Inclusive marketing is a mindful approach to ensure that messaging, products, processes, and people enable underrepresented groups to fully experience and connect with a brand. It considers all layers of a person’s identity, such as race, skin tone, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, body type, ethnicity, culture, language, religion and spirituality, physical and mental ability, and socio-economic status, throughout each stage of the marketing process.
Inclusive marketing…
- Accounts for intersectionality, acknowledging that a single person may represent many identities or dimensions.
- Elevates diverse voices and stories while challenging harmful stereotypes.
- Recognizes that your audience comprises different groups of people.
- Reflects real experiences of real people in the real world.
In healthcare, in particular, inclusive marketing is mission critical.
People in underrepresented groups are more likely to lack access to the products and services they need, and in many cases are more likely to be diagnosed with life-threatening conditions, or to experience more severe consequences from a medical condition, than counterparts who are not in underrepresented groups.
Inclusion is about making equitable choices for customer experiences – ones that have grown increasingly important to all audiences. Today, while 40% of the U.S. population comprises multicultural people, multicultural ad spend is only 5.2% of total ad and marketing spend. This might explain why 53% of Latinx and 66% of Black Americans feel that their ethnicity is portrayed stereotypically in advertisements. Similarly, 71% of LGBTQ+ consumers are more likely to interact with a digital ad that authentically represents their sexual orientation.
That clear unmet need definitely explains the unequivocal results: inclusive brands are 35% more likely to outperform their competitors.
At EVERSANA INTOUCH, the Inclusive Marketing Workgroup has developed inclusive creative guidelines, an inclusive marketing intake form, and a nine-point inclusive marketing framework, as well as tracking and exploring training throughout the organization. Each effort has been created with the intention of breaking down barriers to increase access to life-changing resources for those often underrepresented. This has enabled the group to consult on client projects, to provide updates to existing processes, and to collaborate and support similar multidisciplinary groups throughout EVERSANA.
As Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan, CEO of CareQuest Institute, has said, “Our healthcare system doesn’t work for everyone, because it wasn’t built for everyone.” We have a responsibility to be part of changing the landscape of healthcare, and to help our clients to do the same.