As everyone knows by now, June is celebrated by the LGBTQ+ community as Pride Month, an entire month dedicated to discussion and outreach for respect for differences in sexual orientation. This and other issues related to inclusion, diversity and the protection of minorities have become central to public debate in recent years.
Individuals and associations are therefore demanding that brands and companies pay increasing attention to instances of Diversity & Inclusion, a topic that includes respect for differences in sexual orientation and identity, but also the fight against discrimination based on gender, age and ethnicity, as well as the integration of people with disabilities and pathologies.
This is certainly a very delicate terrain and one that can hide several risks. For those who have a company, it is therefore essential to get the best information on the subject, to understand how they can respond to these new needs in a way that is consistent with their Corporate and Brand Identity.
Therefore, in this article we have gathered for you data, news and case studies that might be useful for you to better understand the importance of the topic of Diversity & Inclusion. Here is what we will discuss:
The best brand campaigns for Pride Month
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Brand Diversity Index 2021: inclusion leads to growth
The Diversity Brand Summit has also drafted the Diversity Brand Index (DBI) for 2021, an index that aims to measure the level of inclusion of brands through a customer-based perspective. The research, conducted from January to December 2020, was based on a web survey with a statistically representative sample of the Italian population, along with an evaluation by a Scientific Committee of the initiatives implemented by companies.
The scenario that emerges from the data collected shows an Italy where the issue of Diversity & Inclusion is assuming an increasingly important role in the relationship between consumers and brands. In particular, 88 percent of respondents said that inclusivity is a decisive factor in their purchasing choices-a percentage that is up sharply from 63 percent in 2019 and 51 percent in 2018. Brand loyalty and consumer satisfaction would also appear to be significantly influenced by attention to diversity, if it is true that the NPS calculation for the most inclusive companies shows a maximum value of 81 percent, compared to -90 percent for companies perceived as non-inclusive.
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he most striking statistic, however, is the correlation between inclusion and growth. According to the research, brands that invest in Diversity & Inclusion experienced 23 percent higher revenue growth on average in 2020 than non-inclusive brands, confirming the 2019 figure.
Going on to analyze the sectors in which there are more brands perceived as inclusive, we see that Retail (Amazon, IKEA, Zalando, H&M), Information Technology (Facebook, Google, Netflix, TikTok) and Apparel/Luxury (Adidas, Gucci, Nike, Versace) lead the way. Tailwaters, on the other hand, were the Utility, Toys, TELCO and Consumer Services sectories.
The podium for the Diversity Brand Awards 2021 as most inclusive brands, on the other hand, belongs to Google and RAI. The former wins in absolute terms, for Diversity & Inclusion initiatives especially towards sexual and affective orientation, gender and disability. The second, on the other hand, wins the award for best digital project thanks to RAI LIS, a software for automatic voice translation in Italian Sign Language with 3D avatars.
TikTok invests in supporting Diversity & Inclusion
Social media have now become the main form of communication for the majority of people around the world. It is therefore not surprising that the debate on diversity and inclusion has also and especially developed on these channels, through videos, Facebook pages and groups, influencers, and Tweets.
TikTok, in particular, has chosen to be at the forefront of supporting the LGBTQ+ community, with a series of initiatives aimed at creating a positive and safe environment in the app in which to express themselves freely. For example, with the hashtag #ForYourPride, content of information and support for LGBTQ+ people has been collected. Through a partnership with the Lovers Film Festival, one of the most important film festivals on LGBTQ+ issues, on the other hand, the #MyFilmArcobaleno initiative was launched: an invitation to users to talk about their experience in a 60-second short film.
TikTok’s commitment to Diversity & Inclusion does not stop with Pride Month, however: already last year the company launched the “Support Black Businesses” campaign in the U.S. to help African American small business owners during the health emergency. In 2021, this initiative continues, thanks to a partnership with Vimeo to provide these businesses with the tools they need to digitize their businesses.
Finally, to make its app usable by people with disabilities, TikTok has introduced several accessibility features, including options to disable videos with effects that can cause seizures, to convert text to voice, and to add automatic subtitles.
Short guide to more inclusive corporate language
One of the issues on which there is most debate regarding the topic of inclusiveness is that of language and Tone Of Voice. In Italy, one of the main reasons for controversy lies in the fact that in our language, unlike English, there is no neutral gender: therefore, there is more often the need to use masculine or feminine expressions. This causes many people to regard attempts to eliminate the discrimination inherent in the language as un “natural” and forced.
