The Danger of Diversity PR

The concept of "Diversity" has gained popularity and is increasingly used by companies to promote their brand and gain positive publicity. While promoting efforts to increase diversity may have some positive effects, it can also be damaging when deployed as a 'marketing strategy' lacking an internal commitment to implementation in practice.

I have observed a concerning trend of companies engaging in what can only be described as "Diversity PR". Increasingly, companies are using diversity as a PR tool to communicate a commitment to diversity and inclusion without taking substantive action to implement changes within. This tokenistic approach can lead to distrust from employees and customers who may feel that their identities, issues and concerns are not being taken seriously or, worse, made a mockery of.

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Additionally, the lack of actions to promote diversity can cause credibility issues. If a company claims to support diversity but does not take steps to achieve it equitably and sustainably from within, people will be less likely to trust or believe in their message. This builds distrust which can adversely affect future efforts, however genuine, to improve workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion.

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Furthermore, relying on "diverse representation" as a PR strategy can be problematic on many fronts. Aside from being shallow and self-serving, it contributes to a culture of distrust and does little to address the inequities that lead to a lack of diversity in the first place. Many individuals, especially with more visible markers of diversity, have found themselves caught between a rock and a hard place when asked to feature in the company's marketing collateral, feeling tokenised by this gesture but also wondering (or hoping) that being the poster child for diversity may help efforts to attract diverse talent into the company.

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Incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion requires a considered and sustainable approach that considers the intersectional nature of diversity. Without an intersectional approach, diversity efforts do not achieve what they set out to do. For example, some companies will solely focus on gender or sexual orientation without considering intersecting identities or aspects of diversity such as race, age, disability, and religion/spirituality. This superficial approach to promoting diversity can lead to accusations of performative activism, damaging the brand even more.

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While promoting diversity can be effective, it must be managed with care and caution. Companies must be mindful of their approach to fostering diversity and focus their efforts on taking substantive actions that create real and lasting change internally. Otherwise, they risk damaging their reputation without truly addressing systemic inequalities in the workplace.

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Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives can create real and lasting positive changes when adopted systematically. Check out my article on How to Avoid a Tick Box Approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) | LinkedIn to learn more about what real implementation of DEI involves.

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To explore what implementation of diversity, equity, and inclusion could look like for your workplace, contact us today and let's start the conversation.

Diversity Focus

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(08) 6118 8240

The original article is shared on my website: www.elizabethlang.com.au/articles/the-danger-of-diversity-pr