The modern marketer understands the value of diversity and inclusion. As the consumer base they serve becomes more diverse, companies are paying more attention to the inclusive tone of their communications. Now more than ever, firms' advertisements and other branding content showcase various people and perspectives.

The job is far from done, of course. For example, only 37% of women and 19% of persons of color were featured in advertising in 2016. Efforts to promote brand welcoming to all audiences have been on the rise, but there is still a long way to go.

Which structural and procedural adjustments can marketing departments undertake to transform inclusion from a passing trend into a standard practice, and what role can marketers play in driving these broader D&I conversations? For example, why is it essential to have an inclusive brand marketing strategy to attract and retain employees, reach out to new and different audiences, and make a difference in the world? Moreover, how does using narrative in inclusive strategies make a difference?

Diversity's Evolving Meaning

Despite their frequent conflating, diversity and inclusion are distinct concepts with shifting meanings from generation to generation.

For instance, when it comes to diversity in the workplace, millennials look beyond demographics and place more value on cognitive diversity or the unique skills, knowledge, and outlooks each employee brings to the table. A study conducted by Deloitte and the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative (BJKLI) confirmed this, finding that generations X and boomers continue to view diversity through a more conventional lens, placing primary emphasis on issues of equity concerning gender, color, and ethnicity.

Inclusion refers to cultivating a setting that encourages and celebrates teams with various backgrounds and perspectives. If employees from different backgrounds don't feel they can share their views, it doesn't matter how diverse the company's staff is. In addition, they are more inclined to depart if workers don't feel they have a voice. According to the Deloitte/BJKLI survey, 80% of respondents value diversity and inclusion in the workplace, 39% would consider leaving their present job for a more diverse and inclusive one, and 23% have already made the switch.

It's not shocking that diversity and inclusion are vital to millennials more than earlier generations or that they define these concepts in novel ways. For example, while 43% of millennials in the United States are people of color, the racial makeup of Gen Z is even more diversified, with a majority-minority crossover anticipated in 2022 due to growing Hispanic and Asian immigration.

So, what does this imply for inclusive marketing?

Regarding youth, gender and racial diversity are the easy wins, the first and most apparent boxes to tick for inclusive brand marketing. Age, location, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class, disability, religion, marital status, number of children, interests, and hobbies are just a few examples of the numerous dimensions of variety that shape a person's life and identity.

Attempts to increase the representation of women and people of color would be easier to implement than ensuring that all applicants meet these criteria. As the challenges of marketing to a diverse audience increase, so does their fascination. Incorporating more diverse personalities, stories, and relationships into brand marketing allows companies to serve their target audiences better.

Here Are Four Ways to Make Your Brand's Marketing More Open and Accepting

For the year 2023, how can marketing teams and their leaders prioritize diversity and inclusion?

A. Accept your current situation.

Each business must choose its best practices to launch an inclusiveness and diversity initiative. Although some people start ahead of the pack, almost everyone can do better. To see how far a creative team has to go, they must look at themselves. According to Google's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, Lorraine Twohill, that was the goal of the company's marketing efforts. Her latest blog article said, "Our products are for everyone, but our images were not telling that story..." Multiple races were represented in the photographs we took. Alternatively, everyone seemed to be living in trendy city areas and having IT jobs.

The company's promotional videos also fell short of expectations. They assessed their creativity to see how inclusive their films were using machine learning techniques developed by Google in collaboration with the Geena Davis Institute and USC.

What Twohill called "The initial results surprised us" astonished him. Not as lopsided as we were afraid it would be, 54% of our photographs featured guys. However, we fell short in certain key areas by a more considerable margin. For example, from what could be gleaned from a hand count, the median age looked to be about 26. In addition, black and Hispanic persons made up only 10% of our site photographs. As a measuring stick, it will help us determine how far down the path to success we are.

Google appears to be taking the first step toward healing by admitting it has an issue.

