Why Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) is Important for Brands?

By John Horodyski, Executive Director, Salt Flats (He/Him/His), Dr. Reem El Asaleh, Associate Professor, Graphic Communications Management at The Creative School, Toronto Metropolitan University (She/Her/Hers), and Carol Thomas-Knipes, VP DAM Program Manager & Admin, Global Marketing, Citi (She/Her/Hers)

Business needs, user needs, and language change over time, and the metadata associated with our brand images, videos, and more need to adapt to stay relevant and respectful for our consumers.  In fact, there is a common known theory in Marketing called the "Marketing as Exchange" Theory which states that a consumer will pay to purchase a product or service only when they find value in that exchange. As a result, brands need to deliver valuable products or services that meet the needs of the consumer to execute that exchange. 

For a brand, embracing DEIA in their messaging and their workplace practices adds meaningful value to consumers while showing how a corporation can contribute to society. Based on the Elderman Trust Barometer 2020 special report about brands and racial justice in America, the surveyed consumers claimed that their engagement with a brand will depend on how these companies respond to racial injustice. Specifically, of those surveyed, 58% believe it’s important for brands to educate the public and advocate for racial equality, while 60% believe it’s important for a brand to invest in addressing the root causes of racial inequality.

As the world is ever changing, brands are now being held accountable by their diverse customers for their DEIA initiatives. Metadata is about meaning and must change with societal norms in a respectful and inclusive manner. Brands are demanding more diverse content and using metadata as a tool to drive that content creation to show their customers a more diverse world.

A DEIA marketing strategy must take into consideration how people see themselves through a company brand. Expanding this strategy beyond inclusive advertisement messaging is critical. This could be achieved by learning and listening to diverse brand stakeholders and addressing their needs. This increases brand value, thus increasing ROI.

For instance, beverage brands have adopted a new marketing strategy of replacing the nomenclature of low-calorie sodas from “Diet” to “Zero Sugar”. Over time, the term “diet” has become connected to negative gender stereotyping and an association with a lack of restraint; while “zero is empowered and full and a value add. It’s got zero sugar as a good thing instead of diet as this pursuit of nothingness” as described by Emily Contois, an assistant professor of media studies at The University of Tulsa in Oklahoma. With this simple change, “low-calorie soda sales are rising, and a big part of that seems to be the zero-sugar phenomenon.”

Another example is Olay North America. They wanted to expand their outreach to people with disabilities, so they introduced a new limited-edition easy open lid with a high contrast product label and Braille text indicating the product type.

While brands are forging ahead with DEIA initiatives, they must also take care that their actions match their words, inside and out. Recently, several brands have stumbled with the perception of their commitment to DEIA due to decisions that appear to undermine their own messaging. Language, business, and life are not lived in a vacuum. Metadata matters because it gives structure and meaning to our content. It requires participation and effort from people, our processes, and technology to make it all work. It is a must worthy for us all to do, practitioners, professionals, advocates, and allies alike.

If you want to hear more about managing and tagging your metadata with DEIA perspectives, join us at the upcoming Henry Stewart DAM NYC event Sept 15th-16th. The panel is titled “Managing Metadata for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion and Accessibility” and feel free to use the SPEAKER100 discount code when registering.

You can get more information on the panel and conference here: