Group created to fill 'giant void' in industry

A new trade association has launched to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in the global marketing industry.

BRIDGE, which formally opened its doors April 19, was founded by former Mobile Marketing Association Chief Strategy Officer Sheryl Daija, who is the association's CEO. In a statement, the San Diego-based group said it was the first of its kind and filled "a giant void in the industry."

"It is both a business and moral imperative that we shift from talk to action to create an equitable culture in our industry," Daija said in a statement. "DEI should not simply be a line item in an operating agenda, it needs to permeate through all aspects of a business—from the C-Suite through product development to customer service—internally and externally. By uniting DEI and marketing leaders with the industry at large, we will accelerate the rate of much-needed change."

BRIDGE has already created several programs, including Voices of Inclusion Research, which guides leaders on actions and practices required in their markets to make progress towards sustainable equity. In addition, the association's storytelling workshop series is composed of interactive sessions that address various topics with a more human-to-human approach than regular training sessions.

"Our long-term goal is to create a comprehensive BRIDGE agenda for all companies and to subsequently certify against its implementation and measure its impact," said Daija.

The association's first board of directors includes executives from credit card company Discover Financial, NBCUniversal Media, consumer products giant Unilever and soup company Campbells.