The scoop on diversity and inclusion in modern-day advertising

As we move further into the 21st century, the issues of diversity and inclusion continue to take increasing priority in our cultural conversations. Acknowledging the white-washing of past media and moving forward by including people of all races, genders, religions, disabilities and other identities is the only way to go.

But how does this emphasis on diversity and inclusion play out in modern-day advertising? By understanding the importance of diversity, advertisers can create more inclusive marketing campaigns that represent their customer base. Let’s start by taking a look at some prominent campaigns to inform our discussion.

Examples of inclusive marketing campaigns

With diverse and inclusive marketing, companies can provide personalized customer experiences and contribute to important conversations about issues such as discrimination and exclusion. One of the best ways to approach inclusion and diversity in marketing is to look at ads from companies that have equitable representation in their marketing. Another is to use effective tools for getting to know your audience. First, let’s examine some successful campaigns.

Procter & Gamble: “The Talk”

In 2018, Procter & Gamble (P&G) created ads that bridged their two campaigns: “A Proud Sponsor of Moms” and “My Black Is Beautiful.” The ad, “The Talk,” showed various Black mothers with their children from modern-day families to the early 1900s. Each mother had to speak with their child about how to deal with discrimination, violence, racial slurs, police violence, and more. 

This ad was a fitting addition to their “A Proud Sponsor of Moms” campaign because it showed how the experience of Black mothers is often very different than the experience of white mothers. By highlighting this contrast, P&G created an ad campaign that sparked dialogue about its content among customers. P&G included the hashtag #TalkAboutBias with a message at the end of “The Talk” that invites their customers to start important conversations about racism.

Aerie: Body positivity

In the past seven years, Aerie has launched massive campaigns all focused on body positivity. Their ads include models of all sizes. Aerie stopped using Photoshop to hide stretch marks and blemishes back in 2014. The brand has even launched programs where shoppers can leave positive notes for each other on the mirrors of their dressing rooms. All of these moves show empathy for the struggles that people face when shopping.

According to The Observer, “Increased awareness around issues like women’s body image and the impact of social media on mental health is changing business decisions.” Aerie has helped lead the way by showing that people will buy products “based on values they want to align with as opposed to the people they want to become.” In 2021, Aerie had seen 28 consecutive quarters of double-digit growth, largely as a result of its body-positive focus. 

Where to start: It’s about listening and empathy

One common thread you can see throughout many successfully inclusive ad campaigns is the desire to start a conversation and to listen to the experiences of people in marginalized communities. Unsuccessfully inclusive ads — such as the infamous 2017 Pepsi ad featuring Kendall Jenner — are often called the same thing: out of touch and tone-deaf. By truly engaging with and listening to all, your company can create impactful advertising that reaches people of all backgrounds. 

It all boils down to empathy. The inclusion and diversity in a company’s advertising highlight the company’s ability to empathize with its customers and understand a wide variety of perspectives and lived experiences. The only way for an advertising campaign to work is if the people running it are truly listening to their target market. 

You have to look beyond the data and try to understand the consumer’s lived experience. By including people with a variety of backgrounds and identities in your marketing campaigns, you’re able to show your company’s culture, build deeper connections with your customers, show empathy, and set the standard for how other companies should build their marketing campaigns.

Representation matters

Representation in all types of media is an essential part of marketing. Historically, many members of marginalized communities have rarely seen themselves authentically represented in ads, movies, television, and other media. 

If your company is going to create advertisements that include people from underrepresented groups, they must be included in the creation of the ads as well. Let’s return to the P&G example, “The Talk.” “One thing in particular that we found was that mothers were saying ‘Now [more] than ever, it’s more important for me to make sure that I’m having the talk with my child,’” says Teneshia Jackson Warner, CEO of Egami Consulting Group, which worked with P&G to create the ad. 

Warner says her firm “started taking a look at the life of an African American woman” and asked “what’s going on in your life? What are things that matter to you now?” To accurately represent Black women, Egami Consulting Group asked them open-ended questions and listened to what they were saying. According to Warner, Black women’s “conversations” informed the creation of the ad from the ground up. In other words, Warner and her consulting firm didn’t make any assumptions. She let the women speak and she listened, which enabled her company to come up with the idea.

There’s more than one way to authentically represent people with your advertising. In Aerie’s case, the brand has gone from featuring customers on its Instagram to welcoming new brand ambassadors who, according to FashionUnited, “Reflect the message it [Aerie] hopes to convey with the #AerieReal story.” 

Dubbed #AerieReal Role Models by the brand, these influencers and micro-influencers are not fashion models displaying the value of diversity. Rather, they’re women from all walks of life and with all types and sizes of bodies. In the brand’s call for #AerieReal Role Model applicants, it encourages “college students, young professionals, new moms, and powerful people living a variety of lifestyles” to apply. This ongoing influencer marketing campaign helps Aerie advance an inclusive message of body positivity.  

Diversity, inclusion, and personalization

The pursuit of diversity and inclusion is having a major impact on marketing. Advertising and marketing professionals are constantly looking for new ways to connect with different communities. The prioritization of diversity also shows deep connections with another audience-centric approach to marketing: personalization. 

Consumers want to experience different products and companies in a way that feels personalized to them and their lives. The pursuit of personalized customer experiences can be aided by a company investing in diversity and inclusion initiatives. Companies can also use tools to help personalize their customers’ experiences, such as software that allows them to recommend products to their customers based on their behavior online.

How to focus on diversity and inclusion with your marketing

One of the best, most inclusive ways to accurately represent a diverse audience is to use tools to better understand your company’s customer base. Once you’ve developed a better understanding of your target audience, you can create advertisements that are more inclusive and empathetic. 

You can also use marketing segmentation. Marketing segmentation is the process of breaking up your target audience into more well-defined and manageable segments. By defining the smaller groups within your overall target market, you can create more specific and well-timed advertisements that can reach those segmented groups and grow your customer base. 

By utilizing marketing segmentation, you can improve the success rates of your advertising campaigns, save money and time, and provide your customers with a more individualized experience when they’re interacting with your company. You can segment customers through behavioral segmentation, demographic segmentation, and geographic segmentation.

Put the person first

People are diverse, which is why there are so many avenues to explore with inclusive marketing. Whatever you do, don’t limit your campaigns to any preconceived notions of individuals or the groups they’re a part of. Explore the conversations people are having. Listen, empathize, and involve a diverse range of people in the creation of your campaigns. As you come to know the stories of individuals from every corner of the globe, your company can help reflect the individual’s voice through your marketing campaigns.