3 Reasons Why Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Matter in Marketing

You’ve probably seen ads from some of your favorite brands celebrating a cultural or diverse initiative for a limited time. Think Black History Month, Pride Month, or Women’s History Month.

The brand might use a catchy new tagline, diverse photography, and may even promise to donate a portion of their sales to those initiatives to inspire more change. They edit their logo, take on a new approach, and push content that inspires diversity and then… The month is over, the OG logo is back, the donations stopped, and it’s back to business as usual.

If you’re like us, you can likely see through some of these mini-pushes for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as a way to generate sales without making an actual commitment to positive change. In other words, we’ve all seen a company that says they’re inclusive but often doesn’t practice what they preach.

True DEI is about making a conscious effort to support these initiatives everyday and in all you do–not just one day, week, or month out of the year. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of celebrating DEI in your marketing everyday of the year.

Here are 3 Reasons Why DEI Matters When Choosing your Marketing Partner

1. Representation

In marketing, representation truly matters. According to a 2020 Microsoft Advertising report, 70% of consumers “are more trusting of brands that represent diversity in ads.” It’s critical for organizations to balance their DEI to ensure that representation is fulfilled across not only gender, race, and ethnicity, but also age, ability and health conditions, familial situation, and even language. When all individuals feel their stories are shared in a way that provides intentional and careful exposure, they are more likely to trust your organization.

2. Recruiting

Since 2020, the employment sector has seen a vast shift in the ways people work. Between remote and hybrid environments to staffing struggles, recruiters need to consider the impact of DEI on their employment models. When organizations are more openly inclusive with their recruitment practices and marketing, they create a wider net of potential personnel, partners, and clients. Not to mention, a more authentic celebration of DEI can lead to improved employee morale, increased team engagement, higher retention, and lower turnover rate.

3. Innovation

It’s no secret that the more diverse a group of individuals are, the more likely they are to develop new and innovative ways to solve problems. Placing an emphasis on DEI in your organization’s marketing efforts will help you stay on the cutting edge of industry trends and innovative ideas. In fact, studies have shown that “racially and ethnically diverse companies have a 36% higher likelihood of financially outperforming less diverse companies.” When people of varying backgrounds come together, their creativity can produce results that otherwise couldn’t be achieved.

Ongoing Commitment 

From cultural to financial, these are just 3 of the benefits of championing DEI in your organization. There are dozens of immediate and latent benefits that come when you actively celebrate and practice DEI in your marketing.

No matter how you choose to move forward with the DEI story for your organization, one thing for certain is that DEI is not something that happens over night and cannot be celebrated in a single month or cultural holiday. DEI is an ongoing commitment to challenge yourself, your team, and your organization  to think critically about the ways your clients, customers, students, and team members perceive the world around them.

About Us

Everyone deserves to be represented. At Coleman Intellect, we strive to deliver the highest level of service with our mission-driven focus. We believe that when we work to celebrate our diversity, we can create more equitable and inclusive spaces where more people feel seen, heard, and appreciated.

If you’re looking for a video production partner for your organization, give us a call. Together we can walk through your current marketing efforts and design a plan that aligns with the DEI values that drive your organization.