As marketers, we are in a unique position to drive authentic and meaningful change — and it starts with the teams we build and the stories we tell. As consumers are placing more value on individual needs and experiences, inclusive marketing moves from something nice for brands to do to something brands must do.
It’s vital for modern marketers to know their audience, but they should also remember that diversity and inclusion extend beyond race alone. Promoting brand image means communicating with audiences as unique individuals, including people of all ages, socio-economic classes, genders and more.
Ultimately, the key to staying competitive lies in providing diversified content for diversified audiences, in a way that actually represents present-day society. We take a deeper look at how corporations can continue to imbue kindness in their work and marketing through various D&I initiatives, and why it is paramount to do so.
Integrating Diversity & Inclusion in Brand Identity and Corporate Social Responsibility
D&I at work means ensuring that all stakeholders feel equally involved in and supported. In the workplace, this includes the areas of recruitment, departments, and leadership. A diverse and inclusive workplace can have numerous benefits; McKinsey’s Diversity Wins report finds that firms with greater representation of gender, ethnicity, and culture have a higher likelihood of outperformance, as compared to firms with less representation.
Besides that, firms who prioritise creating a diverse and inclusive workplace also benefit from improved employee retention, increased employee engagement, and a greater readiness to innovate, among other plusses.
Beyond the workplace, it remains important for D&I to be incorporated in other aspects of your business as well. Making your clients and customers feel included is just as crucial as fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace.
Done right, this can have a significant impact on your business — improving your brand reputation, garnering support from your customers, and boosting your revenue. But just how can D&I be kept top of mind even outside of your workplace?
Read on as we share three tried-and-tested methods you can adopt when incorporating D&I in your business.
Partnering with social enterprises and non-profit organisations
What better way to champion the D&I movement than to support organisations leading the charge? There are numerous social enterprises dedicated to bridging social inequalities, and supporting communities who are vulnerable or less privileged. Working with these organisations enable you to make a definitive impact, as they know best the situation on the ground and where resources are most needed.
One such organisation embodies kindness in its namesake, even beyond World Kindness Day — Kind Citizen Singapore. Digitalising the concept of paying it forward, Kind Citizen enables social inclusion by empowering individuals and businesses to support those who need it most.
Through their marketplace, individuals are able to select a contribution they wish to make, which will be paid forward to someone in need. Businesses are also able to play a part by offering their items and services up for gifting. Kind Citizen covers a wide range of marginalised communities, including individuals with special needs, ex-offenders, single parents, and more.
Unsure of how to best provide support? Read this article for ideas on how you can do so through your company’s CSR strategy and initiatives.
Inclusive advertising
Inclusive advertising focuses on campaigns that embrace diversity, and includes representation of people from different backgrounds.
In her article on diversity, senior manager at big four firm KPMG Mina Tezcan highlights the importance of inclusive marketing in influencing consumer behaviour. She cited Google’s Inclusive Marketing Study, which found that 69% of black consumers are more inclined to purchase a product or service when a brand’s communication strategy positively reflects their ethnicity.
Besides ethnicity, inclusive advertising can cover other facets of diversity including age, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability, and more.
For instance, local lingerie brand Our Bralette Club supports size inclusivity and body positivity by hiring models of all shapes and sizes to depict how their products look on ordinary women. Likewise, swimwear firm Ubu Swimwear promotes body acceptance and features women of all body shapes and ethnicities on its social media pages.
Cause Marketing
Combining elements from the aforementioned points, Cause Marketing refers to marketing programs based on a social or charitable cause. Engaging in cause marketing is a crucial step for businesses looking to establish a CSR and/or D&I strategy.
Read more about What is Cause Marketing.
A survey by market insight firm Clutch in 2019 revealed that 80% of American consumers believed companies should support social issues related to human rights. Another report by EVERFI titled The Impact of Responsibility and Education also found that 76% of consumers believe engagement in the broader community is important to brand reputation, and nearly half believe companies have an obligation to tackle societal problems.
Effective cause marketing can help consumers understand your mission and align with your brand. Take for instance Singapore Post Limited’s (SingPost) collaboration with Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS) to produce Singapore’s very first charity stamps. The stamps were designed by special needs students from MINDS, with sales proceeds being wholly donated to a charity.
As part of this initiative, Epic Dialogue organised a launch event graced by President Halimah Yacob at MINDS Fernvale Gardens School. The event saw SingPost presenting a cheque for S$168,000 to the charity Community Chest, in support of MINDS. Such events clearly demonstrate an organisation’s commitment to a cause and engage with the community, which can help you improve your brand reputation and garner support from consumers.
Are you ready to be a champion of social inclusion? Work with Epic Dialogue today as we help you generate strategies for cause marketing that are sincere, impactful, and effective. Our goal is to help mission-driven organisations amplify their brand and CSR initiatives through our unique combination of digital marketing, events, and branding capabilities. Email us at hello@epic-dialogue.com
