In my agency days, I was once part of the easiest casting decisions ever.

The issue: A company recently acquired by our client had been using two voice actors for its radio spots. One was a mildly famous, top-dollar "in a world" type who, if I'm being honest, pretty much phoned it in. The other was a super talented, Black voice actor who was reading the same lines, but only for "urban" versions that would run in cities like Atlanta.

Our recommendation: Drop the famous guy and go all in on the rising star. The result was a big cost savings from efficiency since we no longer needed two versions of every ad, but it also cemented his role as the voice of the brand, giving him a huge career boost.

Sadly, a decade later, there still aren't enough success stories like that one. Audio ads still largely default to white voice actors unless a client requests otherwise or the ads are aimed at multicultural audiences.

But could that be on the verge of changing?

Today on Adweek, my colleague Shannon Miller, our senior editor for creativity and representation, looks at a new industry pledge called "Stand for Sonic Diversity." One of the main goals is to get advertisers and platforms using 50% non-white voice talent.

It already has big backers like SiriusXM, Pandora and Stitcher, which could help the pledge go a long way toward becoming reality. 

Check out the details of the pledge and learn more about the consultancy behind it.

What has been your experience at the intersection of diversity and voice talent? I'd love to hear your stories as a voice actor, agency creative, producer or from any other side of the equation.

Let me know at the email below or at @Griner on Twitter.

David Griner
International Editor, Adweek
[email protected]

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