DIVERSITY

Diversity Devalued

Although digital advertising accounts for over half of all US ad spending, online advertisers still fail to run ads that actually look like the audiences viewing them.

More than 54% of audiences in the US, UK, and Brazil say they “do not feel fully culturally represented in online advertising,” according to a new Facebook report. 64% said they would like to see more diversity.

And respondents want change: 71% of respondents expect brands to promote diversity and inclusion in their online advertising and 59% said they “prefer to buy” from brands that “stand for diversity and inclusion” in their ads.

“Stereotypes and bias still exist within advertising, with some groups practically absent or portrayed in stereotypical ways,” said Facebook researcher Fernanda de Lima Alcantara in a blog post released alongside the report. “People expect the advertising industry to ensure diverse voices and experiences are represented authentically.”

More notable numbers:

• Only 1.1% of online ads showcased people with disabilities, and just .3% showed people in the LGBTQ community.
• Women are 14.1 times (!) more likely than men to be shown in revealing clothing.
• Online ads with more diverse representation have a “higher ad recall.”

Not just the ’net

This isn’t just an issue for digital marketing. This year’s slate of Super Bowl campaigns failed to make much of an impact in terms of diversity, for example—both in front of the camera and behind. As multicultural marketing consultant Nathan Young told us...

• Only 7% of the directors for Super Bowl spots this year were people of color. 
• Just 5% of the directors were women.

Publishers too: Newsrooms from the Washington Post to Vox and Bleacher Report are still largely white too, according to a Digiday roundup of the publishers’ self-reported diversity stats. So are their leadership positions.

My takeaway: Given the wave of social justice-centric campaigns we’ve seen since May, these results are even starker, a clear sign that the marketing and media world must accelerate diversity initiatives both with external-facing talent and behind the scenes—diverse teams make diverse content.

SOCIAL MEDIA

The Most Exclusive Club in NYC is...Twitter?

The tiny blue bird recently announced conversation settings for ads—a tool that lets marketers choose who can respond to promoted tweets.

• Conversation settings became available for organic tweets in August 2020, but the feature rolled out for paid ads on Monday. 
• Via Tweet Composer or Ads API, advertisers now have the option to allow replies from everyone, accounts the brand follows, or only those mentioned. 

Twitter, of course, likes this feature quite a bit: Since the organic launch in August, “brands have experimented with using these settings in a variety of ways, from hosting panel discussions with brand advocates or influencers, to broaching important topics without the distraction of replies,” Twitter’s Senior Product Marketing Manager Lauren Ehrlich told Marketing Brew. 

But not everyone is convinced: While Twitter’s new toy might be “a useful tool which brands can use strategically," according to Brian Sheehan, a communications professor at Syracuse University, he ultimately told Marketing Brew “brands should use these tools sparingly.”

My takeaway: Conversation settings sound like a useful brand safety tool…in a Pandora’s box kind of way. Advertisers should treat these settings with caution—once you start limiting replies, you limit the potential of social as a marketing channel.

SPONSORED BY ATTEST

Aware of Awareness?

If you’re not tracking brand awareness, then you’re flying blinder than a bat wearing a sleep mask.

Top brands like Klarna and Wise use Attest to track brand awareness and measure the effectiveness of campaigns. Don’t believe us? We’ll pass the mic to Wise’s creative lead:

“Crucial to understanding the ROI of brand-building is being able to measure it. That’s where Attest comes in; they’ve allowed us to quantify our long-term brand efforts.” Straight from the brand horse’s mouth. 

Marketing Brew readers, Attest is offering a free, three-question brand awareness survey to see how your brand stacks up against the competition. You’ll find out how recognizable your brand is with your target audience and if people would choose your brand over the competition.

Get aware of your brand awareness by claiming your free survey here.

BRANDING

Nobody’s Perfect—Hannah Montana Unilever

According to Unilever, the new normal = no normal. Yesterday, the consumer goods company erased the word “normal” from all packaging and advertising for its beauty and personal products.

• The move comes alongside Unilever’s new “Positive Beauty” vision and strategy, which is grounded in inclusivity.

Fact and figures: A 10,000-person global study commissioned by Unilever and shared with Marketing Brew found that: 

• Seven in 10 people think using the word “normal” in marketing has a negative impact. 
• Six in 10 said the beauty industry creates “a singular notion” of what’s normal.
• And 63% said axing “normal” would make them feel better about their appearance. 

More facts, more figures: The sentiment echoes beyond Unilever research.

• Recent data from Marketer Must Read and Morning Consult says only 29% of US women feel accurately represented in advertising.
• And in another MMR survey with Burns Group’s BrandInformers, the majority of responses from 500 US women proved they want advertising that’s generally more inclusive of size and ethnic differences. 

Looking ahead: Keep word choice in mind for your own female-targeted brand strategies—unless they’re female robots, who we can only assume love “normalcy.” 

WHAT ELSE IS BREWING

• T-Mobile will automatically enroll its customers in an ad targeting network starting in April, unless they explicitly opt out.
• Oprah’s royal interview raked in 17+ million viewers, more than double the Golden Globes audience.
• Disney+ topped 100 million subscribers, challenging Netflix for the streaming crown.
• Taboola pledged $500k of free ads to women owned businesses for International Women’s Day.

SPONSORED BY LOB

Ding dong, direct mail insight here. In a survey with Comperemedia, Lob found that 60% of companies sending direct mail say it’s their highest-ROI marketing channel. And it’s not just for customer acquisition; companies are increasingly using direct mail for engagement, retention, and even advocacy. Find out how lifecycle-focused direct mail can boost your next campaign. 

AD FRAUD

Which headlines are real marketing news, and which one is fake?

1. E.l.f. Partners with Chipotle for Guac Makeup
2. Layaway Brands Spent Millions on Marketing Following Economic Crash
3. Advertisers Learn More from Toddlers than Marketing Conferences, Study Finds
4. After This Month, Oprah’s Interview with the Royals Won’t Be Streaming

Keep scrolling for the answer.

FRENCH PRESS

There are a lot of bad marketing tips out there. These aren't those.

Social: How to use Instagram for every step of the sales funnel.

You’ve Got Mail: Cold emails are hard. Here’s some help.

Brand: Clients will probably use Google. So make a Knowledge Panel for your brand. 

Verbiage: Forget the thesaurus. Here’s a list of synonyms for “client conversion.”

Productivity: Why has getting work done gotten so dang hard? For instance, 87% of knowledge workers are working late now that they're WFH. Discover all the stats in Asana’s Anatomy of Work Index report.*

AD FRAUD ANSWER

Alas, toddlers aren’t dictating the biggest trends of the industry. Yet.

ICYMI

Catch up on a few Marketing Brew stories you might have missed.

• What’s behind Virginia’s new privacy law
• Billie’s International Women’s Day campaign
• An “intimate” vision for the new normal