Catarina Alves de Sousa
– Social Media Manager –
The expression “times change, wills change” made as much sense in the 16th century when Camões wrote it, as it does now. Times are indeed changing, and in this article we embrace that change by addressing the importance of Inclusive Marketing in brand communication strategies. Let’s see how we can adapt communication in a genuine way.
This is yet another article that lists even more changes that brands will have to embrace to stay relevant, especially with the new generation of consumers.
The same audience that is no longer convinced by obvious sales strategies and prefers the storytelling method, is the same one that starts demanding to see diversity and inclusion in the content they consume and in the advertising that impacts them.
Catarina Alves de Sousa
– Social Media Manager –
The expression “times change, wills change” made as much sense in the 16th century when Camões wrote it, as it does now. Times are indeed changing, and in this article we embrace that change by addressing the importance of Inclusive Marketing in brand communication strategies. Let’s see how we can adapt communication in a genuine way.
This is yet another article that lists even more changes that brands will have to embrace to stay relevant, especially with the new generation of consumers.
The same audience that is no longer convinced by obvious sales strategies and prefers the storytelling method, is the same one that starts demanding to see diversity and inclusion in the content they consume and in the advertising that impacts them.
Consumers – especially the younger generations – expect more from these messages than just details about the latest seasonal sale. But that alone is not enough either, as their concern goes further and they wonder whether brands that support diversity and inclusion, do so both publicly and “behind the scenes.” In other words, younger consumers expect brands’ promises of diversity and inclusion to actually be delivered.
Source: Deloitte Insights
This graph shows us not only that the younger generation of consumers cares about representation in advertising, but also that they notice it more or less according to the different sectors.
Source: Statista
Gen Z’s (born between January 1995 and December 2003) concern for social issues is notorious. These are the main activities they have participated in or undertaken in the last two years.
With an increasingly diverse consumer population in terms of race, ethnicity and sexual orientation, it is imperative that brands begin to reflect the representativeness of each minority, which in turn entails a great deal of delicacy, albeit necessary if they hope to make a true connection with their prospective customers.
According to the article Authentically Inclusive Marketing by Deloitte, 57% of consumers are more loyal to companies that are committed to challenging social inequalities in their actions.
Appealing to the loyalty of future customers may require brands to demonstrate that they are active in all their spheres of influence: through hiring and retention, using diverse suppliers, or marketing products to users with different needs.
How can brands be more inclusive and diverse through advertising?
But how can marketers and brands do so in a genuine way? There are multiple ways across an organization’s ecosystem:
- Ensure that teams and suppliers reflect the market.
Teams – both internal and external – that closely reflect the markets they serve can narrow the cultural and demographic gap between the brand and the consumers they want to reach.
- Bring diverse voices into the organization.
Because marketing directors are often the first line to the customer, they should use that position of influence to continually monitor and bring the needs of underrepresented communities into their organization-and feature those voices and faces in campaigns.
Source: Avon website
For example, Avon surveyed 8,000 women around the world to understand what issues were affecting them the most during the pandemic. When Avon found that 41% lost confidence during this atypical time, it partnered with women of various races, ethnicity, and abilities to drive awareness of these issues on its “My Story Matters” platform – a space to give women an opportunity to share their authentic, unedited stories.
- Validate your inclusive advertising ideas
Brands should ensure that ads are tested with people from diverse backgrounds who are representative of their target audience.
- Make your commitments measurable.
As we mentioned earlier, “younger consumers expect brands’ promises of diversity and inclusion to actually be delivered.”
So it becomes essential that brands’ DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) goals are not just about checking off a task, but creating real, measurable results through real actions, donations, hiring minorities, and more.
”Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance.
Verna Myersdiversity and inclusion expert
When reality is reflected in advertising: the Black Lives Matter case
HÄAGEN-DAZS – #THATSDAZS
This Haagen-Dazs campaign aimed to improve the way they present their brand, realigning with cultural trends and reflecting the feelings of today’s consumers in order to “make this little luxury available to everyone, not just a few,” said Elizabell Marquez, CMO of Häagen-Dazs.
AMAZON – MEET TIFFANY
Amazon highlights a black employee and communicates its initiatives to give back to the black community, highlighting the Black Business Accelerator. Through this initiative, Amazon has invested $150 million to empower black entrepreneurs by providing support through mentorship, marketing, and business advice with the goal of removing the barriers of systemic racism and thus promoting opportunities for the African American community.
This is a good example of how brands can communicate their internal inclusive initiatives and is also a way to demonstrate that their commitments to diversity and inclusion don’t just exist on “paper”.
An example of a campaign that completely failed…
Marketing is not only made of good examples and, to prove it, is Pepsi’s “Jump In” ad. This 2017 ad starring model Kendall Jenner had to be pulled from the Internet with an apology from Pepsi after an immediate backlash in the media, as the ad suggested that police brutality could be solved with a simple can of Pepsi.
The ad seems innocent enough, but it completely missed the point, at least in the eyes of the consumers (aka the ones who really matter). The failure was due to the brand’s inability to understand the struggles of ethnic minorities. It lacked information, empathy and – let’s be honest – the right tone.
In the end, what counts is communicating for and about people; it is understanding that “people” encompass different backgrounds, languages, skin tones, and gender representations. It matters – a lot – to tell their stories and to give stage to diversity. The consumer is not a standard, but an increasingly diverse being, even if only in his or her ideals. And speaking of ideals and values, the new consumer wants to feel that the brands he consumes share the same causes, that is, he wants to feel represented in that way too.
In short, the younger generations, the consumers of the near future, expect more. At the same time, the fastest growing brands are closing the cultural and demographic gap between the composition of their teams and the markets they aspire to reach. Here, the role of (good) marketers is to help the companies they represent not only refine their messages to the public, but to support internal transformation by fostering more equitable, fair and inclusive work environments.
As always, change depends on all of us, as employees and as consumers.
