135. How to create an LGBTQ+ inclusive brand all year long

As I've worked with clients of various sizes over the years, one of the things that has become clear is that an organizational transformation is required. You can't do the same thing or slightly different things every now and then and expect to attract and retain a more diverse customer base over the long term. In this episode, I walk you through nine core components of the organizational transformation needed to enable sustained inclusive marketing success—in essence, to help you build an inclusive brand. Get the Inclusion & Marketing Newsletter

In this episode, I sat down with Asha Shivaji and Jason Klein, co-founders of SeeMeIndex, and AI tool that evaluates how inclusive brands are with their marketing across a number of factors. We covered a lot during our chat, including trends they've identified in their work as they've evaluated brands across many industries, including the beauty and wellness industries. Get the Inclusion & Marketing Newsletter SeeMe Index The UN Business Case for Inclusive Marketing More data on how inclusive brands drive sales

My personal belief is that we all hold some time of bias -- much of it unconscious. In this episode, I share a brief story of when one of mine recently showed up. Also covered is the impact of bias in marketing. Get the Inclusion & Marketing Newsletter

Brand values are increasingly more important to consumers. As a result, brands need to communicate not only what their values are but how they are living them. In this episode, I walk through various ways brands are demonstrating not only what their values are, but how they are living them. Get the Inclusion & Marketing Newsletter Episode 122: How Michael Graves Design and Pottery Barn are working to bring accessible design to more consumers Brands mentioned in this episode: Ben & Jerry's Patagonia Seer Interactive The Home Depot Tory Burch Warby Parker Michael Graves Design

eCommerce is a core part of the journey for many consumers across a number of different industries. And because eCommerce websites or sections of websites often attract a broad diversity of consumers with different identities, brands who take the time to design experiences with as little friction as possible for people with these identities, will see more conversions. This episode walks through how to build a more inclusive eCommerce website, with specific examples of how different brands do that for different identities. Even if you don't have an eCommerce website, many examples referenced will still be applicable for you in helping you build a site that drives more conversions. Get the Inclusion & Marketing Newsletter All the examples mentioned in this episode Episode 127: How to create a multilingual content strategy with Selim Dahmani Episode 60: Designing inclusive experiences for neurodivergent consumers Episode 58: How to build an LGBTQ+ inclusive brand with Hank Paul

Lots of brands are making YouTube marketing a priority. It's easy to understand why -- it puts you in a position to get in front of more of your ideal customers worldwide. But of course, with any marketing tactic, you need an effective strategy behind it to make it work for you. In this episode, I'm walking you through this smart inclusive strategy many top YouTube channels use with great success to reach. Get the Inclusion & Marketing Newsletter Video mentioned in the episode 134: 3 Steps to creating an effective multilingual content strategy 127: How to create a multilingual content strategy with Selim Dahmani

By this time of year, normally we don't see too many LGBTQ+ celebrations from brands. Pride month has passed, and many brands are back to business as usual, which in a lot of cases means they aren't doing much of anything to make LGBTQ+ consumers feel seen, supported, or like they belong. Brands that do a good job of serving the LGBTQ+ community do it all year long. In this episode, I walk you through ways you can build an LGBTQ+ inclusive brand that makes people from the community feel like they belong, no matter when they encounter your brand. Get the Inclusion & Marketing Newsletter Episode 58: How to build an LGBTQ+ inclusive brand with Hank Paul

Engaging customers that speak other languages is a smart strategy for brands to grow. But too often, marketers think that an effective multilingual content strategy is just about translating your existing content into various languages. The reality, doing that may not bring you the results you desire. In this episode of the inclusion and marketing podcast, I walk you through my framework for implementing an effective multilingual content strategy that enables you to convert more customers. Get the Inclusion & Marketing Newsletter Episode 127: How to create a multilingual content strategy with Selim Dahmani

Every time I see data about the changing demographics in the U.S., it seems like my jaw drops open. Population Growth: 70% of the U.S. population growth between 2022 and 2023 is attributed to Latinos, a trend that shows no signs of slowing. Economic Force: Latino youth are projected to contribute 78% of all net new U.S. workers by 2030, and Hispanic consumer spending is outpacing non-Hispanic spending in key areas like personal care, home electronics, and new cars. 25% of Gen Z and Gen Alpha are Latino 94% of Latinos under age 18 are born and raised in the U.S. Did you know all that, cause I sure didn’t. And when I think about this from a marketing standpoint, it’s clear that brands need to factor these changing demographics into their strategies. The data I mentioned came from the U.S. Latino Youth 2030 Report, conducted by Kantar in Collaboration with the Latino Donor Collaborative. I wanted to dive more into this data and the implications, so I sat down with Ana Valdez, President and CEO of the Latino Donor Collaborative. Get the Inclusion & Marketing Newsletter U.S. Latino Youth Report 2030: from Kantar and The LDC Latino Donor Collaborative

In the summer of 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court said that it was no longer lawful to use affirmative action as a way to diversify the number of students colleges and universities accepted each year. As a result, a decades-old policy meant to help universities do a better job of building a diverse and representative student body is no longer valid. As a result, many companies have been reevaluating their own recruitment and hiring policies to address how they could go about building a diverse team – in a way that is, of course, legal. From a marketing perspective, data shows that many marketing teams are quite homogenous. And that homogeneity – that isn’t representative of the actual consumers brands serve, often results in brands not doing the best job of being inclusive in their marketing. So, what’s a brand to do? Well, for this episode, I sat down with an expert, Leanne Elliott, a business psychologist who’s had years of experience with his. Leanne brings some guidance for you on how to build a diverse team in this environment. And I have a feeling if you follow Leanne’s advice, which is rooted in lots of hard-core data – you’ll do a better job of building a diverse and representative team that outperforms those that aren’t representative. Get the Inclusion & Marketing Newsletter Background on political climate impacting hiring --> Why brands have broken DEI promises Leanne's Company - Oblong HQ Leanne's podcast - Truth, Lies, and Work Episode 48: How to create an inclusive workplace culture with Al and Leanne Elliott