These 4 DE&I Marketing Insights Will Move Your Brand Forward

Over the last year, companies and marketers were given the opportunity to better connect with their customers and create real, meaningful change.

As businesses around the world juggled the global pandemic and the overdue push for systemic change, it became even more critical for companies to ensure diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) was thoughtfully considered in every facet of a company and their go-to-market strategy. Now comes a critical moment to pause and examine not just what has changed since then but what still needs to be done.

In the For(bes) the Culture’s inaugural Black and Brown in Corporate America survey, 55% of respondents said their employers aren’t transparent about progress when it comes to DE&I goals, while 53% don't believe they’re meeting their goals. So while we seem to be rounding the corner of the pandemic, the fight for equality in the workplace still has a way to go.

Each industry carries this responsibility. For marketing, the responsibility of its public-facing platform bears a lot of weight. After all, 71% of consumers prefer buying from companies that are aligned with their values. To help marketers find their way forward, we’ve identified four central themes to keep in mind as we continue to cultivate our new version of normal—with DE&I top of mind.

1. Belonging. The more connected a customer feels to your products or services, the more they’ll feel like they belong with your brand. And a true sense of belonging is the difference between a one-time customer and a life-long customer. Yet many of today’s brands miss the mark by excluding groups—whether consciously or not. Some brands like Sephora used data to hold themselves accountable for creating a more inclusive company. Others turned to immersing themselves in their customer’s environments or giving their customers more agency. While division was a huge theme last year, belonging will stay at the forefront in 2021.  
2. Reallocation. 2020 changed how many spent their time—and their dollars. Small businesses everywhere faced many challenges last year, but they also received a new wave of support. Consumers were encouraged to buy from underrepresented brands and shop locally throughout the pandemic. Lists that highlighted minority-owned businesses—from Black-owned to female-owned—were widely shared. Even tech companies set out to make this reallocation of spending easier. Earlier this month, Yelp introduced a new tool to help users find and support local LGBTQ-owned businesses. Moving forward, marketers will need to ask themselves, where are you reallocating? Because today’s consumers want receipts.

Read more