WPP’s media arm GroupM has expanded its initiative to support diverse media, seeking a bigger pledge from clients for a wider array of publishers.

The Media Inclusion Initiative will now ask clients to pledge 5% of the total annual media budgets to publishers and media companies owned by or serving diverse audiences. In addition to the Black-owned media that initiative originally supported, the pledge has also been expanded to include Hispanic, AAPI and LGBTQ+ owned or focused media.

GroupM first introduced its Media Inclusion Initiative in 2021, when it asked clients to pledge 2% or more of their total annual media budgets to Black-owned media. In its announcement, the company said that commitment could support 30% of Black-owned media operating in the U.S. at the time. The initiative expanded to GroupM’s Canadian operations the following year.

The company says that since it was launched, the Media Inclusion Initiative has resulted in a triple-digit increase in client investments to Black-owned media, based on Standard Media Index data, though did not attach a dollar figure to that increase.

“As the largest media investment company in the world, we have a responsibility to accelerate growth through the next era of media,” said Kirk McDonald, CEO of GroupM North America. “That means making our industry more inclusive and equitable for all publishers.”

Also part of the Media Inclusion Initiative is the Diverse Voices Accelerator, which supports creators and studios from traditionally underrepresented groups in entertainment. Earlier this week, GroupM announced a partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery to help distribute content developed through the accelerator.

Also, in 2020, GroupM launched a Multicultural Marketplace featuring a growing list of 300 Black- and Hispanic-owned or focused publishers.

GroupM’s agencies in Canada include EssenceMediacom, Mindshare and Wavemaker.