Diversity in Advertising
Diversity in advertising includes content that represents and connects with people from a range of races, cultural backgrounds, and countries of origin, genders, ages, sexual orientation and identity, religions, or accessibility.
The advertising and marketing industry must uphold principles of diversity because:
✓ it's essential in order connect with audiences from a breadth of backgrounds so they feel heard, welcome and represented.
✓ advertising plays a significant role in influencing behaviour, attitudes, and norms.
Creating advertising and marketing material that represents diversity requires a multi-pronged approach, which includes:
✓ inviting people from a range of backgrounds to the table.
✓ choosing language and images that are free of stereotypes.
✓ choosing language and images that represent: racial diversity, people who are new to Canada and our region, a breadth of family structures, a spectrum of ages, gender diversity, and spectrum of physical conditions.
✓ engaging in ongoing education and training.
We invite fellow marketers to continue to delve deeper into the brand stories we tell and who we are speaking to, consistently asking, ‘how can we do better?’ We encourage Muskoka business owners to rethink the status quo here and to find solutions to make our region more welcoming and open to all.
In the coming weeks, we will be exploring diversity in our field by sharing our perspectives, relevant articles, and case studies. We invite you to join the conversation and share your experiences and insights.