Introduction
Companies advertise their products and services using commercial messages in various media. The most courageous companies implement inclusive marketing that targets all consumers regardless of their socio-economic, ethical, cultural, and gender backgrounds. Coca-Cola and ThirdLove are the most successful companies using inclusive advertising that receive benefits in the form of consumer recognition and market growth.
Background
Companies choose their marketing strategies relying on their business types and corporate focus. Marketing professionals advise wholesalers to target a specific group of consumers to eliminate financial losses and save costs (Dimitrieska et al., 2019). Indeed, it is easier for companies to reach their full potential by obtaining more chances to provide the best services to a limited audience by targeting. In contrast, inclusive marketing has more advantages as it positions the business as a company respecting and valuing all consumers. Dimitrieska et al. (2019) believe that companies with inclusive marketing are more effective, successful, and profitable than their competitors. The reason is that by hearing the voices of marginalized and underrepresented individuals, marketers satisfy their needs and promote equality among customers (Dimitrieska et al., 2019). When companies announce their inclusiveness, they should better understand that diversity requires them to acknowledge many consumer characteristics: ethnicity, age, gender, beliefs, and life experiences. Thus, they learn to accept and respect various cultures and identities.
Best Practice Examples
Some businesses succeed in inclusive advertising, proved by their slogans and a significant number of customers worldwide. For example, Coca-Cola utilizes the most effective inclusive marketing that highlights the simple idea of all people having in common a love for the taste of the drink (Bump, 2021). The company was ahead of the whole world in its tolerance and inclusiveness to the audience since, back in the 1970s, it began shooting commercials with representatives of different nations, countries, and races. The slogan “I’d like to buy the world a Coke” set the beginning of inclusive marketing as it promotes that Coca-Cola values all consumers regardless of their backgrounds (Dimitrieska et al., 2019). The recent campaign promotes the “together, we are beautiful” slogan, where diverse individuals sing lines of the song in different languages, enhancing inclusion and humanity. Coca-Cola’s campaigns towards diversity among customers keep them satisfied and increase the company’s sales.
Inclusive marketing is crucial for some brands, promoting self-confidence. ThirdLove, the lingerie company, targets women of different ages with different bodies, races, and nations. Unlike its alternative, such as Victoria’s Secret, which limits body size diversity, ThirdLove’s brand positioning meets the need of many women worldwide. For instance, it provides 78 sizes of bras, twice as many as other companies do, justifying the company’s intention to serve all women (Zhou, 2022). Its slogan “designed for all figures” fits large-size models and transgender models who were neglected for many decades. ThirdLove’s Facebook cover photo depicting older and younger women in a lingerie line also targets different generations (Bump, 2021). Such accurate strategies help the company improve its sales by 347% annually (Zhou, 2022). The company receives applause on social platforms and competes with giants in lingerie, a market leader due to the idea of inclusiveness empowering women worldwide.
Applications
Inclusive marketing portrays the actual world of the customers but not a place full of perfect models. Therefore, companies should follow inclusive marketing because it enables them to meet the needs of diverse customers and build brand loyalty for the targeted audience. When consumers see similar representatives of their groups in ads or the company’s messages, they align with the brands (Dimitrieska et al., 2019). Thus, representing people from as many possible diverse backgrounds benefits companies by creating close relationships, facilitating trust, and increasing sales annually. From the customer’s point of view, the emergence of inclusive marketing allows many people to be heard. People who were underrepresented and those who had a limited choice in the products now have a chance to choose between different brands. It helps the customers to feel accepted, respected, and fully recognized as equal customers in the brand’s audience (Bump, 2021). Inclusive marketing indeed forces social change contributing to the self-confidence of many representatives.
Conclusion
To conclude, the evolution of advertising is an efficient development for companies that aim uniquely to promote their products. The most successful practices of inclusive advertisement targeting consumers from diverse backgrounds lead to universal recognition. Campaigns utilized by Coca-Cola and ThirdLove exemplify how diversity among consumers brings better brand positioning and sales growth.
References
Bump, P. (2021). 7 brands that got inclusive marketing right. HubSpot. Web.
Dimitrieska, S., Stamevska, E., & Stankovska, A. (2019). Inclusive marketing-reality or make up. Economics and Management, 16(2), 112-119. Web.
Zhou, Y. (2022). From Victoria’s Secret to ThirdLove. 2021 International Conference on Social Development and Media Communication, pp. 1378-1384. Atlantis Press.