The research, based on a sample of 1,579 young people carried out by youth recruitment platform Debut, shows that despite a lack of awareness and knowledge of specific advertising agencies, there is a keen interest to join the industry.

The research found that 53% could not name a single advertising agency, with the two most recognisable being Saatchi & Saatchi and WPP, both recognised by 4% of respondents. There was also a lack of knowledge about expected hours and salaries in the advertising industry, according to the survey.

The research found that 34% of BAME individuals surveyed were willing to join the advertising industry, compared with 27% of white respondents. The survey found that 32% of women surveyed said they wanted to join the industry, compared with 24% of men.

Women and BAME people also placed greater value on inclusive workplaces, with 85% and 89% respectively highlighting this as a very important factor in career decisions.

The most important factors behind career choices across all respondents were clear career progression, with 95% citing it as the most important factor or very important, great managers ( 94%) and good training ( 92%).

Women also appeared to look for greater levels of emotional intelligence in their managers than male respondents, such as being patient ( 66% vs 53%), realistic ( 63% vs 55%), and kind ( 64% vs 47%).

Michael Brown, partner of insight and cross-culture at UM and a member of the IPA’s talent leadership group, said: “We often talk about needing to recruit diverse talent, but we don’t know where to start. Ironically, it is clear we need to market ourselves better to this demographic.

“We also need to question why, if more people from ethnic minority backgrounds want to join the industry, this doesn’t then translate into those numbers actually entering the business. I urge adland to take note for a brighter, more inclusive future for us all.”