As we celebrate National Inclusion Week, let’s celebrate how inclusivity can really elevate our marketing and communications! Let’s look at how some inclusive brands are embracing diversity and making a positive difference in their messaging.
But remember, inclusivity in marketing isn’t just about ticking off boxes or meeting quotas- it’s about genuinely showcasing and valuing a variety of perspectives, experiences, and identities. It’s about crafting messages that truly connect with people from all walks of life and make everyone feel acknowledged, valued, and heard.
Let’s take a moment to appreciate and learn from the brands that are truly nailing it!
Examples of inclusivity done right
OK, so let’s look at some marketing campaigns I think brands have nailed inclusivity. There are two that immediately spring to mind, from Etsy and Savage X Fenty – check them out!
Etsy
Etsy’s “Gift Like You Mean It” campaign is all about making people feel seen and valued. It’s a wonderful showcase of how thoughtful representation can give you the warm and fuzzies. By featuring a variety of diverse people and celebrating their unique stories, Etsy shows us how embracing inclusivity not only enhances marketing but also builds a strong, emotional connection with a wide audience.
This is one of the videos from the campaign:
As a side note here – my name! Lyssa-Fêe – and urgh, so many online forms won’t accept it because of the hyphen or the circumflex – the forms say they’re not real characters and that the name is not valid.
Other systems I’ve seen say that a surname needs to be more than 2 letters – a friend I know has the surname Yu and they’re often told their name is invalid. This really sucks when it happens.
This is such a gross problem, that there’s even a Twitter account dedicated to shaming brands who have this failure – as they say, names cannot be invalid.
This is not inclusive, so please check your online forms!
Savage X Fenty
Savage X Fenty by Rihanna:
Rihanna challenged the beauty industry when they dropped 40 shades of foundation (at launch!) through Fenty Beauty. Most leading brands launch with only 10 shades. How are these 10 shades meant to suit every skin tone? They can’t and it shows a massive lack of awareness and appreciation for diversity and inclusivity. Boo!
Rihanna’s brand set a new standard with an inclusive range of models and shades, showing that inclusivity and great business can go hand in hand.
But she didn’t stop there.
You might have seen that Victoria’s Secret has been coming under fire for having extremely un-inclusive fashion shows that promotes unhealthy beauty standards.
So when Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty show launched showing models of different body types, people of colour, transgender women, drag queens, and people with disabilities – everyone took notice. She also used realistic and curvy mannequins in-store. Brands have been saying it doesn’t make business sense to do this for years – and Rihanna and Fenty consumers have massively proved them wrong! Love that!
Here is the trailer for the show.
We are now seeing brands prove – that when diversity and inclusivity are done right, it’s great for business! Huzzah!
Privilege and allyship
OK, let’s talk about privilege – which is often viewed as a bit of a dirty word and can be a sensitive subject – but it shouldn’t be! Privilege doesn’t mean you have it easy and have had no struggles in life. It’s not an insult, it’s an observation.
For example, white privilege. White privilege means that we benefit in life just by being white. It means that we don’t experience additional hardships or judgements solely based on the colour of our skin. It doesn’t mean that our lives have been easy, just they haven’t been made harder by our skin colour.
Another important thing to note – saying we don’t see colour is offensive. People may think that they’re being inclusive by saying this – but it’s like saying I’m choosing to ignore an important part of you because it makes me uncomfortable. It sounds like I don’t see you, I don’t care about your experiences or where you’re coming from.
It’s an important part of someone’s identity and dismissing it shows a lack of empathy and ignorance.
We all need to use our privilege and become allies.
Want to know more about allyship? Check out our next article!
