Strategies for Messaging Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in 2024
Navigating the current diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) landscape is tricky. Much like the acronym “ESG,” the term “DEI” itself can be divisive regardless of the intention behind its use. So, how do comms teams and PR professionals message DEI efforts on behalf of brands without generating blowback?
How the tide began to turn for DEI
Before answering that question, let’s dig into the state of DEI in 2024. While there has always been a contingent of consumers, employees, and stakeholders skeptical of companies’ DEI initiatives, in recent years, those who held that viewpoint have had little impact on a company’s reputation or bottom line. That began to change in 2023.
On April 1 of that year, social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney posted a video to her Instagram account promoting a Bud Light giveaway tied to the NCAA’s March Madness tournament. The choice of Mulvaney, who is transgender, led to calls to boycott the brand from loyal consumers to conservative politicians and celebrities.
While most brand boycotts are short-lived and don’t have a long-term impact, Bud Light sales have declined 28% since the controversy and haven’t rebounded. While some initial participants might not still consider themselves actively boycotting the brand, the long-term sales decline has led to a vicious cycle of reduced demand that has shrunk its shelf space in stores and presence in bar tap handles.
Several weeks later, retailer Target, who had been selling LGBTQ+-themed merchandise for more than a decade in celebration of Pride Month, faced similar backlash from some of its customers. Angry customers knocked over Pride displays and threatened Target employees. In response, Target removed some Pride merchandise from its stores and moved the displays to lower-traffic areas in some locations. This year, Target offered a limited collection of Pride-themed products in specific stores chosen for their “historical sales performance.”
DEI experiences a major setback
A month after Target altered its in-store Pride displays, the Supreme Court outlawed race-based considerations for college admission by striking down affirmative action programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina.
While the ruling did not ban corporations from taking steps to increase the diversity of their workforce, that hasn’t stopped opponents of DEI programs from filing—or threatening to file—lawsuits against organizations touting their DEI efforts. As a result, some organizations are pulling back on their DEI initiatives or being quieter about them.
Some actions organizations have taken to minimize or pull back on their DEI efforts include removing mention of DEI initiatives from annual reports and broadening the target of grant and scholarship programs beyond historically disadvantaged groups. Whether or not these changes indicate a permanent shift away from brands explicitly talking about their commitment to DEI remains to be seen.
Three tips for effectively communicating a DEI strategy
Brands are understandably reticent to communicate much about their DEI programs right now for fear of facing backlash. However, that does not mean DEI initiatives are not worth pursuing or communicating. After all, as famed tech writer Kara Swisher pointed out at a recent Chicago Humanities Festival event, the opposite of “diversity, equity, inclusion” is “homogeneity, unfairness, exclusion.” She quipped: “That’s a motto we can all get behind!”
Assuming you work for an organization that does not want to promote homogeneity, unfairness and exclusion, how do you communicate that your brand stands for the opposite of those ideas without stepping into controversy?
Highlight the benefits of diversity for your business
It’s safe to assume that your organization is trying to attract as many customers as possible, which means that your target audience is not homogenous. Because of cultural, gender and other demographic differences, particular messages will resonate differently with various groups, so it’s important to have a workforce that represents the audience you’re trying to reach. In other words, diversity is good for business.
A recent report from McKinsey & Company found that companies in the top quartile for gender and ethnic diversity are 39 percent more likely to financially outperform companies in the bottom quartile. McKinsey has researched the impact of diversity on businesses and published similar reports four times since 2015. The company has observed a consistent increase in this performance metric in each report, beginning with 15 percent in 2015.
What companies should take away from this data is that it’s essential to outline how increasing their organization’s diversity will improve the bottom line rather than merely reporting diversity workplace statistics or hiring goals with minimal context. While many stakeholders would agree that pursuing DEI initiatives is worth doing because it’s the right thing to do, for those who don’t, providing data on how your DEI goals can help grow your business is incontrovertible.
Prioritize showing over telling
As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words. When you can tangibly demonstrate that your organization is committed to promoting a more diverse, equitable and inclusive environment, it’s not necessary to explicitly talk about how your brand is addressing these issues.
One way to do this is by giving employees from underrepresented backgrounds the opportunity to be the voice of your company. Partner with employees who are exemplary examples of why your organization is successful and turn them into brand ambassadors for your company. Putting human faces to your DEI efforts and celebrating their achievements underscores the benefits of having a DEI strategy. Humanizing your approach rather than touting statistics and goals can mitigate unintended blowback from your good intentions.
Those from historically marginalized groups and DEI allies will take notice of brands that have a more diverse workforce and are proud to amplify their contributions. If your approach to DEI is presented as organic and endemic to your culture, you’re less likely to put DEI skeptics on the defensive. Brands can spark the ire of DEI opponents when their DEI initiatives are perceived as exclusionary and compulsory.
Ensure your message is a brand fit
Dylan Mulvaney is a popular social media influencer, so it makes sense that a brand would choose her to star in a campaign. However, it is clear that Dylan’s audience is very different than the profile of a typical Bud Light consumer. Had Anheuser Busch conducted market research to gauge her appeal with their customers, they would’ve likely uncovered the negative sentiment in the results and prevented the backlash by pivoting their approach. If the company was committed to partnering with her, it likely would’ve been better off having her represent one of its other brands whose consumer base more closely matched her social media audience.
If you’re looking to launch a more inclusive campaign that is a significant departure from what you’ve done in the past, survey some of your most loyal customers to gauge their reaction. Before you move forward, make sure your campaign closely aligns with your audience’s needs, interests and values. While you can’t expect your message to resonate with and appeal to everyone you’re targeting, gathering as much data as possible on what your audience wants to see from you will go a long way.
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About the Author
Erin Payton is the Integrated Customer Marketing Manager for PR Newswire. In her role, she develops multichannel marketing campaigns, drives demand generation, fosters brand awareness and creates thought leadership. Away from the keyboard, she is an unabashedly enthusiastic cat mom to Mia.