Greg 'Sparrow' Graham's Experience Advocacy Taskforce (EAT) has partnered with independent full service agency Affinity to launch a new website aimed at combating ageism in the media and advertising industry.

EAT was formed by Graham in 2022 to address the media and advertising industry's heavy skew towards young professionals, with individuals aged 30 and under comprising 81% of the workforce, according to the 2023 census by the Media Federation of Australia (MFA). Those in their 40s represent 13.1% of the workforce, while those in their 50s make up just 5.1%. This contrasts with the broader Australian workforce, where 62% of workers are over the age of 40, according to recent data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

"In a world of diversity and inclusion, the topic of ageism does not get nearly enough attention. And it’s our goal, with the help of Affinity, to challenge and encourage agencies to take ageism more seriously," said Graham.

The initiative was recently unveiled at Cannes in Cairns, with the new website designed to provide resources and information for agencies committed to tackling ageism in their workplace practices.

Affinity is a growth accelerator that looks at every business not as they are, but what they could be. It comprises advisory, brand creation, CX & CRM, data & technology and media. Affinity has won more than 70 effectiveness awards worldwide.

"We’ve loved working with Affinity on the launch of the Experience Advocacy Taskforce. This was a fantastic team effort. They took our messaging, driven hugely by the wonderful Meredith Ansoul, scoped, did all the strategy work and built the site from the ground up. Our new site provides information and useful resources, and we encourage agencies to take the time to visit it to make the commitment to tackle ageism head-on," said Graham.

CEO of Affinity, Angela Smith, applauded Graham for his commitment to making a difference through creating and driving the Experience Advocacy Taskforce. "We jumped at the chance to apply our expertise in strategy and technology to help grow the discussion around this last bastion of discrimination. Somehow many people think it’s still ok to describe a professional by referencing their age with outdated euphemisms like ‘veteran’ – we all know that’s not ok for heritage, sexuality or gender. Why is it still ok for age?" she said.

"What we love about the taskforce is that they’re focused on practical and meaningful initiatives rather than the scourge of tokenism and look-at-me stunts. It was a no brainer to make an active contribution to this important movement," Smith said.