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Representation matters.
We hear it again and again. And most people agree.
However, not all representation is created equal, and it is important to recognize this, especially to ensure that your efforts to engage more people in your marketing are received positively rather than with disappointment and skepticism.
As the number of brands adopting inclusive marketing and prioritizing visual imagery that accurately represents their target audience increases, it becomes important for marketers to become adept at it. How Representing the right way in marketing.
When done right, it shows underrepresented consumers that you are committed to them and their communities. When done right, representation in marketing makes the people you serve feel seen, supported, and like they belong with you.
Below is what consumers have shared with me in recent years about what is important to them to see in terms of representation.
But first, to make sure we’re on the same page, let’s talk about why representation is so important in marketing.
Why does representation matter in marketing?
The people you serve need to see themselves and want to be reflected in the visual imagery presented by your brand.
When they see themselves, it’s a permission slip to take the next step with you in your customer journey. When they don’t, many consumers get the message that “it’s not for me” and go looking for another option that will make them feel like they belong.
The State of Representation in Marketing 2021 study I conducted revealed that 74% of consumers choose to buy from and engage with a brand as a result of seeing themselves represented in the visual imagery presented by a brand.
Representation also impacts how consumers feel about themselves. In that study, one consumer said they wanted brands to know “how much underrepresentation hurts them.” Another consumer said they want brands to know “how much it can affect someone and their feelings about themselves when they never represent themselves [in marketing], Like they’re not important.”
These sentiments were present on social media in 2018 when Cosmopolitan UK put plus-size model Tess Holliday on the cover. One woman shared, “If I had seen more women like me in magazines growing up, it wouldn’t have taken me 25+ years to love my body.”
With representation, brands have both the power and responsibility to influence not only how consumers feel about themselves, but how they feel about other people. A study showed that exposure to highlight reels of women’s sports improved attitudes toward female athletes.
French telecoms company Orange followed this insight and created an ad ahead of this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup, explaining that good representation can actually impact perceptions of underrepresented groups, in this case, women. Skill, competitiveness and spirit of the game.
As you work to build an inclusive brand that makes more of the people you serve feel like they belong with you, know that taking the time to get the right representation will help you and your There will be a significant impact on many people, including customers. Adopt these principles to engage in representation the way consumers want you to.
How to represent correctly in marketing
1. Representation in marketing involves more than just photos.
The on-ramp for many brands starting with inclusive marketing focuses on making their visuals more representative. But changing your visuals doesn’t prove that your brand is inclusive.
Consumers will believe you’re inclusive when it’s representative. Continuous your brand. In the same study, many consumers shared that they want the brands they connect with and buy from to be representative of the whole.
One respondent said, “It’s more than just putting someone on an ad. They need to create products that meet the needs of different people. “Hire people who are diverse.” Another commented, “I wish they would include more types of people in their campaigns and as senior leaders in their actual companies.”
Another person responded to the research, saying, “When you choose to represent different types of people, that inclusivity needs to translate to other areas of the brand. The brand should also be politically vocal, adopt proper placement strategies, etc., otherwise people will realize that they are being “represented” only for the sake of sales.
Here are the important areas to focus on in relation to your brand representation.
products
Take the time to ensure that the products you develop reflect, acknowledge and support the differences of the people your brand serves. For example, Barbie has stated that one out of every five dolls it develops is black, as part of its commitment to “ensure diversity is represented everywhere” in its products.
Material
The content you create matters as well as representation. Whether it’s who you include in videos, the guests you feature on your podcast, or even the influencers you work with, create a content plan that engages your target audience with what you publish. Allow yourself to be presented in the tasks done.
If you want more guidance on how to create inclusive and representative content, the episode below can serve as a great guide:
Find more episodes here
People
Building representative teams is an important part of demonstrating that your brand is inclusive. Who you pay serves as a strong indicator of both company and brand values. If you don’t have a representative team, consumers may question your company’s true commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Having a diverse and representative team not only helps you work better but also has many other benefits.
Jerry Deakin is head of global media at Beam Suntory. During our conversation on the Inclusion & Marketing podcast, Jerry told me about a study conducted by the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) that found that the marketing industry at large is struggling with significant challenges in achieving fair representation . “Almost every minority you can name is underrepresented in the industry and their experience working in the industry is also likely to be worse,” he said. “If the industry was properly inclusive and represented everyone, we would probably do better.”
This better work comes from allowing individuals within these communities to use their lived experiences and cultural intelligence as it informs the development of exceptional products, services, and experiences.
Of course, building a diverse and representative team isn’t necessarily something you can do overnight. it takes time. One way to ensure that you have a team representative of the people you are serving in the interim is to hire consultants and contractors to support you during construction and development.
Marketing
Ensuring adequate representation in your marketing mix is essential, especially to ensure customers connect with your brand at every touchpoint throughout their customer journey.
Many brands prioritize including representative personas in their photos and videos, whether derived from stock imagery or custom content, to ensure a true reflection of the people they serve. However, another important area to consider is your customer testimonials.
Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for people who identify with underrepresented and underserved groups to achieve different levels of success than people from dominant groups. These disparities are often the result of systemic and social barriers No Directly related to the problem your brand solves. Yet, these issues harm organizational success. This episode of the Inclusion & Marketing Podcast covers this topic in more depth:
Find more episodes here
2. The representation must state an accurate description.
Often, the stories told about people from underrepresented and underserved communities are not accurate; They often reflect harmful stereotypes.
As such, as your brand begins to incorporate representation of people from marginalized communities into your brand awareness and value system, take time to ensure that the representation you’re communicating is true to their real-world experiences. Well connected with experiences.
For example, disability advocate Meryl Evans talked about her frustration with brands that are trying to represent people in the disability community, but continue to perpetuate the narrative that people with disabilities Can’t work on your own. She wrote a note on LinkedIn, saying, “My fellow deaf people and I who prefer sign language would appreciate the avoidance of using pictures with assistance signs. It infantilizes deaf people like we always need help.”
3. Longevity and intention matter.
Two consumers I recently spoke with expressed their frustration with brands that seem to have a sense of entitlement about how consumers should respond to brands being more representative with their visual imagery.
One said it felt like the brands were saying, “Okay, here you go, here’s a black person. Come buy our product.” As a black man, he felt that brands’ actions lacked authenticity. She felt like brands were only changing their image, so she felt the product was for her.
A woman who wears plus-size clothing expressed similar disappointment. She told me that brands launching campaigns representing different bodies can seem gimmicky because it’s such a sudden change in their track record. She says, “So now I’m starting to feel like, ‘Oh, this product is for me’ because suddenly I see someone who looks like me?”
As we chatted further, she talked about how, for the time being, her loyalty remains with the brands that have represented and served plus-sized people for a long time. He expressed that if a brand, in its early stages of adopting the representation, continues to support the community over a long period of time, it has the potential to earn its trust.
Your customers are waiting to meet you; What do you do next?
By promising to deliver on your brand’s commitments to DEIA representatives in all areas of your marketing mix, you will earn the attention, trust, and loyalty of consumers from underrepresented and underserved communities.
By committing to producing marketing, product and visual content that includes images that represent the people you serve or who they want to become, you ensure that they feel seen and validated. .
