5 Ways To Create Intentionally Inclusive Branding

People have been talking about inclusive branding for years, simply because it’s the right thing to do. Ads have started including real women to relate to their followers and companies are running ads that appeal to a wider, more diverse, audience. It’s up to your brand to start considering the impact, rather than the intent, and ensure that your brand is not only relevant and relatable, but inclusive to all.

Take inventory

What about your products or services is exclusive and how can you make a change? Microsoft recognized a gap in their product line and launched an adaptive controller which they featured in their Super Bowl commercial, promoting inclusivity and equality for children with disabilities. Start with yourself and look in the mirror. How are you supporting bias or exclusivity? Do you have assumptions that you view as truths? How does this unconsciously feed into your company branding?

Practice empathy 

Empathy belongs in marketing. It’s how you can show your audience that you see their challenges and that you’re not only attempting to understand their journey, but that you’re also trying to support them along the way. It’s about treating your audience like humans and letting your creative content speak for itself. Does your company share content that is meaningful yet empathetic? Check out P&G’s Emmy-winning ad, “The Talk” for inspiration on how well-developed content can deliver a powerful impact. 

Represent the real

What is really going on in the lives of your customers and followers? While we all like to see uplifting photos and videos on our feeds, it’s reassuring to see content that addresses the real side of life sometimes. Instead of a picture-perfect nursery and a mom with makeup, how about a pile of dirty laundry and a mom with puke on her shirt and three-day hair? How you do it is your call, but here’s an ad from Google to make you think and “Question your lens.”

Take a stance

If you stand for inclusivity and are pro-diversity, then let it be known! Consumers want to see their favorite brands standing up for something that they also believe in with all of their hearts. It’s time to intentionally show that your brand is a proponent of inclusivity. It is not time to be silent. Use your platform to say something. Check out Coca Cola’s commercial where they say, “Together is beautiful.”

Own up to your mistakes

Brands make mistakes all of the time. Take Facebook as an example. In an attempt to celebrate women’s suffrage, Facebook ran a post that said, “On Aug. 26, 1920, women achieved the right to vote in the U.S.” The graphic featured women of various racial backgrounds. The problem is that not all women got the right to vote in 1920. Needless to say, it sparked outrage due to its insensitivity. If you make a mistake, own up to it and take responsibility for your actions.

You can still be inclusive while remaining dedicated to your niche audience. It’s not about picking the right stock image and calling it good, it must go much deeper than that. Forbes says it best, “Inclusive marketing strives to create a visual culture that is more representative. It endeavors to appreciate and understand our various identities, differences and histories while also illuminating places of commonality.”

Being inclusive is not a trend. It’s a movement and if your brand doesn’t catch up with the times, it will get left behind.