Representing Diversity Within Advertising

Kat Willette kw154717@ohio.edu Everyday, we are subjected to thousands of articles, advertisements, videos, photos and online content that (supposedly) represent a cross-section of the American population. However, when we take a closer look, the lack of diversity within newsrooms and popular marketing campaigns is not difficult to observe. According to Democracy Fund's field analysis of diversity within media, the majority of American journalists are white men, with minorities representing only 17% of newsroom workforces. Not only does this absence of diversity come in the form of gender and ethnicity, it also comes in the form of ideological, geographical, economic, ability and orientation differences. The shortage of diversity in the media can most easily be observed in advertisements using traditional media such as television commercials or stock photos. Some large companies, like P&G's "The Talk" campaign and Google's "The Picture-Perfect Life", have been commended for launching diversity and inclusion campaigns that were well-thought and exhibited sensitivity. Other companies have taken large blunders as a result of attempting to diversify their advertising strategies. Perhaps one of the largest marketing mistakes was the 2017 "Live For Now" advertisement by Pepsi, starring Kendall Jenner. Jenner is seen handing a can of Pepsi to a police officer during a protest, which Pepsi later announced was supposed to show national unity and understanding. According to Hanover, Pepsi's poor attempt at commenting on the Black Lives Matter movement by using a pop-culture icon was viewed as insensitive, poorly timed and altogether out of line.

Source: New York Times You may be questioning why so many brands, many of them storied and credible, fail so miserably to integrate diversity into thier culture. The answer is that, with 62% of people responding to an Adobe Survey that they judge a brand off of its perceived diversity, companies are feeling crushed by the pressure to diversify now more than ever. While some corporations are more than ready for this change, others struggle and rush to create campaigns that may not convey the correct message. According to the same study, 58% of LGBTQ respondants, 53% of African Americans and 40% of Hispanics responded they have disregarded a brand because they did not feel represented or included in their company's advertising. Not only are their products ignored, many companies experience backlash on social media through the usage of hashtags and negative comments. Altogether, while it is extremely important for companies to launch campaigns that are diverse and inclusive, it is inarguably more important for said campaigns to be well-planned, fully researched and genuine.