Warner Bros. Discovery aims to connect brands and multicultural consumers via new team

Warner Bros. Discovery formed a new team tasked with helping brands better connect with multicultural audiences. 

That team will sit in its ad sales division and is being led by Sheereen Russell, executive VP of ad sales and inclusive solutions. The new team, which currently includes 10 people, will manage a host of partnerships and year-round activations, such as one with OWN: the Oprah Winfrey Network and a Juneteenth event, in collaboration with CNN, this year.

Warner Bros. Discovery is looking to better align brands across demographics and communities, including Black, Hispanic and LGBTQ+, the company said.

“As our team meets with marketers, it is clear to us that brands are seeking innovative ways to reach multicultural consumers, and our Inclusive Solutions and Partnerships offering is specifically designed to help clients achieve their marketing and sales goals in intentional and meaningful ways,” said Russell. “We know that reaching diverse consumer audiences is not just good for business, but critical for brands’ continued evolution and growth.”

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The team will help build branded content and will offer category and thematic packages, sponsorship integration, audience targeting and live experiences. It is also committed to investing in diverse-owned and operated creative teams and offers full-service customized marketing opportunities for marketers who are unable to produce their own creative content in-house.

Warner Bros. Discovery has been following up on its DEI commitments in the past year, including launching a diverse voices accelerator program with GroupM Motion Entertainment in March, tailored to young creators of color. Still, broadly, the momentum around brand and agency efforts toward diversity, equity and inclusion has been softening following a very public push in 2020 in the wake of the killing of George Floyd.