Most marketers and organization leaders would agree that diversity and inclusion matter for company performance. Statistics reveal that the more diverse a company is, the better its profitability.

But beyond profitability, diversity in marketing is important, affecting how consumers perceive a brand and possibly even how they perceive themselves and others.

For this reason, it’s crucial that marketers prioritize diversity in their campaigns, especially when it comes to the images they use.

What does diversity in images mean?

It’s important to have a complete, nuanced understanding of diversity, especially as it applies to choosing images for your marketing and branding.

A common myth is that diversity refers exclusively to diversity of race and gender. However, while diverse race and gender are certainly a part of true diversity, it expands beyond that. True diversity in images includes representation from people of different races, gender identity, socio-economic status, age, disability, sexual orientation, culture, and more.

More than mere representation, diversity Paraguay WhatsApp Number List also requires showing individuals as humans first — rather than a representation of a group. That is, recognizing difference without implying that anyone is superior or inferior to anyone else.

This also includes avoiding tokenization.

With this definition in mind, we can now explore why it’s important to have diversity in your images.

Problems with non-diverse images in digital marketing

Images in marketing, media, and advertising have implications beyond the brand itself. These images shape our culture’s perception of reality, of what’s “normal” and what’s not.

When images lack diversity (showing, perhaps, only one person among many who is not white, able-bodied, thin, young, straight, and cis-gendered), the effects are far-reaching.  Best database provider | Whatsapp number lists

Let’s take a closer look at why non-diverse images are harmful.

Doesn’t accurately reflect reality

The United States is becoming more culturally diverse every day, yet diversity is still lagging in marketing imagery. The majority of marketing doesn’t accurately reflect the reality of the diversity of the North American population.

And this lack of diversity in marketing extends beyond race, ethnicity, and culture.

Perpetuates stereotypes and impacts individuals

Lack of diversity in marketing and media images has real-life consequences for everyone observing them — which is nearly every member of our society.

Theories suggest stereotypes are formed based on a collective observation of everyday life. And since Americans spend an average of 3-4 hours per day looking at TV or smart phones, much of our observations are dictated by representation there.