Quick question: are ‘diversity’ and ‘inclusion’ more than buzzwords? The only right answer is ‘yes!’. The fact that society is more diverse than ever certainly has its effects on marketing. You already knew this, of course. Why else would you be reading an article on inclusive marketing? Grasping how important diversity and inclusion are is great, but you also need to carry these things out. And that might be more challenging. Don’t panic, though! We’ll explain everything you need to know.

First things first: what is inclusive marketing?

When we talk about marketing, we mean “the way you communicate with your brand”. When we speak of inclusive marketing, we’re trying to explain how you can “deliver your messages in an inclusive way”. This includes your marketing strategy and corresponding processes.

In other words: you take into account society’s diversity – whether that’s in terms of origin, age, religion, class, gender, orientation, ethnicity, or anything else – and create inclusive products, services, and content in the sense that they are relevant for various target groups. How? By looking for and responding to the similarities between those groups. The results? Your target groups feel seen and heard.

Why even bother?

Okay, so, obviously, representing society as a whole through your marketing is the right thing to do. Traditional marketing simply isn’t enough if you want your brand to be relevant and keep it that way. Let’s imagine you sell toothpaste (okay, not the most exciting thing we could come up with). The possible target group of toothpaste users is very broad. But traditional campaigns don’t allow you to reach all of those people. Same old, same old is so 2019. Consumers are also up to date. According to research by Microsoft, 54% of Millennials prefer inclusive brands.

Inclusive marketing boils down to having a better insight into diverse target groups, enabling you to adjust products, services, and campaigns accordingly. Nice, efficient, and with a maximal reach.