Diversity Marketing: From Performative to Profitable
You’re an entrepreneur and hear “diversity and inclusion” everywhere.
You feel the pressure to “do something.” You see your bigger competitors launching campaigns, changing their logos, and posting solemn statements.
And a part of you is terrified.
Terrified of getting it wrong. Fearful of a misplaced word or the wrong stock photo leading to a social media firestorm. Afraid of looking like you’re just jumping on a bandwagon.
That fear is valid because most businesses, big and small, are getting it spectacularly wrong. Their efforts feel hollow, opportunistic, and frankly, a bit insulting.
This isn't another article that will give you a fluffy definition and tell you to “be authentic.” This is a practical guide on navigating the minefield and using genuine inclusivity to build a stronger, more resilient brand.
- Diversity marketing should focus on authentic representation, not performative actions or tokenism.
- Engaging diverse audiences requires genuine commitment, not reactive PR responses to crises.
- Marketing effectiveness correlates with inclusive internal policies and diverse team composition.
- Successful diversity marketing ultimately enhances consumer trust and drives business growth.
First, Let’s Talk About What Diversity Marketing Isn’t
Before you do anything, you need to understand the traps. Most marketing that fails under the “diversity” banner does so because it's built on a foundation of flawed assumptions. It’s not a checklist. It's not a temporary campaign.
It’s Not a Seasonal Accessory
Come June 1st, a tidal wave of rainbow logos floods the internet. We call it “Rainbow Washing.” Brands wrap themselves in the Pride flag for 30 days, then quietly fold it up on July 1st and go back to ignoring the LGBTQ+ community for the next 11 months.
Customers notice this. They see it as a lazy, cynical attempt to capitalise on a cultural moment without real commitment. Unless your business is actively supporting LGBTQ+ causes, donating to relevant charities, or has inclusive internal policies, changing your logo is a meaningless gesture. It’s a costume, not a conviction.
It’s Not a Casting Quota
You’ve seen the photo a thousand times. The perfectly curated group around a boardroom table: one Asian woman, one Black man, one older white gentleman, one person in a wheelchair. Everyone is smiling.
This is tokenism. It’s the “diversity-by-stock-photo” approach. It treats representation as a visual checklist to be completed rather than a story to be told. True diversity isn't about ensuring every possible demographic is visible in a photograph. It's about telling stories true to a specific group, reflecting their genuine experiences.
It’s Not a PR Stunt to Fix a Crisis
The quickest way to prove your commitment to diversity is shallow is to only talk about it when you're in trouble. A brand gets called out for a racist advert or a discriminatory practice, and within 48 hours, they’ve released a statement promising to “do better” and announcing a new diversity initiative.
This is reactive, not proactive. It shows your customers that inclusivity wasn't on your radar until it threatened your reputation. The trust is already broken.
So, What Is It Then? The One Principle You Actually Need to Understand
Forget “diversity marketing” for a moment. It's a misleading term.
The only thing you need to focus on is Authentic Representation.
Authentic Representation is not a marketing tactic. It's a business outcome. It’s what happens when your company—from your employees to your products to your leadership—genuinely reflects and respects our diverse world. Your marketing simply becomes the channel for expressing that reality.
If your business isn't inclusive, your marketing can't be. You can't fake it. At least not for long.
Your Marketing Can’t Be More Diverse Than Your Business
Here’s the part most marketing agencies won’t tell you. The problem doesn't start with your ads; it begins in your office. Or your Zoom calls.
If everyone on your team comes from the same background, went to the same type of university, and lives in the same neighbourhood, you will have a homogenous worldview. You will have blind spots. You will unintentionally create marketing that only speaks to people precisely like you.
You can't solve an internal culture problem with an external marketing campaign. Before you spend a pound on a “diverse” ad, ask yourself the hard questions. Who is on my team? Who are my suppliers? Who are the partners I choose to work with? The answers to those questions will have a far greater impact than any ad creative.
Human First Marketing
Your marketing is failing because it’s faceless, and nobody trusts it. This book is the playbook for the new game: human-first marketing. It’s a system for turning your audience, your team, and your own personal brand into your most powerful marketing channels. Stop making noise and start building trust.
As an Amazon Partner, when you buy through our links, we may earn a commission.
