Guide
Inclusive marketing
A complete guide to inclusive marketing and advertising
Inclusive marketing focuses on developing campaigns and messaging that authentically represent a wide spectrum of audiences, consider various perspectives, avoid stereotypes, ensure accessibility, and resonate across different cultures and backgrounds.
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What is inclusive marketing?
Inclusive marketing is an approach that reflects and connects with a broad spectrum of audiences, from your brand and company's internal structure to external ad campaigns. It aims to create content that truly resonates with various groups, by considering different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Advertising can be more inclusive by incorporating more voices, perspectives, and creative approaches that are representative of a wider audience. For example, in ad campaigns, inclusivity could mean including diverse imagery and language.
Why is inclusive marketing important?
Inclusive marketing is important because it helps celebrate audiences of different backgrounds. This type of marketing helps audiences discover brands that align with their values, which more consumers say they are interested in doing. According to the 2024 From Ads to Zeitgeist research from Amazon Ads, 7 in 10 consumers want to see more genuine, real stories in the media that reflect different cultures.
But it's not just a one-step process. Inclusive initiatives need to be followed by actions. Whether it's reflected by brands improving inclusivity and accessibility in advertisements, or creating products for all audiences. In some regions, such as the EU, certain laws mandate requirements to make digital and physical spaces accessible to people with disabilities.
Principles of inclusive marketing
There isn’t a set of predetermined principles of inclusive marketing, but there are several key topics you could consider in your marketing strategies. Here are just a few examples of suggested principles that could help you to prioritize and integrate inclusive marketing:
Authentic inclusion
This goes beyond mere representation to foster an environment where all perspectives are genuinely valued, understood, and incorporated into work.
Language and imagery
Use inclusive language and thoughtful imagery that avoids bias, discrimination, or harmful stereotypes while promoting respect and dignity.
Representation matters
Ensure your marketing content reflects diverse populations including different races, ethnicities, genders, ages, abilities, and body types.
Authentic storytelling
Create narratives that genuinely represent multiple experiences and perspectives rather than relying on stereotypes or tokenism.
Cultural sensitivity
Demonstrate understanding and respect for different cultural contexts, values, and traditions in your marketing messages.
Accessibility
Design marketing content and materials that can be accessed and understood by people with different abilities and needs.
4 inclusive marketing trends and examples
case study
In 2024, Jeep launched "The Women Era," a five-episode series created in collaboration with Freeda and Amazon Ads, aimed at increasing brand awareness among women aged 25–54. The series, hosted by Diletta Begali and Lucrezia Milillo, showcased stories of Italian women breaking barriers in society, drawing parallels with Jeep's legacy of overcoming challenges. Using a multi-channel advertising strategy across Prime Video, Fire TV, and Amazon DSP, the campaign achieved impressive results with 42,100 unique streams, 514,000 total viewing minutes, and 96.3 million total impressions. The campaign's success was further demonstrated by exceeding benchmarks with a 1.2% click-through rate (CTR) on Fire TV and a 93.1% video completion rate, proving the effectiveness of authentic, culturally relevant content in automotive advertising.
case study
Nissan's "Dare to Defy" campaign, developed in collaboration with Amazon Ads Brand Innovation Lab and Dark Horses agency, showcased the Nissan Possibilities Project, an initiative supporting disability and LGBTQ+ communities in sports across the UK. The campaign centered around a three-part docuseries featuring Paralympic gold medalist Richard Whitehead, MBE and LGBTQ+ advocate Adele Roberts, highlighting stories of athletes overcoming barriers to sports participation. The campaign utilized multiple channels, including Fire TV, Prime Video, and Twitch, resulting in significant media coverage with 17 trade publication mentions and successfully raised awareness about Nissan's commitment to inclusive sports initiatives through the Richard Whitehead Foundation and Sported UK.
news
The Ad Council and Amazon Ads Brand Innovation Lab launched "Sound It Out: When You Can't Say It, Play It," a groundbreaking campaign designed to help parents and teens discuss mental health through music. The initiative features a digital tool that connects emotions with songs from Amazon Music's library of over 100 million tracks, allowing parents to share songs with their teens through Alexa-enabled devices. The bilingual campaign generated nearly 100 million impressions and facilitated 30,000 song shares in its first week, demonstrating the power of music to bridge communication gaps between parents and teens, particularly in Black and Hispanic communities where mental health challenges are prevalent. The initiative represents a successful collaboration between brands and social causes, with Amazon leveraging its technology and reach to facilitate meaningful conversations about mental health.
expert advice
Josh Loebner, the global head of inclusive design at VML, discusses how technology like Amazon's Alexa-enabled devices helps him maintain independence in daily life and the importance of greater disability representation in advertising. As both a user of accessible technology and a professional in the advertising industry, Loebner emphasizes the importance of authentic representation of people with disabilities in media and marketing, noting that brands need to consider accessibility across the entire customer journey. He highlights that people with disabilities have $13 trillion in global disposable income and advocates for comprehensive changes including better on-screen representation, inclusive creative processes, accessible features like audio descriptions and captions, and increased workforce diversity.
Craft an inclusive marketing strategy
The key components of inclusive marketing involve understanding and engaging with different audiences authentically. A comprehensive marketing strategy should consider multiple perspectives, ensure fair representation, and create welcoming experiences for all potential customers. These elements need to work together for an inclusive marketing strategy to be functional and effective.
Authentic representation
- Showcase a broad spectrum of audiences authentically in your content
- Ensure meaningful representation across images, stories, and messaging
- Consider intersectional perspectives when developing content
- Avoid tokenism or stereotypical portrayals
Accessible content
- Include captions for videos
- Provide alt text for images
- Ensure readable color contrast
- Make content accessible across different devices and bandwidths
- Consider multiple formats for different audience needs
Cultural competence
- Research and understand cultural contexts
- Consult with cultural experts when needed
- Avoid appropriation or misrepresentation
- Consider local market nuances and preferences
Clear communication
- Use simple, welcoming language
- Avoid jargon and complex terminology
- Consider translation needs and cultural context
- Ensure messaging resonates across different audiences
Strategic implementation
- Start with clear audience understanding
- Define specific goals and metrics
- Build diverse perspectives into development process
- Test content with representative audiences
- Measure impact and optimize accordingly
Practical tips
- Focus on authentic storytelling that connects with real experiences
- Consider multiple viewpoints throughout creative development
- Test content with diverse focus groups before launching
- Monitor performance across different audience segments
- Continuously gather feedback and optimize accordingly
By following these guidelines, marketers can create content that authentically connects with broader audiences while building brand trust and engagement.
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