Pride in Diversity: Four Brands That Nailed Their Inclusion Messaging
CRM Marketing is even more than setting up a sophisticated, AI-driven, micro-segmented retention operation. As much as such a strategy is crucial, nurturing customer relationships is also about expressing empowering messaging in a sensitive and inclusive way. For Pride Month, here are a few examples we think can inspire marketing teams everywhere
As June starts and with it Pride month, we take a break from our usual publication calendar to recognize four campaigns that made our team stop and appreciate the way they put the spotlight on inclusivity.
We spend a significant portion of our lives at work, so finding a job that makes us feel satisfied and content is crucial. As part of their ongoing campaign, Empathy at Work, Indeed, the biggest job site in the world, focus on what they call “The Great Realization” brought on by the pandemic: that empathy, happiness, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace are not only possible, but a necessity.
Happiness isn’t one-size-fits-all; it comprises multiple factors and varies from person to person. While most of us require some time to acclimate to a new workplace, the people, and the surroundings, that task is infinitely more difficult for those who feel they need to hide something so basic about who they are, such as their orientation or gender identification.
We can feel comfortable, show our actual value, and contribute our utmost when we’re accepted for who we are. By demonstrating how simple it all can and should be, Indeed is leading the conversation, encouraging candidates to be themselves, and putting the pressure back on employers to provide that environment.
Brands who read the marketing map properly understand that diversity is not just a hot trend but a shift in how we see, understand, market to, and treat our counterparts, whomever they are.
UGG, an early adopter of that approach, speaks directly to this diverse audience. They understand the importance of ensuring they “show this through the images [they] create, the partners [they] choose, and the way [they] communicate – this is integral to [their] marketing campaigns.”
The message on the brand’s website continues: “We have set a commitment that at least 60% of people we feature in our marketing efforts identify as Black, Indigenous, People of Color, LGBTQ+, or diverse in their body types and ability.”
That not only ensures UGG is on the early-adopter side of history but also a savvy marketing strategy that should pay off in the future.
UGG is not alone, naturally, and nowadays, we’re seeing more beauty and fashion brands walk the walk when it comes to inclusion and painting a more realistic picture of the people who actually use their products – as the audience expands to include previously excluded members, focusing on how the product makes you feel rather than look (though important).
Essie has been working with its first nonfemale brand ambassador, Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness, who shared on social media that for him, like for many others, “polish has always been a form of self-expression.” Giving a voice and a stage to all forms of self-expression, especially those that used to be persecuted, is the pathway for brands to be truly inclusive and diverse.
Gillette
Gillette, much like ESSIE, chose to speak directly to a new, previously overlooked audience. In 2019 it released an ad depicting a transgender man learning to shave.
Logic suggests that transgender men have indeed shaved before this ad, they could have even used Gillette products for all we know, but with this ad, transgender people are both embraced by the brand and declared a target audience.
Even as that spirit of inclusivity has some ways to go before becoming second nature, being a target audience, acknowledged by brands for all of their needs, preferences, and desires, is a start.
Guy Leshno, a seasoned PR and Communications professional, with a successful track record in leading PR strategies and projects in emerging startups. With over a decade of experience, his expertise lies in blending creative ideation, analytics, and expert writing capabilities, driving brand awareness, and improving sales.
