Diverse marketing teams can best reach a growing diverse marketplace.

As a diversity consultant, I continue to welcome guest blogs from excellent writers and researchers who offer practical insights in these areas to supplement by expertise.  Here is a thoughtful and useful blog from Sean Begg Flint of Position Digital.

Diversity is an increasingly important issue in workplaces, with many companies now striving to champion diversity in all that they do. The creative industry stands to benefit hugely from such improvements, particularly when it comes to creating inclusive campaigns. Read on and we’ll explain why diversity matters in marketing – and what companies can achieve by ensuring that their teams are as diverse as they are talented.

Why is building a diverse marketing team important for creating inclusive campaigns?

Diversity isn’t just a vital consideration in terms of fairness. It’s also worth thinking about because a diverse team tends to be a more competent one. And nowhere is this more evident than in the creative industry, where the experience of key team members is key to the creation of truly inclusive campaigns.

Campaigns speak to new audiences.

If the team behind a campaign is a diverse one, then brainstorming sessions will always draw on experiences from many different cultures and backgrounds. This results in a campaign that’s capable of speaking to a range of audiences, allowing a company to target its products to new markets. And of course, brands are less likely to accidentally cause any PR-related disasters if their campaigns are the work of a more diverse marketing team.

Messaging steers clear of unconscious bias

Unconscious bias is a real issue in the creative industry, but hiring a diverse marketing team is a great way to solve such issues. If a team is truly diverse, then it’s unlikely to face issues resulting from a common unconscious bias amongst those planning its campaigns. So, resulting campaigns will be inclusive by nature – and audiences will soon pick up on this.

Embarrassing mistakes can be avoided

Creative campaigns go viral for all the wrong reasons with increasing regularity. While a viral campaign is often great news in terms of building brand awareness, it isn’t so welcome when that surge in awareness causes damage to the brand’s reputation. This is a real risk if a campaign causes offence, or appears to lack inclusivity. Hiring a diverse marketing team means gaining a better understanding of a range of different cultures, which can stop campaigns from going viral for all the wrong reasons.

These ads from Wells Fargo can appeal to multiple aspects of someone’s intersectional diversity.

Talented Team Mean Better Campaigns

All great marketing teams begin with a meticulous recruitment process, through which companies seek to hire the best talent for the job. If such processes are planned with diversity in mind, brands can only improve their chances of hiring top talent and gaining a new team member who will soon prove to be a real asset. Champion diversity during the recruitment process to build a brilliantly capable team, well-positioned to deliver truly creative campaigns.

Diversity matters, so don’t overlook it

The best marketing campaigns are always the result of the combined efforts of a diverse team of people, whose knowledge comes together to create disruptive messaging that really works. Hire a diverse team and you’ll ensure that your next campaign is inclusive, intelligent and culturally sensitive.

About the author:

Sean Begg Flint is the founder of Position Digital, a digital marketing agency for ambitious startups and growing brands. He is passionate about purpose-driven content marketing and using outreach for good.