Let's talk about: Inclusive Marketing

How might we leverage modern marketing techniques to expand brand reach to marginalised and underrepresented market segments?

Sixteen and believing I was at the height of sophistication, teenage Roselyn (that’s me) decided to try her hand at makeup for the first time.

However, the only foundation that had grabbed my attention on TV (and more importantly, a favourite amongst friends) had the most appalling range of options. The darkest two shades in the range were continents apart and nowhere near the colour of my face. It felt embarrassing, but determined to make it work, I bought them both and would spend each morning blending them together to try and match the colour of my face. It was arduous (and didn’t always work) but what other option did I have?

Fast forward nearly 10 years, and the beauty industry has come a long way. Brands like Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty, which places “beauty for all” at the core of its marketing messaging, understand what happens when you help customers bring out the best in themselves. Within a year, it became the biggest beauty brand launch in YouTube history. Seeing women who looked like me wearing the products was not only reassuring that it could work for me too, but more importantly, it showed me that my needs were valid.

Although it’s an arguably superficial example on the spectrum of inclusivity, the troubling part is that I don’t consider my needs (a dark-skinned South Asian woman who wants to feel fabulous) particularly extraordinary. Within the beauty industry and beyond, there are underrepresented groups whose needs we might not even be aware of and are being ignored.

What is inclusive marketing?

Inclusive marketing includes the messaging, people, processes and technologies that enable marginalised or underrepresented groups to be better represented, fully experience and connect with brands.

Marketing that is truly inclusive considers all facets and layers of a person’s identity such as skin tone, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, body type, ethnicity, culture, language, religion/spirituality, physical/mental ability and socio-economic status. It should also account for intersectionality, which means recognising that a single person may represent many identities/dimensions and the nuances this entails.

Why does it matter?

Inclusive marketing recognises and elevates diverse voices and stories. Absolut Vodka is one brand whose marketing strategy has inclusivity baked in—they have a long history of championing the LGBT community, from an iconic collaboration with Andy Warhol to product placements on RuPaul’s Drag Race. Their commitment aligns perfectly with their brand identity so it never comes off as contrived. 

Additionally, brands can create more respectful and considered campaigns that dispel harmful stereotypes rather than perpetuating them. I’ll keep this clean and not name and shame, but I’m sure it won’t take you long to think of a recent tone-deaf marketing faux-pas…The reputational damage for brands can be immense while also impacting the bottom line.

Speaking of bottom line—from a business perspective, inclusive marketing allows brands to expand reach and potentially find new consumers. For existing customers, it’s a chance to connect on a deeper level to build brand loyalty. As people and societies start to be re-shaped by the rapid pace of change in the world, adaptive inclusive marketing is a means of preparing for the future.

Where is it going?

You might not have ever thought about inclusive marketing before - and that’s OK. Inclusive marketing will be a continuous learning process for brands, consultancies and agencies. But it requires a mindset shift for marketers - from building diverse teams, to redesigning marketing processes, to leveraging technology in new ways:

1.    Inclusive marketing for consumers starts with genuine inclusivity within marketing teams that bring diversity of thought and cultural awareness. Going back to my beloved Fenty Beauty again, the brand attributes its success to a creative and bold marketing team, each bringing a unique perspective that collectively helped to weave their brand story together. As well as those who are present, it’s crucial to also think about who ISN’T in the room and being heard.

2.    Inclusivity can be embedded in the marketing process from the initial stages of creative briefing up until reviewing campaign performance. When it’s treated as an afterthought, campaigns go predictably awry, which can risk alienating your audience.

3.    Technology will help identify new opportunities and bridge solutions. The Geena Davis Institute partnered with Google to develop a machine learning tool (GD-IQ) to identify gender disparities in films. Insights were shared with filmmakers, who committed to improving the number and quality of female characters on upcoming projects. We can also expect greater priority given to those with accessibility requirements. For example, Microsoft have made gaming more accessible by developing an alternative controller with touchpads instead of buttons. They’ve built a Super Bowl worthy campaign around the controller and have also designed a channel allowing users to request further customisation.

It may have started with a beauty campaign fronted by a pop star, but inclusivity needs to be the new norm in marketing. It could start with just one campaign, but I believe inclusive marketing could be a catalyst that builds empathy across various subsets of society and challenges some of the narrow views that still exist today.

If you’re interested in hearing more about inclusive marketing or have any ideas/suggestions, please do get in touch. Drop me a message here or on [email protected].