The Brass Tacks: Why This Isn't Just “Nice,” It's Necessary
If the moral argument isn't enough, let's talk money. Inclusive marketing is simply better for business. The data is overwhelming.
- A 2019 Google and The Female Quotient study found that 64% of consumers took some action after seeing an ad they considered diverse or inclusive.
- That same study showed that brand perception jumps by 44% among Black consumers when they see themselves represented.
- According to Microsoft Advertising, 70% of Gen Z consumers are more trusting of brands that represent diversity in their ads.
People want to see themselves reflected in the brands they buy from. When they don't, they vote with their wallets. By ignoring diverse audiences, you are voluntarily shrinking your total addressable market. It’s just bad business.
A Simple Framework for Getting It Right: Listen, Reflect, Act
This doesn't have to be complicated. Forget corporate frameworks and buzzwords. For a small business, it comes down to three common-sense steps.
Step 1: Listen (To Your Audience and Your Team)
Stop assuming. You do not know the lived experience of a community you are not a part of. Instead of guessing what people want, ask them. Or better yet, just listen to the conversations they are already having.
Read forums. Follow creators from different communities on social media. Pay people from those communities for their consulting time. If you have a diverse team, create a safe environment where they can provide honest feedback on your ideas without fear.
Step 2: Reflect (Audit Your Brand)
Take a hard, honest look at your existing marketing. Pull up your website and your last 20 social media posts.
- Who is in your photos? Is it always the same type of person?
- What language are you using? Does your copy use gendered terms or culturally specific idioms that might exclude people?
- Whose stories are you telling? Do your customer testimonials or case studies all come from a single demographic?
This isn't about shaming yourself. It's about identifying your blind spots to address them moving forward consciously. It’s a baseline measurement.
Step 3: Act (With Authenticity and Consistency)
Choose one or two areas to improve. Don’t try to boil the ocean.
You could start by hiring photographers from different backgrounds. You may commit to featuring more user-generated content from your diverse customer base. Or you could start by making your website more accessible for people with disabilities.
The key is to make fundamental, tangible changes, however small, and stick with them. Consistency builds trust far more than a single, grand gesture. Looking for a partner to audit your current digital presence? Inkbot Design’s digital marketing services can provide that objective third-party perspective.
Case Studies in Reality: The Good, The Bad, and The Tone-Deaf
Theory is one thing. Let's look at how this plays out in the real world.
The Gold Standard: Fenty Beauty & Microsoft
Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty didn’t launch a campaign about diversity. The product was the campaign. By launching with 40 shades of foundation, she sent a clear message to the millions of people—primarily women of colour—who had been ignored by the cosmetics industry for decades. The marketing was authentic because it showcased a product that solved a real, inclusion-related problem.
Similarly, Microsoft’s Xbox Adaptive Controller wasn't a PR stunt. It was a piece of engineering that allowed gamers with limited mobility to play. The ads celebrating it were powerful because they showcased a genuine commitment to the disability community through product design.
The Long Game: Dove's “Real Beauty”
Dove has built its brand around challenging narrow beauty standards for nearly two decades. Their “Real Beauty” campaign has featured women of different ages, sizes, and ethnicities. Has it been perfect? No, they’ve had missteps. But their long-term commitment has built a mountain of brand equity. It feels authentic because it's not a trend they jumped on; it's a core part of their brand DNA.
The Spectacular Fail: The Pepsi & Kendall Jenner Ad
This is the ultimate cautionary tale. In 2017, Pepsi released an ad where Kendall Jenner leaves a photoshoot to join a protest, calming tensions by handing a police officer a can of Pepsi. It was universally condemned. Why? Because it took a complex, deeply serious social movement (Black Lives Matter) and trivialised it into a simplistic, celebrity-driven solution to sell sugary drinks. It was the definition of tone-deaf, performative marketing.
Your Practical Hit List: Where to Start Making Changes Today
Ready to move from theory to action? Here are a few places to start.
On Your Website
- Audit Your Imagery: Go through every page. Do the people in your photos represent your customers or want to have them? Replace generic stock photos with images of real customers or more thoughtfully selected stock.
- Check Your Alt-Text: Alt-text for images is crucial for visually impaired users who use screen readers. Ensure it's descriptive and helpful. This is a basic form of digital inclusion.
