Some executives and boards are devaluing the merits of their corporate DEI initiatives. Marketers who do the same in their content risk alienating consumers. It puts content performance in jeopardy and can prevent them from achieving successful business outcomes.
A September 2024 study by the Unstereotype Alliance finds that brands following more inclusive advertising practices sell more (3.46% higher shorter-term sales and 16.26% higher longer-term sales), are 62% more likely to be a consumer’s first choice, and are tried 8% more often than their less inclusive competitors.
Regardless of your organization’s formal stance on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, compelling reasons exist to make equitable audience engagement a top content marketing priority. Industry experts share some steps on how to do that.
Prioritize customer commitments over corporate politics
Global commercial payment and foreign exchange provider Convera never had an official DEI policy. Still, vice president of global marketing Leah Glass says reneging on commitments to serve its diverse customer base equitably isn’t an option.
Leah notes a key reason: Convera’s customers hail from all over the world. It needs diversity of thought — and content that reflects a wide variety of perspectives — to engage them.
“We’re not going to stop inclusively and authentically messaging to [members of our audience] just because DEI has become less of a corporate priority,” she explains. “Scaling back our efforts to appropriately connect with our customers is completely against our financial interests. Why would we ever do that?”
Research backs that point of view. According to Kantar’s Brand Inclusion Index 2024, “The perception of a brand’s diversity and inclusion efforts influences buying decisions among almost eight in 10 people worldwide.”
Brands that pull back from such commitments or engage in “tokenism” may suffer more than those that never took a stance, according to an August 2024 report, The Impact of Minority Representation in Sponsored Content and the Moderating Role of Brand Characteristics.
“DEI is a sensitive issue, and consumers value genuine commitment. Our work suggests that brands —especially larger ones — should avoid taking moderate stances and instead adopt a clear position,” writes Pankhuri Malhotra, assistant professor of marketing at the University of Oklahoma.
Tammy Tsang, founder of AndHumanity, an inclusive marketing and communications agency, says she uses these research points as tenets when planning campaigns and content: “As much as the political climate in the U.S. is changing, it doesn’t mean that the audience doesn’t want you to a take a stance, address cultural differences, or promote representation in your marketing communications.”
Lead with empathy and consistency
Marketers must continue to create content marketing that looks and sounds like the people they want to buy from them, agrees Ulysses King, executive vice president of global agency Archetype. He believes some companies pulling back from their initiatives may not have been fully committed, while others may be exploring how to make an impact without labeling it DEI.
“I have so much empathy for clients or people who work in-house where leadership has essentially told them that [DEI] doesn’t matter,” Ulysses says. “It’s frustrating that facts don’t seem to matter in this environment.”
The Municipal Credit Union of New York applies its sense of empathy when engaging customers with content, says Chief Marketing Officer Cania Infante.
As a financial institution founded for New York City workers, its marketing approach reflects the population it serves: “Our goal has remained consistent: to reflect the diversity of our communities and employees accurately,” Cania says.
Reflect the lived experiences of your audience
When organizations lack diverse perspectives internally, they risk failing to create authentic conversations that resonate externally.
That’s one reason Alan Brown, founder of ad agency DNA&STONE, says his firm practices empathetic resourcing — finding people with relevant lived experience to collaborate on client campaigns.
For example, the agency recently created content and marketing materials for an assisted-living provider. Instead of relying solely on his staff’s insights, his firm hired contractors who had personal experience with the subject matter.
“We sourced a creative team of people in their 60s who had gone through the process of finding assisted living facilities for their parents,” Alan says. “They brought a unique understanding of the needs and challenges our client was trying to address.”
Seek common ground
AndHumanity’s Tammy Tsang says content marketers should also educate their C-suite executives and board members on audience behaviors and preferences. It may help them see that trends and actions reported in the media can differ significantly from what their customers want.
Sharing customer data can help marketers close that gap in stakeholder understanding. For example, Tammy’s firm researches the intercultural sensitivity of clients’ audiences via the Bennett scale — a model that characterizes how people react to cross-cultural differences.
“We adapt the Bennett scale to marketing communications,” Tammy says. “It helps you see exactly where your audience lands, so you can understand where you need to be as a company and how to optimize the resonance of your marketing messages.”
If your efforts to educate stakeholders still result in an impasse, consider taking a more subtle approach, such as focusing on unifying commonalities between the business and its customers.
Brandon Rochon, chief creative officer of brand studio Notorious111, recently worked on a client campaign around the concept of the American Dream. While the client initially proposed an approach centered on one specific audience type, Brandon’s team countered with a campaign idea that offered a broader appeal: sneakers.
“It doesn’t matter where you’re from, your socioeconomic standing, how old you are, what race you are, who you love, or what you believe. People love — and see others wearing — sneakers,” he says. “Everybody can feel included because sneakers are a product everyone has experience with and can relate to.”
View diversity as a powerful driver of brand success
The end of formal DEI initiatives doesn’t mean the end of diversity, equity, and inclusion in your content marketing, says Karen McFarlane, founder and chief marketing officer of Kaye Media, a fractional marketing agency.
“Most companies should take a customer-first approach by focusing on who their customers are,” Karen says. “If you do that right, diversity in marketing won’t be considered optional. It becomes a business imperative that directly impacts your revenue, builds brand trust, and drives innovation across the organization.”