In reality, for a company to use language that is not only not inclusive is a questionable choice, but also counterproductive. For at least three reasons:
1.It risks bringing down performance because it creates a barrier with people who do not feel included in the communication.
2.It conveys an unprofessional image of the brand.
3.It contributes to negatively shaping the collective perception of reality.
So how do you go about adopting inclusive language?
There are no absolute rules for all cases, but there are some simple guidelines you can follow, such as these:
- Short, direct texts are the ones to pay the most attention to. So in CTAs, contact forms and email subject lines, avoid expressions that require a choice between masculine and feminine. For example, do not write “Stay updated” but “Get updates,” not “You will be contacted” but “We will get back to you,” not “Welcome!” but “We welcome you.”
- If you are in doubt about how to make a common noun (such as a profession) feminine, remember:
Nouns ending in -o have the feminine in -a.
Names ending in -tore have the feminine in -trice.
Names ending in -sore have the feminine in -sora.
Names ending in -iere have the feminine in -iera.
Names ending in -e apply to both the masculine and feminine. - If you are addressing an audience that includes nonbinary people, the experimental solution currently most quoted in linguistics is to use schwa (Ə) as a desinence. It is a letter of the international phonetic alphabet and has no gender mark: therefore, it is a neutral desinence. Using the asterisk (e.g., Hello to all*) at the end of the word, on the other hand, could make a written text not read very smoothly.
- If you do not know what terms to use for certain groups of people, you can follow these guidelines:
DO NOT USE black, colored. BUT USE African, African American, Caribbean, Indian (thus shifting the focus from skin color to ethnicity).
USE homosexual, gay, lesbian, transgender (N.B. the “target” gender article should always be used in this case. If, for example, a person has made the transition from male to female you must say ONE transgender).
DO NOT USE deaf, blind. BUT USE deaf, blind, deaf-mute, whatever the target community wishes to be called.
DO NOT USE disabled, differently abled, handicapped. BUT USE person with a disability.
Now you may be wondering: why go to all this trouble?
Well, because language is what characterizes us as human beings: that’s why every person has the right to feel comfortable with his or her native language!
Inclusive marketing: the best campaigns for Pride Month
The strong media attention and many people’s interest in Pride Month have prompted more and more brands from year to year to take part in the celebrations with campaigns in support of the event. Of course, this type of communication is never 100% disinterested and there is a high risk of falling into so-called “raimbow washing” (i.e., doing promotional activity through apparent support for the LGBTQ+ cause).
However, there have been several interesting initiatives in this 2021 where brands have shown that they can give concrete support to the fight for rights and diversity education, here are some of them:
- LEGO has launched a set dedicated to Pride 2021 “Everyone is Awesome,” inspired by the rainbow flag to celebrate the beauty of diversity in all forms. The Danish company also partnered with Workplace Pride, Stonewall and Open for Business to make its work environment more inclusive and give support to employees part of the LGBTQ+ community.
- Adidas created a campaign to give voice to prominent personalities from the LGBTQ+ community to raise awareness of the issue of combating homotransfobia. Among those featured in the initiative are Layshia Clarendon, the first transgender basketball player, world champion diver Tom Daley, and soccer player Colin Martin.
- For Pride 2021, Converse partnered with “It Gets Better Project,” a nonprofit organization that gives support to LGBTQ+ people who are bullied and discriminated against, by publishing various educational content on the topic through TikTok and Twitch platforms.
- IKEA has always been a virtuous example of commitment to Diversity & Inclusion. This year, the Swedish company launched the “Progress Is Made” campaign, in which it gave a voice to four members of the LGBTQ+ community, who were asked to share their experiences, obstacles encountered and successes achieved.
- Disney, in addition to launching a collection of rainbow-themed products, has placed a six-part documentary about civil rights struggles throughout History on its Disney+ streaming platform.
To conclude
As we have seen in this article, Diversity & Inclusion are very broad and complex issues that affect the lives of many people. So our advice is to first try to understand as much as possible what types of diversity are found in your company and among your customers, so that you can include and respect all of them.
At the same time, doing brand communication in favor of these issues can often seem forced or even counterproductive if not supported by concrete initiatives and attitudes in favor of diversity inclusion.
So don’t just “say,” but also “act”-only then will your brand come across as truly committed and credible in the eyes of the community.
