Welcome back to The Difference Dialogues. In this series we’ll be discussing the American Advertising Federation (AAF) and their Mosaic Principles, a set of recommendations for agencies and brands to help them meet the demands of consumers. The Principles are as follows:

1. We must recruit for America.
2. We must recognize the diversity of talent within the industry.
3. We must provide greater access to development and leadership opportunities.
4. We must encourage the industry to portray realistic images of multicultural youth and communities.

The first actionable objective from the AAF’s Mosaic Principles encourages brands to recruit for America. This guideline is pretty simple. Companies ought to represent their broader social and cultural atmospheres and, in order to do so, they should recruit from a variety of places. This includes institutions like schools, with a mix of students and cultural organizations.

Aside from earning a degree, the experiences and connections created in college are some of the most valuable tools when it comes to finding and building a career. Universities are like cities, and sometimes they’re even the focal point of the actual city they’re in. So, while attending school, we encourage you to make the effort to become a member of your campus’ advertising club. These clubs often have representatives from local agencies visit, and they can be a great way to get leads for internships. In what can feel like a sea of people, joining an organization not only helps you navigate your surroundings, it also helps you stand out from the masses.

If you’ve already graduated from college, search for local, young professionals groups like Ad 2 Austin! This actually falls in line with the second objective of the Mosaic Principles—create partnerships focused on relationship-building and career navigation. Simply attending social mixers is a great way to meet and befriend members of agencies and firms, and it helps connect you (personally and professionally) to the experiences, struggles, and accomplishments of other individuals.

Diversifying our networks and organizations has the potential to start a chain reaction. When people have a diversified and multicultural network, these networks become groups, and groups help create a more comprehensive and representative talent pool for brands and companies looking to hire. It starts with us.

The diversity series is just getting started, so make sure to subscribe to the Ad 2 Austin newsletter and follow us on social media for updates on future posts!