Why Diversity in Advertising is Crucial For Your Company’s Success

There has never been a bigger push and more collective voice for diversity and inclusion in various industries as perhaps there is right now in the U.S. It’s a long-overdue focus on an important topic that has left a large share of people under-represented and under-served.

At Statwax, pushing for diversity, inclusion, and belonging in all we do (both internally and client-facing) is a core part of our business. And we’re constantly looking for new ways to be more inclusive as a business. But as marketers, we must also be aware that diversity within advertising itself has a long way to go and holds huge importance and opportunity. 

We’re not alone in this. More than 91% of marketers in the US agree that there is still room for growth when it comes to being more diverse in advertising materials. 

Here are some ways we can all bring more diversity to marketing, and why it’s important to continue pushing things forward.

Your Audience Wants to Feel Seen and Understood 

Diversity in advertising is about more than just saying you’re doing the right thing. There’s actually a smart performance marketing component to it. The U.S. is more racially and ethnically diverse than in previous years and it’s diversifying faster than anyone had previously predicted. 

And with a more diverse potential audience, a marketing campaign needs to show that same diversity in order to best resonate. A prospective customer is more in tune than ever with whether or not they feel seen, understood, and represented by a brand that they’re going to commit time and money toward.

Generating Positive Brand Perception Through Diversity in Advertising

Beyond speaking more personally and accurately to a variety of audiences, diversity in advertising is also important for building your perception of your brand overall. 

Consumers as a whole are more in-tune than ever to what a company is doing in areas such as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). In recent years, up to 70% of Millennials have said they’d choose one brand over another if it demonstrated better diversity and inclusion in its marketing. 

In another survey, nearly two-thirds of consumers said a brand’s diversity directly impacted how they viewed its products and services. And more than a third would stop using that brand if it didn’t reflect them in its marketing. 

Across all personas and demographics, it’s clear that incorporating diversity into your marketing efforts isn’t optional if you wish to build a brand and campaign that is viewed positively and brings in sustained performance and customer loyalty.

What to Consider in Bringing Diversity to Marketing

It’s one thing to give all the stats that show why diversity in marketing is so important. But if you’re wondering how to actually start creating more diverse and inclusive campaigns, there are a few areas you can focus on first.

Use representative imagery 

This is especially important in social media marketing materials where the creative aspect is so important. For imagery involving people, opt for using a variety of images that showcase folks of different ages, races, ethnicities, abilities, family types, and life perspectives to best reflect your audience and enable them to see themselves as a user of your product or service. 

Utilize empathy in your written content 

When it comes to written content, don’t focus purely on the sales pitch. Remember that the goal is to connect with a more diverse audience so that they feel personally seen and represented. Writing your marketing content with a focus on empathy will help meet the audience where they’re at – not making them feel talked down to, sold to, or otherwise neglected in the marketing.

Consciously use inclusive language 

Many commonly used phrases, especially if your content or copy is more casual, aren’t not inclusive. Using language like “you guys”, “manpower/man hours” can limit your audience seeing themselves as the person you are talking about. 

Additionally, studies have shown that certain words used are more likely to attract different genders of folks to copy, so being aware of what words are being used and how is critical. Running copy through a service like Textio can help show you how inclusive your content is. 

Being aware of how inclusive your language, imagery, and advertising placement is is critical to accurately reflecting your key audiences and speaking to them in a successful way. Representation in marketing is key to a consumer seeing themselves as a person that could buy a product or use a service. 

If your consumers don’t see themselves reflected in your brand they will most likely seek that connection elsewhere. 

Reach out to our advertising experts today to learn more about the success we have seen with our clients who use more diverse and inclusive advertising.