Creating a positive brand image is the foundation of all marketing efforts with the primary intent of ‘including’ everyone in the base of potential customers or clients. In short, in addition to making a positive impact on society, inclusive marketing helps ensure that a brand connects with as much clientele as possible. A truly inclusive marketing strategy therefore should consider the rich diversity of human experience in all its forms, be it socio-economic variabilities, physical and mental abilities, geography, as well as the various identities people choose to call their own. Inclusive marketing campaigns help brands show that they care about these identities and understand their responsibility to recognize them. Inclusive marketing strategies are now gaining increasing visibility themselves, appearing in campaigns for apparel, auto goods, food, technology, and the like.
There are a few characteristics that set today’s concept of inclusive marketing from the campaigns of yore.
- A reflection of the social responsibility of private entities beyond mere marketing tactics.
This characteristic of inclusive marketing is frequently considered the last in most situations, despite being the most important one. True inclusivity in a brand should reach beyond profit interests to prioritize the social responsibility of a brand to improve the well-being of the community it operates in. Brands that choose to do so earn trust and loyalty not frequently enjoyed by other private entities. Earning this relationship with the community necessitates that a company reaches beyond mere advertising campaigns to carry out initiatives that promote social justice, positive social change, equality, and equity while aligning its brand with these values.
- A bottom-up approach instead of a top-down one
Most marketing campaigns are specifically engineered products created by trained professionals. Inclusive marketing campaigns can also be products created by professionals. However, it is also a product of collaboration and co-creation with a wide array of stakeholders. Inclusive marketing moves beyond token representation to recognise the importance of listening to and engaging with the many perspectives that these parties have to offer. The inclusion of their voices ensures that the ensuing campaign remains authentic, impactful, and relevant.
- Empowering and advocating for historically disenfranchised groups and communities
As mentioned, inclusive marketing uses a platform typically used to promote a brand, to promote communities instead—bringing visibility to the values the brand represents. This has the added benefit of empowering marginalised communities by amplifying their voices. By featuring their experiences and stories, commercially motivated campaigns can actually showcase positive representations of underrepresented groups in mainstream media. They can also advocate for social justice for these communities as well as the wider community in general by featuring and addressing systemic issues and challenging established power structures and stereotypes.
- Long-term commitment and accountability to inclusive and equitable values
True inclusivity can never be a one-time endeavour, which is why inclusive marketing campaigns symbolise a long-term commitment by a brand to diversity, equity, and inclusion. A sustained practice of accountability and transparency is imperative to ensure that these values prevail over time, even in the face of the power hegemonies they threaten. A willingness to acknowledge the mistakes and shortcomings that are bound to occur is a crucial part of ensuring that the brand commits to protecting the values it promotes in the long term.
If these characteristics appear to be a reiteration of the same idea in different ways, it is because that is what they essentially are. They all reflect the overarching values of authenticity that go beyond commercial interests, accessibility, collaboration, accountability, and empowerment.
Inclusive marketing can also be understood in terms of what it is not. Non-inclusive marketing tactics do not make these deliberate efforts to embrace the rich diversity of the human experience, instead relying on narrow portrayals and stereotypes to represent their audience. These only serve to perpetuate harmful narratives and biases against certain members of society to the detriment of the brand and society itself. It’s important to remember this aspect of non-inclusive marketing deteriorates whatever brand it chooses to engage. Where inclusive brands generate positive engagement and impact, non-inclusive campaigns create a backlash, outrage, boycotts, and ultimately, reputational damage. Not only does non-inclusive marketing stem from ignorance, negligence, or a reluctance to challenge societal norms, but it also perpetuates these same attitudes forward into the future. The fallout and the negative impact of these harmful marketing campaigns far outlast any brand’s name and as far as profitability is concerned, it will almost certainly exclude certain consumer segments from the brand being ‘promoted’.
All too often, businesses can be seen working under the clear belief that inclusive marketing entails a betrayal of company values or commercial values, for the sake of catering to the moral imperative of certain parties. It’s important to remember that inclusivity in marketing is also of strategic importance in driving profitability and shareholder value. Businesses that are committed to prioritising values of equity and diversity find themselves better positioned in the market to tap into different demographics and identities, foster lasting relationships and loyalty, and claim ownership of a legacy of contributing to social progress. In addition to averting many reputational risks, inclusive brands also retain the ability to evolve in accordance with changing consumer expectations. It also ensures that the company, and by extension, the brand reputation, complies with regulatory requirements and ethical standards as well.
(Theruni M. Liyanage)