38 Lessons on Diversity in Marketing

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Inspired by the Instagram Live conversation between DonYe Taylor and Matthew Kobach. Read my original tweetstorm HERE.

The Need for Diversity

  • Marketing plays a role in how brands are perceived

  • If management is of the same ethnicity, it's harder for them to tell a diverse story

  • People create stories from their background

Trickle-Down Effect

  • Lack of diversity has a trickle-down effect in marketing

  • For example, it's hard to find stock photos of black men

Societal Racism

  • Racism = The color of your skin determines if you are superior over another race

  • If someone thinks they are better than you, they also think your ideas are beneath them

  • Black people are always working from a position of disadvantage

Expanding Your Network

  • Network with people that don't look like you

  • Expand your perspective

Company Diversity

  • Diversity isn't one person, it's an initiative, it's a plan

  • Go to an agency's team page, it's usually all white people

  • You need to give black people the keys to drive the car

Code-Switching

  • The practice of alternating between two or more languages or dialects in a conversation

  • Black people see a need to adjust how they talk in order to fit in

  • Code-Switching is a form of mental slavery

  • Black people can't be themselves when they are in an environment where they have to code-switch

  • It's up to their co-workers to make them feel comfortable in the workplace

Cancel Culture

  • Brands are afraid to be "canceled" so they avoid the hard conversations

  • Companies need to have quality control preferably outside the company to avoid being subject to cancel culture

  • We need to be comfortable being uncomfortable

Ben & Jerry's

  • Ben & Jerry's does a good job on diversity

  • They intertwine brand activism into their DNA

  • They spend time researching and educating consumers on issues

  • Authenticity is a key trait in having success on this front

Suggestion Box

  • Brands should have a suggestion box on their website asking how they can do a better job

  • No one will be mad at a brand for asking for help

Focus on the Bigger Picture

  • Don't think about how to make a campaign more diverse, think how you can make your company more diverse

  • Ben & Jerry isn't worried about how their brand will be perceived in regards to #BlackOutTuesday b/c they've put in the work to be authentic

Diversity is Better for the Company

  • Diversity isn't a single action

  • A more diverse team leads to more diverse ideas

  • Why always eat pasta when you can also eat pizza?

  • The approval of Black culture is critical for the survival of a company

Google “Black Man”

Do you see mugshots?

It's the marketing industry's job to change that perspective.

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52 Lessons on the Psychology of Human Nature

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Brand Activism in the Digital Age