B. Form groups of diverse thinkers more representative of the world at large.

Everyone has cognitive biases based on their experiences, no matter how open-minded and sympathetic a creative person may consider themselves to be. These prejudices, at best, create information gaps. They can be misleading at best and lead to harmful generalizations at worst. Neither is very useful for promoting a diverse brand.

Although it is impossible to eliminate cognitive biases, they can be lessened when people from different backgrounds work together to fill in the gaps in each other's understanding.

Not just our teams count," Twohill said. Affiliated organizations are essential. For instance, I saw that I was staring at a sea of guys in most of my meetings with our agencies. Thus, we as a business started to wonder why. What could they do, anyway? Keeping up a steady stream of inquiries is a duty that falls on us. The outcome may depend on how well we handle this. Another agency head raised an issue we had not thought about for Hispanic consumers while brainstorming ideas for a new product. As a Latino, he fit the bill. His life's journey had given him a perspective unlike anybody else's. A priceless contribution, indeed.

C. Exhibit a wide range of perspectives in your storytelling.

It's challenging to write a tale that everyone can identify with and feel like they're a part of. Alternatively, you may deliver a wide variety of stories, one for each audience member. Historically, brands with a D&I focus have done this by including diverse characters and perspectives in a wide range of marketing materials.

Toyota's marketing strategy for the 2018 Camry was novel in that it crammed as much variety as possible into a single campaign. The automobile company commissioned eight short videos centered around the exact vehicle. Each commercial is tailored to appeal to specific cultural drivers by including people of various races, nationalities, and social classes. In addition, of course, each piece of content has been optimized for specific demographics of internet users.

Four "Transcultural Mainstream" videos with actors of all races, sexes, and ages are included, as are two advertisements dedicated to Hispanic customers.

Camry was praised for seeking out diverse creative partners by Saatchi & Saatchi's chief strategy officer Mark Turner for their more welcoming "Transcultural Mainstream" commercials. In his words, "I have people of other cultures and heritages in my department, but I do think the three other agencies bring a depth and history of experience with their markets that would be very hard to replicate overnight by going out and hiring a handful of people or half the agency," Mr. Turner said.

The more varied the crew, the more unique the final product. As well as more welcoming.

D. Share narratives that highlight the value of multiculturalism.

Consumers today are used to (and even eager for) companies to take stands on important social issues. Sixty-five percent of Americans find it essential for brands to make a statement on social and political problems, and eighty-four percent feel corporations are responsible for inspiring social change on crucial topics.

Deloitte has invested heavily in diversity and inclusion (D&I) studies, leveraging the findings to promote discussions about the benefits of diversity and the necessity of inclusion. But on the other hand, storytelling is often more effective in swaying people's emotions than hard evidence. This is the genius behind Deloitte's "Many Voices, One Song" marketing campaign.

Some workers of Deloitte are featured in the video with members of a community choir from Melbourne. Deloitte's Chief Marketing Officer Matt McGrath has stated that the film's goal is to demonstrate how other companies may better address their D&I leadership requirements by "pushing boundaries" Naturally, it also serves to remind audiences that Deloitte promotes diversity. This message effectively attracts and retains a wide range of clients.

Each generation alters the D&I landscape by redefining diversity through its lens. However, businesses are less likely to stray from their target demographic if they staff their creative departments with a wide range of individuals, actively engage with their target market, and create tales that are true to the brand. As a result, they will always be aware of new methods for fostering a sense of belonging and participation among all community members.

Image courtesy of Christina @ wocintechchat.com @wocintechchat

About Jim Woods:

Jim has a passion for accelerating talent across organizations. While this passion has fueled his work in leadership assessment and development, it has crystallized in the area of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. 

Jim's experience spans many industries, including public, finance, consumer, retail, pharma, industrials, and technology. 'Organizational & people agility,' 'design thinking,' and 'digital transformation' are some critical themes Jim works with clients on across the globe.