by Liz Bohinc, Bella Thomas and Ansley Williams
In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, a spotlight has been shone on the particular ethical issues surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion from the boardroom to the warehouse floor to your Instagram feed. According to WARC’s 2020 study, 91% of people surveyed consider racial profiling to be a problem in the advertising casting process. With nearly 50% of Gen Z individuals being Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (Pew Research Center, 2018), it’s time to start treating diversity, equity, and inclusion within your brand as the norm, not the exception.
This specifically includes your efforts in influencer marketing, which enlist individuals who can be your partners and true collaborators in strengthening your overall business. And Gen Z is listening. Many prominent, vocal figures — including YouTubers, gamers, influencers, and social celebrities — play a key role in this generation, from how they select what to purchase to what brands to support. If you aim to fill (predominantly) white spaces of opportunity with diverse voices of all races, genders, sexual orientations, body types, abilities, and overall lifestyles, your work can break free from commonplace stereotypes and misinformed social constructs.
This also provides influencer marketing with the unique chance to effect change in marketing by forming mosaic representation, truly reflecting the composite world around us. Ultimately, co-creating and collaborating with diverse influencers will help you make better campaigns and better products and be part of a bigger sociocultural shift beyond 2021.
Download and read From Strategy to Action: Bringing a Diverse and Equitable Approach to Influencer Partnerships for more.
Liz Bohinc is Senior Strategist, Social for Ogilvy.
Bella Thomas is a Senior Strategist, Influencer for Ogilvy.
Ansley Williams is Associate Director, Influencer Strategy at Ogilvy in New York.
