INCLUSIVITY GONE MAD

Anybody noticed lately how TV ads have changed? Family units are represented by a range of ethnicities - the mother might be caucasian, the father black, one of the children is Indian and another is of Aboriginal descent. Mixed race couples are the norm in these ads. Having each person from a different ethnicity in each ad appears to be a requirement these days.

I did an audit of a group of ads one evening and counted around six or seven ethnic groups represented as being part of the one family group. Whilst this may be governed by newly established guidelines, it doesn't however represent the reality of our society. It makes the ads less believable and, quite frankly, annoying.

The definition of inclusive advertising is 'having diversity authentically represented in your ads and promotions, while aligning it to your local market's composition of diversity.' The operative word is 'authentically'. It has to accurately represent the society to which you are marketing, otherwise it is not believable and people won't buy the product.

Just to make it clear, I'm only talking about ethnicity here. I agree with ads showing people of all sizes, because that is a true reflection of our society. I agree with adds showing men and women doing the same jobs, because that is also a big part of our society and does away with stereotypes. I agree with ads catering to different eating habits, because they are becoming more and more part of mainstream society.

So, rather than just 'ticking the diversity box' for a marketing campaign, marketers need to put a little more thought into their ads. According to the Fuller website (https://fuller.com.au/inclusive-marketing-box-ticking/) 'Despite our good intentions, it takes more than just simply featuring a range of people from different cultural backgrounds or someone with a visible disability in your ads.

These days, consumers will sniff out tokenism from a mile away — which can not only lead to reputational damage, but send us backwards in building a more peaceful, and cohesive society.'