- Use Inclusive Language: Review your main site copy. Replace gender-specific terms like “guys” or “mankind” with neutral alternatives like “everyone” or “humanity.”
In Your Social Media
- Feature Diverse Creators: Actively seek out and collaborate with influencers and content creators from different backgrounds. Pay them for their work.
- Share User-Generated Content: Encourage your customers to share photos with your products and feature a wide range. It’s authentic, free, and shows real people using what you sell.
- Engage, Don't Just Broadcast: When a cultural moment is relevant to a community, use your platform to amplify their voices, not to centre your brand.
In Your Product & Service Design
- Gather Diverse Feedback: Before launching a new service or product, get feedback from a test group that includes people from various backgrounds and abilities.
- Consider Accessibility: Is your product physically easy for people with motor impairments? Is your app compatible with screen readers? Building this in from the start is true inclusion.
- Solve a Real Problem: The most powerful form of diversity marketing is creating something that serves the needs of an underserved community, just as Fenty and Microsoft did.
Perfection Isn't the Goal, Progress Is
You will not get this perfect overnight. You might even make a mistake.
The difference between a brand that gets cancelled and a brand that gets a pass is intent and humility. If your efforts are rooted in a genuine desire to serve your customers better and you’re willing to listen and learn when you get it wrong, people will be forgiving.
Stop seeing diversity as a threat or a chore. See it as an opportunity to build a more interesting, resilient, and ultimately more profitable business that reflects the world as it truly is.
Thinking about how to weave these principles into your brand's core identity and digital presence can be daunting. It requires a thoughtful approach to everything from your logo to your social media strategy. If you’re ready to build a brand that resonates authentically with a broader audience, the team at Inkbot Design can help. You can request a quote here if you want to discuss your specific project.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is diversity marketing?
Diversity marketing creates campaigns that resonate with a broad audience from different backgrounds, including age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, and religion. More importantly, it's about ensuring this representation is authentic and not just for show.
Why is inclusive marketing important for small businesses?
Inclusive marketing is essential because it expands your potential customer base, builds stronger brand loyalty, and enhances your brand's reputation. Consumers today actively support brands that reflect their values and make them feel seen.
What is the difference between diversity and inclusion in marketing?
“Diversity” is about who is represented in your marketing (the “who”). “Inclusion” is about how they are defined and how your messaging makes them feel (the “how”). You can have a diverse cast in an ad that is not inclusive if it relies on stereotypes.
What is tokenism in advertising?
Tokenism is the practice of making a superficial or symbolic effort to be inclusive by simply including a person from an underrepresented group to appear diverse. A typical example is a single group photo where every person is from a different ethnic background in a forced, unnatural way.
How can I avoid rainbow washing during Pride Month?
To avoid rainbow washing, ensure your support for the LGBTQ+ community is year-round. This can include donating to LGBTQ+ charities, having inclusive internal policies, and spotlighting LGBTQ+ employees or customers. A logo change without these actions is often seen as performative.
What are some examples of inclusive language in marketing copy?
Use gender-neutral terms (e.g., “everyone,” “team,” “they” instead of “guys” or “he/she”). Use “person-first” language when discussing disability (e.g., “a person with a disability” instead of “a disabled person”). Avoid idioms that may not translate across cultures.
How much does diversity marketing cost?
Authentic diversity marketing shouldn't be considered an extra cost but a fundamental part of your overall marketing budget. The cost isn't about a specific “diversity campaign” but investing in better photography, thoughtful copywriting, and community engagement, all elements of good marketing.
Can diversity marketing hurt my brand if I get it wrong?
Yes, a poorly executed campaign can lead to backlash, as seen with the Pepsi/Kendall Jenner ad. The key to mitigating this risk is to act with genuine intent, listen to the communities you want to reach, and be prepared to apologise and learn from any mistakes.
Where can I find diverse stock photos?
Several stock photo sites now specialise in more authentic and eclectic imagery. Look for collections like “The Noun Project,” “CreateHer Stock,” or “TONL,” which focus on providing more realistic and representative images.
How do I measure the ROI of diversity marketing?
Measure it like any other marketing effort: track brand sentiment, audience engagement rates, and sales from specific campaigns targeting new demographics. You can also monitor brand trust and customer loyalty improvements through surveys and feedback.
