Do the Right Thing: How Diversity and Inclusion Drives Brand Outcomes

Now more than ever, the topic of diversity and inclusion (D&I) is essential for any marketer who is looking to authentically connect with their target audience and grow their business. While our recent Leading the Change event unveiled many ways in which inclusivity is a business imperative, we were excited to further examine findings from the Video Advertising Bureau’s (VAB) recent report Do the Right Thing: How Diversity & Inclusion Drives Brand Outcomes to prove how ad campaigns with a core message of D&I deliver stronger brand results throughout the purchasing funnel.

The results? After analyzing more than 3,300 TV ads from 50 brands over the last five years, using metrics such as attention scores, website traffic, sales and revenue, we now have statistical evidence that embracing D&I as a core component in a brand’s messaging leads to positive outcomes, such as increased consumer engagement as well as sales growth.

To further hone in on this, particularly as it relates to Hispanics, we partnered with VAB’s President and CEO, Sean Cunningham, and his team to determine if specific Spanish-language ad campaigns would pass the challenge and if in fact these ads maximized marketing outcomes for brands looking to do the right thing. Here are some examples of brands that benefited from a more inclusive approach to their creative and advertising:

Nescafé Clásico: Nescafé’s 2019 campaign “Café con Mi Familia” (Coffee with My Family) illustrates the closeness of a multigenerational Hispanic family while drinking coffee. The campaign won the hearts of many consumers as its TV spot ranked #1 in viewer attentiveness among all Nescafé ads over the last three years.

State Farm: Earlier this year, State Farm released an ad entitled “Accidente de Dos Patas” (Two-Legged Accident) using music and comedy to attract its consumers, and it worked. The TV spot garnered very high attention and ranked in the 90^th percentile among more than 115 ads that aired over a two-year period.

Tide: With a strong multi-creative Spanish-language TV campaign entitled “Una Limpieza Infalible” (An Infallible Cleaning) showcasing how foolproof and easy it is to use their new product, Tide saw an immediate surge in their website traffic. From its launch in January 2019, throughout the campaign flight (13 months), Tide saw a +135% increase in traffic vs. the previous 13 months.

These are just a few examples that show that inclusive campaigns on Spanish-Language TV can break through the advertising clutter, driving stronger awareness and outsized attention for brands, as well as garner deeper engagement, consideration and interaction across platforms.

Thanks to VAB’s insightful research we can further confirm that there is a direct correlation between doing the right thing and positive business outcomes.  It is undeniable that ad campaigns with a core message of diversity and inclusion deliver stronger brand results throughout the purchasing funnel, and as we saw in research from Nielsen published last Spring, Spanish-language TV drives even greater ROIs.  If you’re looking for more insights on how best to activate a diverse and inclusive marketing strategy, click here to learn how Univision Brand Labs can work for you.