned, and small businesses as suppliers. The ANA and our Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing (AIMM) have been active on this issue for some time.
- In May 2020, the ANA released the report, “The Power of Supplier Diversity.” The report highlighted that identifying diverse suppliers represents a significant challenge for marketers.
- In June 2020, the ANA and AIMM published an open letter titled “ANA/AIMM Commitment to Equality, Inclusion, and Systemic Change.” The letter called for the development of an equitable creative supply chain through strategic investments in agencies, broadcasters, suppliers, and producers owned or run by Black, Hispanic, Asian, Indigenous, and LGBTQ+ people, and people with disabilities.
- In May 2021 ANA issued the follow-up report, “The Growth of Supplier Diversity” which provides a deep dive into supplier diversity in marketing/advertising, covering areas including benefits, challenges, spend, goals, and measurement. Finding diverse suppliers is identified as the top challenge for supplier diversity in marketing/advertising.
As a follow-up to the above, we have curated this list of Certified Diverse Suppliers, initially published in July 2020, which has since been updated on a regular basis. This August 2021 update has 324 companies. In addition to the PDF, availible is an Excel document to allow users to sort by column.
Source: “Certified Diverse Suppliers for Marketing and Advertising,” ANA